Assistant City Managers Ron Williams and Darryll Hill will present findings by Urban Design Associates, whose principal, Ray Gindroz, has been shaping the skyline and streets of Norfolk for perhaps a decade.
Gindroz, famous for his beret, avoids the spotlight. His company, UDA, is based in Pittsburgh, PA, a city once known for its soot-filled skies and gray, industrial buildings, its legacy as a former steel town. Note the name of its professional football team: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Today’s presentation is supposed to touch on economic incentives to attract creative businesses to the north side of Brambleton Ave. on Granby Street to the intersection of Virginia Beach.
UDA’s report tackles the strengths and weaknesses of the arts district, though the report stops short of an action plan.
Some Strengths
Location » Proximity to downtown, Ghent, and Freemason
» Gateway into downtown
» Bridge to Ghent
Diversity of Uses » Institutional anchors: Chrysler Museum and
Glass Studio, Harrison Opera House, Norfolk
Scope Arena, Chrysler Hall
» Big employers: The Virginian-Pilot, Channel
3-WTKR
Character » Authentic, eclectic, gritty
» “Endearing hodgepodge”
» Lots of old buildings worth preserving and
rehabilitating: Texaco Building
Weaknesses
Barriers » Brambleton still feels like highway
» Flooding of streets
Image
» Too much vacant land and parking lots
» Empty storefronts and buildings in disrepair
» Decaying infrastructure
Not Walkable » Not pedestrian friendly: narrow, broken, and
discontinuous sidewalks
Uses » Few restaurants and no good entertainment
» Employers are 8 to 5; nothing after hours
» ABC store, cash service, Greyhound Station
» High percentage of social service functions, eg:
parole offices
Public Safety » Perception of crime, danger, desolation
» Lack of police presence
» Homeless issue
» Nearby public housing
Impediments
» Flooding of some properties
Since we'd never, ever want to improve a neighborhood nearby where, gasp, poor people live!
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