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Gateway Tower

vdogg

By vdogg
in Virginia Beach

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vaceltic Hamlet

vaceltic

Posted
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Crate and Barrel would be nice but is there any other reason to suspect they may be coming?

The developers have said they are luring a 'major retailer' to the region which does not currently have a store in the area. This company uses an architectural concept that is consistent amongst the stores they build and, although pure speculation, the developer's statements and the design of the building just seem to point to Crate & Barrel.

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urbanvb City

urbanvb

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The retail is not a success for one bc they hardly have any. It takes more than just a few retailers to force folks to park in a parking garage to look around. I really hope the big retail fashion store that is coming will be one to pull in the people. Sorry so off topic. :whistling:

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RJWGMU Whistle-Stop

RJWGMU

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I dont understand the building design idea of blending dark red brick and white concrete together and having the brick taper down only three floors........any urban designers in the house can explain?

Well I doubt that the building is actually brick as that would be extremely costly. I seem to remember hearing or reading it would be darker colored stamped concrete like the rest of the building. The white concrete just breaks up the building a bit more, and the different bottom floor of the building is likely supposed to make it feel like a separate building. That is just my guess though. To be honest, I like the ground floor portion and wish they would have continued it all the way up because it doesn't look like just concrete... There is a lot of glass in it! Also, it is a nice change from all of the other bland buildings they have put up.

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urbanlife Town

urbanlife

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wow, I really like this rendering. One, it will be a nice change up from the traditional towncenter coloring. Two, it is just a good design all over.

My guess without seeing the specs is that it is all concrete. It is easy to do coloring like that with concrete and much less costly than brick. However today's time brick could be done as a curtain wall for a similar price tag. However in this case I hope they choose concrete to keep with the more modern feeling they are trying for. The base of the building looks very 60's modern in a good way.

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PeninsulaKiddo Burg

PeninsulaKiddo

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I think the building is very well-designed - the base is brilliant. It kind of evokes a Time-Warner Center, NYC feel - huge and blocky, but with expansive sections of glass. I think from street-level it could become one of our region's classiest buildings.

Is there going to be a retail component to the bottom floor(s)? I can't remember, and can't really tell from the rendering.

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vaceltic Hamlet

vaceltic

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I'd put my money on Crate & Barrel Kiddo :good:

I think the building is very well-designed - the base is brilliant. It kind of evokes a Time-Warner Center, NYC feel - huge and blocky, but with expansive sections of glass. I think from street-level it could become one of our region's classiest buildings.

Is there going to be a retail component to the bottom floor(s)? I can't remember, and can't really tell from the rendering.

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RJWGMU Whistle-Stop

RJWGMU

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I'd put my money on Crate & Barrel Kiddo :good:

I would have, until today. I talked with an HR person from Crate & Barrel today at a job fair and she was saying it would be a few years or so before they open a store here. They are working at making their housewares only stores in Richmond and Raleigh full stores first. So she said anyway... Though I agree, the design is VERY MUCH resembling Crate & Barrel.

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root Crossroads

root

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I dont understand the building design idea of blending dark red brick and white concrete together and having the brick taper down only three floors........any urban designers in the house can explain?

I like the brick/concrete mix. Its kind of weird, but I would prefer weird over bland any day.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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Omissions, lack of context, distort news articles

A NEWS STORY in The Virginian-Pilot on March 12 illustrates how information can be correct and yet simultaneously misleading, or, in the eyes of some critics, just plain wrong.

The opening sentence of Richard Quinn's story about the financing of an expansion project proposed in Virginia Beach is, in fact, correct: "The newest tower at Town Center could cost taxpayers $30 million."

Yet Steve Herbert, the city's chief development officer, insists, "That is absolutely not true." Quinn counters, "I beg to differ." In fact, Quinn's lead sentence is true - but important caveats are missing....

:shok: Wow, i'm actually quite impressed that the pilot would take themselves to task for this. This has been a complaint, at least amongst our group, for quite some time.

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TBurban Town

TBurban

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I feel like this was discussed before but I don't think anyone ever posted the link. This is the link to the presentation to City Council on Tower Two.

Also, here is a rendering of the building from VB Blvd.

post-9359-1205932053_thumb.jpg

That's awesome! Looks like the ground floor is fit for a new urban Target, isn't there another store that's facade is similar to the one shown?

I'll bet money that the ground level retail is a Crate and Barrel. That architecture is a similar style to Crate and Barrel stores I have seen elsewhere.

Ah, that's it! Has a retailer been announced for the space, yet?

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RJWGMU Whistle-Stop

RJWGMU

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That's awesome! Looks like the ground floor is fit for a new urban Target, isn't there another store that's facade is similar to the one shown?

I somewhat agree with you about the Target idea since they did get booted from Pembroke it would seem, however there is too much glass for them. It DOES resemble the Best Buy that used to be in Tysons Corner though they would not likely move from their current site. It would however mean more parking for them! If it is one large retailer, slated to open in about two years, with that design, I would be willing to bet that it is Crate and Barrel, because I seem to remember hearing a comment about a first to the area retailer... Maybe I am just crazy!

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RJWGMU Whistle-Stop

RJWGMU

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What about an Ikea. The area should be getting to the point where one would work here.

1) that plot is by far to small... easily a quarter of one floor of Ikea

2) the design is no where resembling the boxy no window blue with yellow walls of Ikea

3) They would need a LOT more parking

4) I could see them building maybe behind the mall but that is unlikely. They would likely go to more of the suburbs, even i would guess Chesapeake. It would be more central for the south side, plus Virginia Beach, specifically Town Center, would likely not be their normal customer base.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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It looks like they're finally working on the interior for the spot where the beacon will move into. I saw several men with hardhats in there today. I don't know how long it will take them to complete the entire space, but we're probably looking at at least summer. It's definitely looking like fall before construction starts.

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carolinaboy Burg

carolinaboy

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I'll blow the "off-topic whistle" on myself but........

I'm from Elizabeth City where Gateway Bank was started and I am proud of them and am glad they are going to have a 22 story tower in their name. Maybe if things continue to go well for them they will come back to Elizabeth City and build a tower here (when I say tower here I mean 5 to 10 stories ha, ha). :rolleyes:

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mistermetaj Hamlet

mistermetaj

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http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/gateway-ba...-virginia-beach

Major tenant announced.

Personally, I think TC needs more corporate tenants.

This is great news. It is exactly what Va Beach developers need to do for Town Center, take the business dispersed throughout the city and consolodate them in the Pembroke area. This is the first step in reversing suburban sprawl. When lightrail is built in Va Beach, companies will be dying to move their office location to the pembroke area since it will be the major stop in the Beach. Now if only they could do this with something like Lynnhaven Mall and have all those stores lease space in Town Center instead of the mall. That is the perfect way to increase retail in the area, and it does not require trying to attract some new company from outside the city. Way to go Armada Hoffler!

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RJWGMU Whistle-Stop

RJWGMU

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A few things:

1) The 8 floor garage plus 12 floors of office makes it 20 floors... What are the other two?

2) The name of the tower is REALLY lame and has a funky sound to it... Gateway Bank Tower... Yikes... Sounds too forced... Should be just Gateway Tower if anything...

3) Hopefully the 4 or 5 floors they said of office in the front won't be as tacky as the AH Tower.

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