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Hampton Roads

vdogg

By vdogg
in Hampton Roads

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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:D Towncenter website has been updated with the new rendering and with new info. The site list the building as 30-stories but who knows. Its been fluctuating between 30 and 35 for months now. We probably won't know for sure until there is another official announcement from council via the pilot. http://www.vabeachtowncenter.com/site_plan.stm

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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Have you heard anything about knocking down downtown plaza and building there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually yeah. I think i saw it in a skyscraperpage forum. They had an aerial map and it listed that area for future development. They're trying to put some sort of office complex there i think.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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^Wow, you're like the first resident from the Hampton Roads to admit this on a forum.  I believe the region could easily reach new heights, if its city's accepted their roles and worked together, instead of trying to compete against and one-up each another.

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I'm sorry, but this whole "accept our role" crap needs to stop. This has nothing to do with competing with Norfolk and everything to do with realizing one simple thing. Virginia Beachs sprawl is both grotesque and unmanageable and we are now pressing up against the green line. The whole reason for this project is to begin a change in the overall environment of Va Beach to encourage urban development and relieve the pressures for "outward" growth. This will not happen overnight, but i believe with projects like this and dense urban housing like cityview we will eventually reach a critical mass that will change this city for the better. There is room in this region for the both of us and Va. Beach should not be held back from becoming a great city simply because Norfolk wants to be the big kid on the block ( actually it seems like they want to be the only kid on the block). If we play our cards right, the explosive development of both cities will actually compliment eachother. The shear amount of development in this area is starting to receive nationwide attention, which can only be a good thing. The first step in regional cooperation is actually encouraging eachother in our endeavors. Virginia Beach messed up by not supporting the Norfolk light rail initiative. Norfolk is messing up by not supporting Towncenter. I envision the day, if we actually get past the childishness, of having two great downtowns linked together by light rail providing jobs and a great environment for all of this region.

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rusthebuss Metropolis

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I'm sorry, but this whole "accept our role" crap needs to stop. This has nothing to do with competing with  Norfolk and everything to do with realizing one simple thing. Virginia Beachs sprawl is both grotesque and unmanageable and we are now pressing up against the green line. The whole reason for this project is to begin a change in the overall environment of Va Beach to encourage urban development and  relieve the pressures for "outward" growth. This will not happen overnight, but i believe with projects like this and dense urban housing like cityview we will eventually reach a critical mass that will change this city for the better. There is room in this region for the both of us and Va. Beach should not be held back from becoming a great city simply because Norfolk wants to be the big kid on the block ( actually it seems like they want to be the only kid on the block). If we play our cards right, the explosive development of both cities will actually compliment  eachother. The shear amount of development in this area is starting to receive nationwide attention, which can only be a good thing. The first step in regional cooperation is actually encouraging eachother in our endeavors. Virginia Beach messed up by not supporting the Norfolk light rail initiative. Norfolk is messing up by not supporting Towncenter. I envision the day, if we actually get past the childishness, of having two great downtowns linked together by light rail providing jobs and a great environment for all of this region.

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I really don't know if this area can support two downtowns or 7 at that. This not a pissing contest its a reality. It is about coming together not fighting and what does norfolk have to do to support towncenter. Norfolk has not( to my knowledge said anything against towncenter. All i hear is negative things said by Vabeach city council.
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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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I am reposting the article below as a primary example of what i'm talking about. Trader was considering leaving the area period. That means no jobs or benefits for either of us. There are good parts and bad parts to this article. On the one hand when both communities realized that this company was trying to leave the area and they combined efforts to keep them in hampton roads, this was great. We need to see more of this. On the other hand, the fact that norfolk used incentives to lure a company already established in Va. Beach away from making a move to towncenter, is what i call not supporting towncenter.

traderbuildingbig.jpg

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...4488&ran=241379

Norfolk council approves incentives for Trader tower

By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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The best thing for The Hampton Roads would be consolidating the region into one large city, although that will never happen. 

Why not, its usally more expensive to build in a dense inner city area, compared to operating in suburban locations.  BTW, does every city in the region have their own economic development agencies?  Is there one main economic development authority for the entire region?

Downtown Norfolk is just the business, historical & cultural center for the metro, just look at the skyline, compared to the other cities.  The region, as a whole, will be much stronger by building up the core, instead of spreading jobs in the suburbs.

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I agree but that will never happen. The city mayor for Vabeach would never give her power up. They have tried to join the southside and make one city but Vabeach always says no. Norfok and Portsmouth are still trying to join.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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What a weird little place. It actually strikes me as a great place to live if it could solidify it's urbanism (things like transit), but if it continues to be so balkanized it will only hurt itself in the end. The various cities should not allow developers to play themselves off each other.

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rusthebuss Metropolis

rusthebuss

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What a weird little place. It actually strikes me as a great place to live if it could solidify it's urbanism (things like transit), but if it continues to be so balkanized it will only hurt itself in the end. The various cities should not allow developers to play themselves off each other.

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The state (VDOT) doesn't like helping us with road building, just taking our revenue. This battle has been going on for a while and i don't forsee a end to it. :o

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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The best thing for The Hampton Roads would be consolidating the region into one large city, although that will never happen.

Agreed , on both points. I kinda envisioned and NYC style government with each city acting as its own borough.

  BTW, does every city in the region have their own economic development agencies?  Is there one main economic development authority for the entire region?
Interesting you should ask that question. I think before only a few days ago, each city had its own economic develop agency. I read an article the other day that says all those entities have now merged into the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (which always existed, but now they have a few more teeth). When i find the article i'll post it here.

