Hampton Roads

[vdogg]

Kinda dated article, but it gives u an idea of what to expect at build out.

Town center puts more pizzazz in Oyster Point business park

by Paula C. Squires

Virginia Business

March 2003

Related Stories:

- And the winners are ...

- A place you can invite folks for the holidays

- Concerts not swimming pools at Port Warwick

- Capital One's funky new campus

Oyster Point Town Center

$300 million mixed-use development

City of Newport News

Newport News Economic Development Authority

HL Development Group

NAI Harvey Lindsay Commercial Real Estate

CMSS Architects

For years, Newport News has been a city without a real downtown. The original one consists mainly of a jail, city offices, a new shipbuilding research center, yet hardly any stores

[vdogg]

And last but not least, i believe the rendering with the Hotel in it is on this page. http://www.cmssarchitects.com/City_Center_...er_Point_ud.php

Move your mouse over the top middle thumbnail. The building is in the top left corner of the image that appears up top.

[rusthebuss]

This is great news. I am glad to see the area grow so rapidly. I just hope the roads are being planned to adapt. Expanding the roads to bottle neck into the tunnel doesn't help really.

[vdogg]

Town Center rendering. The Marriott is the tallest building in this picture

[rusthebuss]

Anything else?

[JohnnyCockfight]

Newport News' "City Center at Oyster Point" is somewhat similar to Virginia Beach's "Town Center," but on a smaller scale. The obvious difference is that City Center at Oyster Point doesn't have any restaurants up yet (aside from a marginal lunch place)--they have a few commercial buildings and two of the four apartment buildings and a parking garage completed so far.

To date i do not believe they have started on this project. Not sure what the hold up is.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I could be wrong, but they began significant construction on a couple different areas at City Center, and I believe the hotel is one of them. I'll find out.

One more area of Newport News they are building up right now is a "college town" area by Christopher Newport University. It should be ready to go by fall, and looks like it might be in the mold of the developments at schools like Arizona State in Tempe and Harvard in Cambridge--a lot of colleges are going to this.

[vdogg]

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...2772&ran=179212

Developers want to transform Va. Beach resort area

By JON W. GLASS, The Virginian-Pilot

[vdogg]

Below is a link to the comprehensive plan for the Wedgewood urban development near towncenter, there's also some discussion of possible 264 flyover routes (it appears that the flyover affects this project as well as cityview). It is scheduled to go before council for a vote March 22.

http://www.vbgov.com/dept/planning/vgn_fil...dgewood_CRZ.pdf

Also, there has been some controversy over this project due to the developers steadfast refusal to include affordable housing for all the people he kicked out on the street. Not sure if this one will pass or not.

That being said, it's a very nice looking project. Kinda reminds me of D.C.

[vdogg]

Norfolk's courthouse plans proceeding

By Philip Newswanger

Inside Business - Hampton Roads

Monday February 28, 2005

All rise for the expansion of the federal courthouse in Norfolk.

Though details are sparse ? in some cases, excruciatingly tempered ? the federal government is proceeding with design and site plans, continuing a momentum begun three years ago to expand the one building in Norfolk with the most gravitas.

Meanwhile, two of downtown Norfolk?s most celebrated property owners, Buddy Gadams and Bobby Wright, are proceeding with their own plans for upscale condominiums and more retail space that are squarely in the way of the federal government.

Wright, president of The Wright Company, and Gadams, president of Marathon Development, professed ignorance about the current courthouse expansion, though they were keenly interested in any news of the project.

Norfolk?s courthouse, at Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue, escaped a two-year moratorium on courthouse projects last September and was one of eight projects allowed to proceed with design, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The moratorium was self-imposed in an attempt to save projects already in the pipeline.

?Norfolk is not included in the moratorium and is proceeding with design ? they received site and design funding in fiscal year 2002 budget ? but the project may be subject to space reductions,? said Karen Redmond, spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The U.S. Courts were optimistic that President Bush would fully fund all courthouse projects in his 2006 budget. They hoped for $500 million, including $276 million in advance appropriations from his 2001 budget, for the design or construction, or both, of 13 courthouse projects.

Yet the administration only vetted money for construction of two courthouses ? San Diego and Austin ? and the repair and alteration of courthouses in Arizona and New York.

Though the Judiciary submits its wish list to the White House, it is the General Services Administration that controls the purse strings and is responsible for delivering the product.

?The funds are usually for specific courthouse construction and/or renovation projects,? Redmond said. ?But the funds are in GSA?s budget, not in what the Judiciary submits to the White House.?

The GSA doesn?t anticipate construction funding until fiscal year 2007 or later. In fact, GSA was stingy about specifics even though more intimate details emerged three years ago.

