Will we see another Norfolk Southern tower?

[krdarden]

Norfolk Southern is my logical choice for an anchor of another office tower downtown!

I think that we should try and convince them to relocate offices from it's Atlanta location and come home where they belong! I believe that they have a 40 story tower there and perhaps thousands of employees working there. I would love to see them build a signature tower in Norfolk and increase our recognition nationally! Norfolk is slowly become one of the hottest cities on the east coast and perhaps Norfolk Southern can have help take us to another level. I am sure that like Charlotte, announcements of new condominium towers will soon follow the announcement of 1000+ jobs relocating to our city! We are on a roll and maybe we will finally get a new major player from out of state decide to relocate it's headquarters in an up and coming city smack dab in the middle of the east coast. Location is everything and we have practically everything that a company could possibly want save our transportation issues! Finally, why not try to go after all the major transportation players so we can have a monopoly of them right here with all their headquarters in our Hampton Roads cities.

[vdogg]

Norfolk Southern is my logical choice for an anchor of another office tower downtown!

I think that we should try and convince them to relocate offices from it's Atlanta location and come home where they belong! I believe that they have a 40 story tower there and perhaps thousands of employees working there. I would love to see them build a signature tower in Norfolk and increase our recognition nationally! Norfolk is slowly become one of the hottest cities on the east coast and perhaps Norfolk Southern can have help take us to another level. I am sure that like Charlotte, announcements of new condominium towers will soon follow the announcement of 1000+ jobs relocating to our city! We are on a roll and maybe we will finally get a new major player from out of state decide to relocate it's headquarters in an up and coming city smack dab in the middle of the east coast. Location is everything and we have practically everything that a company could possibly want save our transportation issues! Finally, why not try to go after all the major transportation players so we can have a monopoly of them right here with all their headquarters in our Hampton Roads cities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Those are great ideas. I always wondered why Norfolk southern has such a major presence in Atlanta anyway. IMO i think they should have kept everything consolidated here with additional expansions at least kept within the metro area.

[rusthebuss]

Most of the people here are in downtown Norfolk, The Southern part of Norfolk and Southern was in Atlanta before the merger and i don't think they have a 40 story building. My day works for them and they have some old building there.

[krdarden]

Most of the people here are in downtown Norfolk, The Southern part of Norfolk and Southern was in Atlanta before the merger and i don't think they have a 40 story building. My day works for them and they have some old building there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Russ, I could be wrong but I am almost positive that Atlanta has a Norfolk Southern tower in that range! I will do a search and see if I am correct or mistaken.

[rusthebuss]

it may be possible but the hq is here

[Seven Cities]

it may be possible but the hq is here

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And thats the most important thing. I recall when NS acquired Conrail with CSX in 1999. NS was seriously considering moving its HQ to Philadelphia. Fortunately, the city of Norfolk realized how important NS is to the city and region and was a factor in helping NS stay.

[rusthebuss]

yeah i know, i heard that they were trying to put some tax on them so they said they were going to move. I think it was the state trying to tax them. My dad relays the info to me he's been there over 30 years

[veverkap]

The majority of the people in the Atlanta building are IT related. They have most of their servers located down there and the majority of their development is done there and in Roanoke. The headquarters of the corporation (Norfolk Southern) is at 3 Commercial Place in Norfolk. The Spring Street location in Atlanta is only a regional office like the tower in Roanoke.

When N&W merged with the Southern Railway, they moved all of the IT resources from Roanoke (where N&W had them) to Atlanta.

[vdogg]

The majority of the people in the Atlanta building are IT related.  They have most of their servers located down there and the majority of their development is done there and in Roanoke.  The headquarters of the corporation (Norfolk Southern) is at 3 Commercial Place in Norfolk.  The Spring Street location in Atlanta is only a regional office like the tower in Roanoke.

When N&W merged with the Southern Railway, they moved all of the IT resources from Roanoke (where N&W had them) to Atlanta.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmm...So i guess that the NS tower up here contains just their operations facilities?

[veverkap]

It is mostly administration and executives. They have a large Intermodal presence here and their HR is here also.

[rusthebuss]

They do have a building in Atlanta about the height you were saying. Its the old southern railway building. The big boys are here. There probably will be no new building here

[krdarden]

They do have a building in Atlanta about the height you were saying. Its the old southern railway building. The big boys are here. There probably will be no new building here

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I did a search on the internet and saw that Norfolk Southern proposed building a new 500,000 square foot building in Atlanta back in 2000! I don't know if a new building in needed here but with the growth and profit that they are reporting, I would think that eventually they will need to expand and build something new downtown.

What do you guys think about building atop the garage next to Crown Center? Also, can anyone think of a more hideous sight than the parking garage next to BB&T?

Final question for my fellow comrades up here, with the construction of a new central library project, what do you envision for the site of the Kirns Memorial Library and does that site seem a bit small for development?

[Seven Cities]

What do you guys think about building atop the garage next to Crown Center? Also, can anyone think of a more hideous sight than the parking garage next to BB&T?

