Virginia Beach Development

[vdogg]

This hotel is nearing its january completion. I'll post pics when I can find them.

Note:

Edited December 8, 2004 by vdogg

[vdogg]

http://www.vboceanbeachclub.com/press-office/release.cfm

Raising the bar at the Oceanfront Proposed complex would add high-end rooms to strip

BY JON W. GLASS THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

VIRGINIA BEACH

[vdogg]

By MARISA TAYLOR, The Virginian-Pilot

© November 11, 2004

VIRGINIA BEACH The next luxury hotel at the Oceanfront could give the public more beach access and open space but limit the number of parking spaces at the Ninth Street garage.

Developers of the 15-story Marriott plan to swap land with the city, which would give the public more than 50 feet of open space on either side of the hotel on Atlantic Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets.

The curvy, glass hotel would be built where the Dunes Oceanfront now stands, in a joint venture with the present hotel owners.

Tidewater Hotels & Resorts, the company behind the proposal, has asked to lease 300 of the 610 spaces at the city garage for hotel guests.

Tim Stiffler, Tidewater Hotels president, said the deal would give his company enough space to build a hotel with all Oceanfront rooms because the property wouldn't be taken up by a parking garage.

If the City Council approves the project next month, the city could then use the open spaces on either side of the hotel to develop small parks. In exchange, the city would close the section of 10th Street next to hotel.

It breaks up the concrete wall of hotels, said Jim Ricketts, director of the city Convention & Visitors Bureau. We not only get open space, but we get a first-class hotel.

The city plans to make up for the lost parking spaces at the Ninth Street garage by providing more spaces at city property seven blocks away at Rudee Loop.

Most of the year, the public uses fewer than the 310 spaces that would remain in the Ninth Street garage under the proposal, Ricketts said. During the summer, however, extra spaces would be needed.

The 250-room hotel, which also will include 28 condominiums, is the latest luxury hotel that requires some sort of public inducement.

The Marriott deal, however, would involve much less municipal involvement than the citys ongoing large-scale public-private ventures.

Last week, developers unveiled a proposed 30- to 32-story hotel and condominium at Town Center.

The citys contribution of nearly $30 million would be funded through tax-increment financing, which takes future increases in real estate tax revenues within the area to pay off loans within 20 years.

Also, the Hilton Hotel at 31st Street involved $31.5 million in public money, mostly for a parking garage. The 295-room hotel is scheduled to open by New Years Eve at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue.

The Marriott could be a formidable competitor to the Hilton.

Glenn E. Tuckman, president of Professional Hospitality Resources, which is developing the Hilton, complained about the Marriott proposal in a Sept. 3 letter to the city manager, saying it involved too many public inducements.

His companys concerns include the parking arrangement, the height of the building and a proposed encroachment by the Marriotts pool onto the green space next to the beach.

Tuckman said the city refused to grant his company a similar encroachment, which means the 31st Street hotel will have fewer oceanfront rooms. City officials, however, said PHR had always planned to put its pool on the roof. Tuckman said his companys complaint was not prompted by fear of potential competition.

We support the continuing upgrade of the Oceanfront and share the citys vision, he said. We just think the same set of rules should apply to everyone.

Tourism officials say there is more than enough room in the market for another luxury hotel at the Oceanfront. According to city estimates, Virginia Beach needs at least 800 new hotel rooms to support the $202 million convention center, which is scheduled to open in 2007.

Earlier this year, Virginia Beach officials delayed the citys plans to attract a new hotel at Rudee Loop partly at the request of PHR, which was concerned that another public-private venture would compete with its 31st Street hotel.

So far, the city has spent $11.5 million to buy 3.6 acres at Rudee Loop. Council members said the city should wait five to 10 years before developing the site.

The city has tried to persuade Marriott to come to Virginia Beach since the mid 1970s. But the chain didnt see the citys hotel market as lucrative until now. For decades, Hampton Roads ranked among the slowest growing markets in hotel rates and occupancy.