Gina Gilliam, spokeswoman for GSA, said the price tag and the size of the proposed expansion haven?t been determined yet because ?the scope and program requirements are still being evaluated.?

Nor has GSA decided on whether to expand west or south, the preferred directions.

?This hasn?t been determined yet,? Gilliam said. ?Site preference is dependent on the scope and program requirements.?

A block south on Granby and Bute streets is Wright?s building, a retail and condominium complex. Wright said all of the condominiums are for sale now and that half of them are spoken for, secured by a $5,000 deposit on each unit.

A block west, directly in front of the main entrance to the courthouse, is the site of Gadams? proposed high-rise, twin-tower complex, featuring condominiums priced from $250,000 to $400,000, six stories of parking, 17,000 square feet of retail space, a pool, an exercise facility and a club area, a project estimated at $100 million.

The project was announced last July, to much acclaim by city officials, including Mayor Paul Fraim, who said that ?this seems to be a project that is well conceived.?

Gadams said he will break ground on the site by the end of this year. Still finalizing the design, he hasn?t filed a building permit with the city yet.

Gadams bought the two properties, mostly a parking lot, for his twin towers within the past two years. GSA leases 25 spaces; courthouse personnel lease another 135 spaces.

A red, ribbon-like announcement ? ?Now accepting reservations? with a telephone number ? slashes across Gadams? sign at the site of the proposed complex on Granby Street. The sign has been up since the project was announced over six months ago and lists the names of the developer, owner, architects, general contractor and financier.

When first announced, the complex was to have two towers, one 15 stories, the other 25 stories, but Gadams said the number of stories hasn?t been determined yet.

Height, traffic and proximity are security concerns for the government, but the GSA wasn?t forthcoming about the security issues other than indicating that the proper design and security guidelines would be followed.

[rusthebuss]

Bill keeps door open for Major League team

By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot

[rusthebuss]

So what is this saying? Is this going to put a stop to the construction of the two high rise condos?

[vdogg]

Man i sure as hell hope not. Gadams is proceeding as planned and i say good for him. He owns that land now and i don't really see much that the feds can legally do about it. They had YEARS to let their intentions be known and they said nothing, i really don't think its fair for them to possibly block a project that would be a great economic boon to this city simply because they were procrastinating. I say the towers should be built as planned, and they better not shave even so much as one inch off the height either. The feds can find other land, maybe this will teach them to speak up sooner.

[rusthebuss]

Man i sure as hell hope not. Gadams is proceeding as planned and i say good for him. He owns that land now and i don't really see much that the feds can legally do about it. They had YEARS to let their intentions be known and they said nothing, i really don't think its fair for them to possibly block a project that would be a great economic boon to this city simply because they were procrastinating. I say the towers should be built as planned, and they better not shave even so much as one inch off the height either. The feds can find other land, maybe this will teach them to speak up sooner.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dude there is so many other places to stick this courthouse. They could move over to the grayhound station or over by the actual city jail. Why are they worried about height? I think the height issue is to stop the building of these towers

[vdogg]

Dude there is so many other places to stick this courthouse. They could move over to the grayhound station or over by the actual city jail. Why are they worried about height?

[vdogg]

This article kinda slipped under the radar screen. Haven't seen it posted anywhere yet so here it is.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/print...6197&ran=232362

Program helps to upgrade downtown

By DEBBIE MESSINA, The Virginian-Pilot

[rusthebuss]

I don't understand why VaBeach is getting angry over this, the headquarters are in Nofolk and the company was started in norfolk. VaBeach is building a downtown and they think everyone is going to jump ship and come over there. That is not a good attitude to have.

[Chesapeake Pirate]

Its good to see a new person in this forum, we've been growing slowly but surely and it's nice to know that so many people are interested in what happens in this area. May i suggest that you check out www.skyscrapercity.com and www.skyscraperpage.com as well. Both have very large Hampton Roads development sections and between those sites and this one you will almost always know whats going on in this area. Nice find on that article btw. I've never even heard of the site that article is from but they seem to have scooped the pilot (which isn't really that hard). Anyways, welcome to the forum  .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Vdogg,

Thanks to you and rusthebus for the warm welcome. I will check out the urls you mentioned. The article I offered is from the newspaper which serves Raleigh, NC....the News and Observer. I think they found the Norfolk story and Trader's decision of interest because like Norfolk they tried and failed with the "street mall" concept and are trying hard to do good things with their downtown. They don't have a waterfront but they are the state capital.