Downtown Norfolk is just the business, historical & cultural center for the metro, just look at the skyline, compared to the other cities.  The region, as a whole, will be much stronger by building up the core, instead of spreading jobs in the suburbs.

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Cool, and i have no problem with that, but that is still no reason for Va. Beach to stop its current plan for urbanization. There seems to be broad support in our city for making this move and i really don't think it is hurting Norfolk as much as some would have you believe. Va. Beach has 2 proposed major high-rise projects on the books right now. Norfolk has 9. They are both doing well and we should be happy about this. There seems to be 2 basic schools of thought on this subject. There are those that believe that Va. Beach started a suburb and therefore should always remain a suburb, this is not something that i can support. There are others that believe, myself included, that as a city grows and matures the nature of that city will grow and mature with it (this city is only about 50-60 years old). It is the natural progression of things. Va. Beach as a twin city instead of a suburb will do nothing to hurt Norfolk, what it will do is expand the tax base in Va. Beach and take some pressure off of the average resident (home values ,and therefore tax assesments, rose 20-22% this year!). I love all the development going on in downtown Norfolk and i want to see more. I am equally as supportive of efforts at towncenter and i think that in the coming years it will prove itself an asset, not just to Va. Beach, but to the region as a whole. I've lived in both cities and love them both, so don't think i'm favoring Va. Beach. I'm just saying that Va. Beach deserves a chance to make this work and some of the criticism leveled towards Va. Beach for trying to urbanize is unwarranted.

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vdogg Megalopolis

vdogg

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In answer to your earlier question

  BTW, does every city in the region have their own economic development agencies?  Is there one main economic development authority for the entire region?

Regional economic alliances OK merger

The South Hampton Roads group and its Peninsula counterpart become one. Now, the work really begins.

http://www.dailypress.com/business/local/d...ness-localheads

BY JODY SNIDER

247-7874

February 4, 2005

For decades, the James River has been known as the line in the sand, the great divide separating the Peninsula's politics, people and community from those living and working "across the water" in South Hampton Roads.

On Thursday, it became a connector.

The full board of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, the South Hampton Roads economic development group, gave its unanimous approval for a merger with the Peninsula Alliance for Economic Development.

The regional alliance will be called the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, and it will be led by C. Jones Hooks, president and chief executive officer for the South Hampton Roads group. The Peninsula's counterpart, Rick Weigel, has said he plans to resume retirement.

"It's been a long time coming," Hooks said.

After almost two years of hammering out details of a merger, 39 members of the 120-member board of the South Hampton Roads group cast the final approval. The combined alliance will represent 13 Virginia jurisdictions, seven Peninsula and six South Hampton Roads localities, starting March 1.

The efforts to merge go back 10 years, when the Virginia Peninsula Economic Development Council dissolved in 1996 after 16 years. Talks about merging the two economic development groups rekindled about two years ago when the Peninsula group started looking for more ways to make the group competitive. Then in January 2004, the agencies hit an impasse, and talks stopped. The Peninsula agency had asked that a three-page outline of the merger proposal be turned in to an expensive legal document before it was presented to the seven Peninsula localities.

Although the South Hampton Roads group wanted the merger, some officials of the smaller Peninsula localities worried the localities might be overshadowed by the offerings of larger communities in South Hampton Roads. Negotiations were rekindled when Newport News Mayor Joe Frank called a special meeting of the Peninsula mayors, chairs and alliance board members to ask them to reconsider the merger agreement.

"This was an idea whose time had come," Newport News Mayor Joe Frank said. "It took a lot of effort, and a lot of hand-holding."

Frank said one major ice-breaker that helped the negotiations came when city managers and city attorneys from both sides of the water met to discuss how prospects would be handled by a regional alliance.

"They wanted to know who would get to talk to the prospects. How would that work? And it was learned that both alliances worked the same way in that regard. Both looked at a company's need and then determined what each community had to offer. And each of those communities would have an opportunity to talk with the company," Frank said.

Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf agreed that the negotiations to the final merger weren't easy.

"There were some grains of sand and rocks," Oberndorf said. "Old ways die hard."

Other consolidations from both sides of the James River include the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Port Authority, Hampton Roads Transit, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and the Hampton Roads Partnership, a coalition of 17 local governments and business, education and military leaders that was established in 1996 to promote economic development in the region.

"If you're going to be one metropolitan area, you need to act like one," said Rick Weigel, chief executive officer and president of the Peninsula alliance.

Weigel said there are 17 people on the payroll for both organizations, but the merger proposal only mentions 16 employees. Thirteen people will work in Norfolk and three will work at a Peninsula office.

The Peninsula's work force development group is a part of the merger. It will continue as the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development. Matthew James, serving as vice president of the alliance, will become the president and chief executive officer of the council.

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vdogg Megalopolis

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If all the drama over the TBA development is any indication this may not go through. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, i'd really like to see development extend across the I-264 corridor. On the other hand it really pisses me off that they kicked out all thouse people who had no where to go, and on top of that refused to help them find a place to live because they didn't "have" to. Part of me hopes this project is rejected just to teach them a lesson.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...2034&ran=177915

Drawing the line on affordable housing

The Virginian-Pilot

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bobliocatt City

bobliocatt

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The Cornerstone development looks pretty good. I also agree, there's nothing wrong with VaBeach attempting to slow down the growth of low density development, by approving more urban oriented projects. I only question the city government's motives, because it really seems like they are hell bent on beating all the other cities in the metro at everything, instead of freely working with the others, on key issues like light rail, to strengthen the region as a whole.

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