Instead, the chain opened Norfolks Marriott Waterside hotel and the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel and Waterfront Conference Center.

[vdogg]

Feel free to post projects relating only to Virginia Beach here. If you have topics relating to peninsula development or anywhere in the metro outside of Va. Beach and Norfolk please post them in the Hampton Roads major projects thread .

[vdogg]

This dense urban development has been approved. Buildings will be as high as 15 stories and this development will be connected directly to towncenter via a road extension, sidewalks, narrow streets.

Edited March 13, 2005 by vdogg

[vdogg]

Comprehensive plan for cityview development in Va. Beach ( a block south of towncenter)

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

Below are some highlights for those who don't want to go to the site.

On page three they talk of plans for no less than 4 mixed use buildings to include offices, apartments and a hotel, one of which will be atop a parking garage. Page 11 contains an overhead view of the zones. pages 14-17 are ariel (sp?) views on the region being considered. Pages 18-20 show renderings of the residential buildings only (sorry, no mixed use tower renderings yet). It's really starting to look like the "whole" pembroke area is going to be transformed into one very large downtown.

[vdogg]

Va. Beach north end revitalization projects

.

The shorter tower to the right in the picture in nearing completion.

OCEAN BEACH CLUB: Gold Key/PHR Hotels and Resorts has also broken ground on Ocean Beach Club, the $100 million oceanfront resort and retail complex that will be the largest and most luxurious in Virginia Beach to date. This development will consist of four towers, two of which will be 100-unit timeshares managed and marketed by Gold Key Resorts, with a third tower to be a hotel operated by PHR. Along with the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel, the modern and exclusive Ocean Beach Club will hasten Virginia Beach's emergence as a first class resort destination.

^^^this pic courtesy of Willy ifrom SSP.

courtesy Style off SSC

31 ocean is almost complete.

[vdogg]

construction

I believe this is the beachclub resort.

Construction of 31ocean and oceanb beachclub highrises (courtesy guynvb SSP).

31 ocean is supposed to open this month (They even have Paris Hilton appearing at the opening ceremony ). Also, they have just started construction of the 2nd and 3rd towers of Ocean Beach club with the 1st tower scheduled to open this year.

[vdogg]

Well, my printer is outta ink but I have to buy some anyway so I will just print it out and then scan it online for everyone to see. 

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LOL! Thats cheating .

[urbanvb]

The first two floors might have really high ceilings. It might be for the retail stores which will have alot higher ceilings and the design might make it look like more floors than what it really is.

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Maybe even the top floors will be penthouses or something... hmmm

[rusthebuss]

Maybe even the top floors will be penthouses or something... hmmm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That too might be possible or its possible that they added more to the building and not told anybody about or it slipped right past us.

[vdogg]

That too might be possible or its possible that they added more to the building and not told anybody about or it slipped right past us.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, at either rate it is driving me up a freaking wall trying to figure this out so i am going to go to towncenter tonight, stand in front of the thing, and physically count the floors. It could be i just miscounted, i know that some floors actually have space between them so i could have been counting that as well. I'll have a definitive answer for you guys later tonight.

[vdogg]

Maybe even the top floors will be penthouses or something... hmmm

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You know, the more i think about this your probably right. Some penthouses have more than one floor, and those floors are not always added into the regular floor count.

[rusthebuss]

You know, the more i think about this your probably right. Some penthouses have more than one floor, and those floors are not always added into the regular floor count.

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Call or email the developers to see if they added any floors? Or if they changed the layout by adding more retail or penthouses.

[urbanvb]

The new Hilton opened today. Catch a look -> http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...3998&ran=188172

More on this article tomorrow says the website.

I believe this is the beachclub resort.

Edited March 24, 2005 by guynvb

[rusthebuss]

That's great news, just in time for the tourist season to open up.

