News & Views

A Parklet. Photo by Andres Power

Incentives offered for Norfolk’s art district
Norfolk City Council glimpsed a list of possible incentives to attract businesses and organization to the city arts and design district. The list includes the usual incentives: tax credits, tax exemptions, exemptions from certain local fees and tax abatement. City Council must approve an ordinance for the city to offer the incentives. Also included in Tuesday’s presentation was a list of businesses and organizations eligible for the incentives. Among them: computer design firms, Advertising, Architecture, Advertising, film, music and video production, fashion, performing arts, design crafts, historic sites

Excluded from the list was media: newspapers, journals, magazines and online news sites.

Stats galoreIf statistics float your boat, take a look at the latest compendium of numbers from the U.S. Bureau of the Census: the 2012 American Community Survey. It is now available to the public. Politicians, local government, nonprofits and businesses will be intrigued by the latest views of migration, poverty, health insurance, housing, commuting and homeowner costs.

Feds in charge of VA’s healthcare exchange It seems counterintuitive that a Republican administration in Richmond would turn the creation of a health exchange over the federal government. But that’s what Governor Bob McDonnell, besieged by improprieties, decided to do rather than have the state control the state exchanges.
The exchanges are supposed to open health insurance coverage to uninsured families and individuals who can’t afford health insurance.
Seven states, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Virginia have received approval from HHS to conduct plan management activities to support certification of qualified health plans in the federally-facilitated exchange.

Norfolk CSB’ s performance Sarah Paige Fuller, director of the Norfolk Community Services Board, presented Norfolk City Council Tuesday with a snap shot of the organization’s agreement with the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). This is the second year of the agreement between Norfolk CSB and the state agency which oversees each local CSB’s activities and budget. Norfolk CSB received $9.47 million in fiscal year 2013 and will receive $9.54 million in fiscal year 2014.


Parking day in Norfolk Downtown Norfolk, along with cities around the world, will participate in PARK(ing) Day Friday, September 20 and Saturday, September 21. Parking space will become park-lets, which will have a theme and design to include seating, greenery and shade. The idea, gleaned from other cities, is supposed to rejuvenate urban street life and scenes.