Final question for my fellow comrades up here, with the construction of a new central library project, what do you envision for the site of the Kirns Memorial Library and does that site seem a bit small for development?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That garage next to Crown Center was built not too long ago for Norfolk Southern after its joint acquisition of Conrail with CSX (one of those x-factors that the city of Norfolk gave to keep NS here that I talked about in a previous post). It would be great to build above it, but I doubt the garage was designed to withstand a building being put on top of it. So more than likely it would have to be destroyed and then another garage that would be designed to support a building would have to be built.

In recent months with the flurry of construction activity in DT Norfolk, I've been thinking about that parking garage next to BB&T as well. It is rather atrocious. I think it would be an ideal location for another office building.

I really don't have much of an opinion on Kirn. If they tear it down, fine. If they keep it standing, fine. But if the library is eventually torn down, there is a city block's worth of land to develop. Now how it should be develop is another issue within itself.

[vdogg]

In recent months with the flurry of construction activity in DT Norfolk, I've been thinking about that parking garage next to BB&T as well.  It is rather atrocious.  I think it would be an ideal location for another office building.

I really don't have much of an opinion on Kirn.  If they tear it down, fine.  If they keep it standing, fine.  But if the library is eventually torn down, there is a city block's worth of land to develop.  Now how it should be develop is another issue within itself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I say tear it down, the real estate market is too hot to have that piece of property taken up by a redundant library.

[rusthebuss]

I hope this helps our skyline. We really need taller buildings so we get a little respect. Nationally we have very little respect for this area. I hope all of this development will help us become nationally recognized.

[urbanfan]

I say tear it down, the real estate market is too hot to have that piece of property taken up by a redundant library.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Couldn't have said it better myself. There are alot of buildings in downtown norfolk that could be said the same of. Developers are snatching up every piece of available land here and its time to start wrecking buildings that don't make much sense downtown. (without wrecking some of the historic buildings that make downtown so great.)

[krdarden]

Couldn't have said it better myself.  There are alot of buildings in downtown norfolk that could be said the same of.  Developers are snatching up every piece of available land here and its time to start wrecking buildings that don't make much sense downtown.  (without wrecking some of the historic buildings that make downtown so great.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would like to see something developed in the parking lot of the Union Mission! I am sure that several other sites could be lumped together to support a tower or two along Bute street. Also, I am pretty sure that the parking garage next to Crown Center can support a building above it because this is the one that was mentioned in the article I read a couple of years ago. And another thing, the Radison Hotel sure takes up alot of space! I think that the city purchase that hotel years ago but I am not sure who the owners are now but someone should either build another tower wing or just sell the property that extends in every direction but up! I can't stand looking at all that valuable land being wasted on two story wings while everyone else is building up!

[rusthebuss]

I would like to see something developed in the parking lot of the Union Mission! I am sure that several other sites could be lumped together to support a tower or two along Bute street. Also, I am pretty sure that the parking garage next to Crown Center can support a building above it because this is the one that was mentioned in the article I read a couple of years ago. And another thing, the Radison Hotel sure takes up alot of space!

[krdarden]

It will probably be condos.  Norfolk must have something up their sleve. I think they might have corporations coming here or something with all this development. A propose 35-40 story tower there must be something going on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Vdog, did you see how someone included all the proposed Charlotte projects into the current skyline for visual effects? I would be great if we had someone here who could take some of our live skyline pictures and draw in our proposed towers including the courts complex and the 40 story tower just to give us a glimpse into our future!

I know that the city has renderings out for the downtown 2010 plan but they do not include most of our towers and it doesn't give us the same views as someone driving from various locations.

[vdogg]

Hey Vdog, did you see how someone included all the proposed Charlotte projects into the current skyline for visual effects? I would be great if we had someone here who could take some of our live skyline pictures and draw in our proposed towers including the courts complex and the 40 story tower just to give us a glimpse into our future!

I know that the city has renderings out for the downtown 2010 plan but they do not include most of our towers and it doesn't give us the same views as someone driving from various locations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

oduguy did a great rendering one time of exactly that, his photoshopfu was superb . I'll have to see if he can do that again for us with some of the pics that Willy provided.

[krdarden]

oduguy did a great rendering one time of exactly that, his photoshopfu was superb    . I'll have to see if he can do that again for us with some of the pics that Willy provided.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, that would be great!

I was on the 10th floor a tower next to the proposed Granby tower and I could see the A/H tower lit up at night on the horizon. I could barely see it but it was definitely visible. I can't wait to look out one day and see the Westin on the horizon! There will be no doubt as this building will tower above the horizon and should look great when tv shots and news cameras show the growing skyline of VaBeach!

I hope that the new Ford 10 tower will be an actual tower and not some cheesy blue clad shell building! It would be nice to have another high-rise on the horizon.

Finally, getting back to Norfolk Southern, I understand that they have office space in the nearby Commerical Place building. That building would be by nominee for the next recking ball because we could build two towers in that location. The building sprawls and isn't really a high-rise in my opinion. An office tower there would really look great and there should be plenty of takers on this location!

Norfolk Southern need only be one of the players in a need office tower at this prime location but I was also thinking that Virginia Natural Gas company may have their eyes on a site downtown since they are relocating for the move by the Union Mission to their former site across from the VEC.

[rusthebuss]

They cut back on people and sold the land to save money. They don't have anyone to move really.