[rusthebuss]

Work at new terminal under way

Dredging equipment works in the Elizabeth River adjacent to the site of the developing Maersk Sealand terminal, the mostly vacant land shown at right. Dredging for a channel into the terminal and for the ship berths is one of the largest dredging projects ever on the river. BILL TIERNAN/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

By CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, The Virginian-Pilot

[vdogg]

Ok, so theres a rumor (things i normally don't put much stock in) going around on another forum (from a person who has almost always turned out to be correct, claims he does some work for the city) that Norfolk really wants Granby Towers built and may be willing to donate some land at downtown plaza for the new Federal courthouse, as well as construct it as a compliment to their new court house (meaning the norfolk courts complex and the federal building will be all part of the same complex). This would only occur however if the feds try to invoke imminent domain. I don't see how the can invoke imminent domain now since they had a chance to buy the land a year ago and turned it down because plans for their courthouse were not progressing, but apparently its a possibility. Its kinda of like me offering to sell you my land, you turning me down, and now that i'm preparing to build my dream home on that land that you expressed no interest in, you come way out of left-field with a lawsuit and try to take it from me. It's ridiculous. At either rate, expect this issue to come to a head in the coming days due to the fact that they are already leasing these condos, and the developer needs a decision soon.

[rusthebuss]

Thats big govt for you. I think the govt. doesn't want Norfolk to grow because the traffic.

[vdogg]

NORFOLK

[vdogg]

So I guess the highrise Marriott hotel broke ground last week and nobody bothered to tell us, but this is really good news for NN. It looks like they may be trying to give Norfolk and Va. Beach a run for their money with all this new development .

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...3012&ran=203446

Newport News sees two key developments

By BATTINTO BATTS, The Virginian-Pilot

[rusthebuss]

Thats good news for the whole area. I hope this happens more.

[rusthebuss]

I just hope one day these cities will work as one and become a more efficient machine. Doubt it but you can always have hope.

[vdogg]

http://www.dailypress.com/news/yahoo/dp-69...l-yahoo-nws-hed

New urbanism taking to streets

City and county planners like the high property values; residents like the convenience.

BY KEITH RUSHING

247-7870

February 21, 2005

NEWPORT NEWS -- Patrice Stein was living in a spacious suburban house with her husband a few years ago, but something was missing.

When she saw Port Warwick - a mixed-use, 150-acre development of brick homes, condos and apartments, and shops centered around a three-acre square - she had an "a-ha" moment.

"It was a fabulous community," Stein said. "I said ah, this is it. This is what's missing."

She found the friendly urban-style neighborhood she'd been looking for in Newport News' Oyster Point area.

"You see people walking the dogs. And you stop and talk to people. There's such a variety of businesses," Stein said.

The largest green area, William Styron Square, is named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer from Newport News. The complex has smaller squares and public statues commissioned by the developer. There are shops where you can get coffee, beer or wine, and restaurants where you can get a sandwich or dinner.

Stein said Port Warwick reminded her and her husband of growing up in the city, and of the villages she visited in Europe.

"I grew up in a circle. He grew up on a square," she said. "We wanted to live in the inner city."

She, her husband and their 7-year-old son live in a spacious condominium above the store she owns, Beck & Stein books. Stein plans to open a bed-and-breakfast in an adjacent condominium.

NEW URBANISM

Port Warwick was the harbinger of a new trend in residential developments in Hampton Roads. More and more of these mixed-use, or "new urbanist," developments are springing up throughout the country, said Dan Rodriguez, a professor at the University of North Carolina's Department of City and Regional Planning.

New urbanism emerged in the late 1980s when architects and developers began looking for ways to create alternatives to suburban sprawl, Rodriguez said. The concept incorporates smaller lots, sidewalks, narrow streets and a mix of offices and stores, often around green spaces.

The idea is to create urban communities where people can walk to work, a store or restaurant rather than rely on their cars.

"They (architects and developers) are trying to bring back an urban America - bringing together some of the suburban elements we like," Rodriguez said, adding that the homes in these communities will often have larger rooms and plenty of green space.

Although they are an effort to create an urban environment, these new communities are generally built in more suburban areas where large plots of land are available.

In the past five years, the number of new urbanist projects nationwide has increased at least 20 percent each year, Rodriguez said.

In many cases, communities have altered zoning laws to allow for higher-density development and stores and offices in the same area. Rodriguez said more than 40 states now have development plans or codes that promote these neighborhoods. Because the communities encourage walking, they're believed to have a lower impact on roads and traffic and demand fewer road-widening projects and retention ponds.

"The bar is lowered because the impact is lower," Rodriguez said.

Cities and counties tend to like new urbanism because the developments attract upscale residents, raising the value of housing.

"They have appreciated faster, which means they've been in short supply," Rodriguez said. "Prices shoot up."

The high property values have a downside, however.