[vdogg]

That's great news, just in time for the tourist season to open up.

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This is great news, but my enthusiasm is tempered by all the new zoning regulations that are going to be put into place and how they will affect the renewal/urbanization of that section of the Beach.

[vdogg]

Just thought you all would like to know about this

http://www.vbgov.com/info/newsDetails/0,1145,18444,00.html

Public Meeting on Roadway Crossing I-264 Near Town Center Set For April 4

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Media Contact(s)

Chuck Applebach (757) 427-8061

Travis Campbell (757) 427-4621

The City of Virginia Beach, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the engineering consulting firm of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. have been developing concepts to reduce congestion and improve access in the Pembroke/Town Center area.

One of these concepts involves alternative alignments for a proposed elevated roadway extending Constitution Drive south, crossing over I-264, and continuing to Independence Boulevard. A public information meeting for citizen review and discussion of these alignments will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday, April 4, in the large conference room of the Department of Economic Development, 10th floor of Armada Hoffler Tower in Town Center. Free parking is available in Town Center garages and surface lots.

Representatives from the City of Virginia Beach, VDOT, and Michael Baker Jr. Inc. will be available at the meeting, and citizen preferences will be sought. Anyone with questions prior to the meeting can call Travis Campbell in the city

[rusthebuss]

Lets hope it looks great but how are they planning to fund this VDOT has no money for this area. Just Richmond and Northern Va. We always get kicked to the curb until they want tax revenue from us. It will probably be privately financed and will have a toll of some sort.

[urbanvb]

Just thought you all would like to know about this

http://www.vbgov.com/info/newsDetails/0,1145,18444,00.html

Public Meeting on Roadway Crossing I-264 Near Town Center Set For April 4

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Media Contact(s)

Chuck Applebach (757) 427-8061

Travis Campbell (757) 427-4621

The City of Virginia Beach, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the engineering consulting firm of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. have been developing concepts to reduce congestion and improve access in the Pembroke/Town Center area.

One of these concepts involves alternative alignments for a proposed elevated roadway extending Constitution Drive south, crossing over I-264, and continuing to Independence Boulevard.  A public information meeting for citizen review and discussion of these alignments will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday, April 4, in the large conference room of the Department of Economic Development, 10th floor of Armada Hoffler Tower in Town Center.  Free parking is available in Town Center garages and surface lots.

Representatives from the City of Virginia Beach, VDOT, and Michael Baker Jr. Inc. will be available at the meeting, and citizen preferences will be sought.  Anyone with questions prior to the meeting can call Travis Campbell in the city

[rusthebuss]

That stinks for you. Anybody know how it will be funded? I will almost be certain it will be very little money coming from VDOT. Is there going to be a rendering of the proposed road?

[rusthebuss]

is that trailer park next to wedgewood also being evacuated? It looks to be in bad shape as well.

[vdogg]

I really wish I could go but I happen to have to work late that evening. Hopefully, something will be in the newspaper on Tuesday about the meeting. I think the new road is slated to cut through my neighborhood.

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That's horrible! Do you think they're gonna try and claim imminent domain?

[vdogg]

is that trailer park next to wedgewood also being evacuated? It looks to be in bad shape as well.

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There will be a dense urban development going on that land, i posted about it earlier in this thread (or possibly the Hampton Roads thread). They're kinda in limbo though. The city council was to vote on this project this past tuesday but deffered the vote til april (the 3rd time this has been delayed ) due to the uproar over the developers refusal to include affordable housing.

[rusthebuss]

There will be a dense urban development going on that land, i posted about it earlier in this thread (or possibly the Hampton Roads thread). They're kinda in limbo though. The city council was to vote on this project this past tuesday but deffered the vote til april (the 3rd time this has been delayed    ) due to the uproar over the developers refusal to include affordable housing.

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Is that part of the wedge wood project for that drawing with the 4 story townhouses, apartments, etc.?