The communities tend to lack economic and racial diversity, which is one of the goals of the new urbanism movement, Rodriguez said.

"I think you're going to find that there's a major gap between what proponents of new urbanism would like it to do and what they actually do," he said. "They tend to be upscale developments of predominantly white residents."

To combat that problem, lawmakers have to create solutions that will create more economic and racial diversity when these communities are being built, Rodriguez said.

A LOCAL TREND

City and county administrators throughout Hampton Roads, including Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Williamsburg, James City, Gloucester and York, say these developments are necessary to provide alternative neighborhoods for the people they're trying to attract.

Last month, the Suffolk City Council paid $4.65 million for 25 acres of land that abuts the Nansemond River, hoping that a private developer will build a new urbanist or mixed-use development there.

"Suffolk has been trying to find some developers who would do new urbanist type of work," City Manager Steve Herbert said. The city also hired an expert to help the city use new-urbanist design principals in downtown redevelopment efforts. "We think it's an alternative to the standard subdivision design that we've seen so much of over the years because it offers a mix of uses," Herbert said. "Most are designed to be walkable and bikeable communities."

Last week, Suffolk's City Council approved a mixed-used development that allows for a combination of green space, single-family homes, row houses and homes with attached stores on 61 acres of land. The development, Bennett's Creek Square, almost triples the density allowed by current zoning laws, raising some concern among residents about increased traffic.

In Newport News, a Virginia Beach developer plans to build a mixed-used development at Jefferson Avenue and Denbigh Boulevard that includes 304 apartments surrounded by shops, restaurants and offices. Like Port Warwick, the Denbigh development will have some apartments built directly above shops. City officials are also reviewing another mixed-used development plan.

Isle of Wight officials are reviewing a plan for 430 residences along with stores, offices and public space. The proposal will include lofts above commercial space and public art.

WALKING COMMUNITIES

"They're using alleys, sidewalks ... a great deal of open space. A green runs down the center of the project," said Jonathan Hartley, Isle of Wight County's planning director. They also propose setting aside 21 acres for public use.

"I think we're trying to create a higher quality of life by offering more walkable, livable communities," Hartley said. "Being able to live, work and play without getting into a car is a goal we're trying to reach for."

He said county officials also invited new-urbanism experts to Isle of Wight to talk about development concepts. They've also toured Port Warwick.

"It's a great example," Hartley said. "The basic concepts and design certainly have a lot of merits."

Port Warwick developer Bobby Freeman said he didn't know anything about new urbanism when he launched the project back in 1999.

"I felt the community didn't have a Ghent and an Old Town Portsmouth," he said, referring to two gentrified urban communities in Norfolk and Portsmouth. "I thought there would be people who wanted to live like five minutes from the office."

Freeman said he researched Ghent and Hilton Village in Newport News, to see why the communities worked. "I measured how far apart the houses were - how far they're set off the street. There was a real consistency there."

Freeman said he took those measurements back to his land planners, and the design for Port Warwick was laid out. When people started hearing about the plans for the community, Freeman said, many told him it fit the definition of new urbanism.

"We have all these shops at Styron Square. People are constantly walking to the retail and dining area. In most suburban neighborhoods, you don't walk anywhere. There's no place to walk. There's no pedestrian destination."

MORE TO COME

Freeman expects to see a lot more developments like Port Warwick built in Hampton Roads because of the growing demand. "You see people measuring all the time," he said, referring to developers. "You're going to see more Port Warwicks pop up than you can shake a stick at."

Mayor Joe Frank said the city wasn't sure how to make the best use of the land where Port Warwick is being built until Freeman presented his plan.

"This was just so dramatic that we all got excited over it," Frank said.

He said the complex has been really successful. "People who live there love it," Frank said. "It's a lifestyle for people who don't want large yards, want to be close to their neighbors and want the parks and restaurants."

In 2001, Newport News launched its own mixed-use project, City Center at Oyster Point, with an office complex, apartments, shops and restaurants.

Last year, Hampton began a downtown revitalization project, luring developers to build apartments, lofts, offices and stores on city-owned land. It hasn't been without some opposition. At public meetings, residents have said they fear local fishermen would be driven away because redevelopment plans would force a marina to close.

James City and Williamsburg both have mixed-used projects in the works. James City's New Town development would contain between 1,200 and 2,000 single-family homes, town houses and apartments with an office, research district and movie theaters.

Williamsburg's High Street project calls for upscale town houses, apartments and condominiums alongside green areas, walkways, an events plaza and a shopping center with upscale shops and a multiplex theater.

Both New Town and High Street may have apartments or condominiums above stores.

"As land gets scarcer and scarcer, it becomes a real efficient way to do development," said Jim Noel, York's director of economic development.