NORFOLK
The modest one-story home ushered in a dynasty of sorts for the Hall family on Bangor Avenue.
Eventually six of the eight houses on the block were filled with Halls. Family bonfires, singalongs and horseshoe games were common in that corner of Easton Place.
Over the years, deaths and moves left only three family members on the street. That number will soon dwindle to two when the homestead that sparked it all is bulldozed for a light rail park-and-ride lot.
Transit officials will tear down the Hall home and 16 other privately owned homes and businesses for the 7.4-mile, $232.1 million rail line. It's a small number for such a large public transit project, said Michael Townes, Hampton Roads Transit president and CEO who also serves as chairman of the American Public Transit Association.
But it's not small to Barbara Hall, who was married in the front yard of her in-laws' former house, where she now lives; who buried three beloved pets in the yard; and who imprinted her grandchildren's hands in the cement driveway.
"It's very heartbreaking," Hall said.
Hall pointed out two stately pecan trees that flank the front walk. They were saplings when she got married beside them.
"It's not just about money," she said. "I'm talking about emotional ties. There's quite a history here."
Barbara and her husband John at one time owned the house next door, which also needs to go. They raised their daughter there. That daughter at one time lived in that same house and had her first child there.
Longshoreman Shawn Charnock now owns it. It's his first house.
"Part of me doesn't know what to expect," he said. "I'm scared I'll get taken advantage of. They're big industry, and I'm just a homeowner."
Not everyone is worried. Jay Cole bought his home on Curlew Drive in a foreclosure sale last year, fully aware it was in the path of light rail. He said he got a good deal. He has since fixed up the place and now stands to make a little money.
Ben Ward, HRT's real estate manager for the project, said appraisals are being completed and offers will be made soon - probably in the next few weeks. HRT hired Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority to conduct the transactions.
HRT will use condemnation if necessary.
"Even if we go to condemnation, the intention is to offer fair market value," Townes said.
In addition to the 17 homes and businesses slated for purchase, construction of the rail line will affect more than 120 other properties. For many of those, HRT will need to acquire temporary construction easements giving the agency access to the land, or permanent easements allowing the agency to run drainage systems or utility lines through it. Other affected parcels are vacant lots, primarily government-owned.
Only one other entity needs to be moved - Kirn Memorial Library downtown. The city purchased the nearby Seaboard building to temporarily house the library.
Because the properties are being purchased for a public project, property owners are entitled to the value of their land, relocation assistance and help with moving expenses.
The light rail budget includes $10.2 million for property acquisition. Five miles of Norfolk Southern Corp. right-of-way, where most of the rail route runs, cost $5 million.
Ward said HRT is trying to acquire land quickly because two of the three largest construction contracts have been awarded and the Tide is expected to start moving passengers in less than two years.
Townes said the agency decided not to purchase property until federal authorities signed off on the project.
HRT won federal approval and $128 million in federal money in October. An additional $33 million is coming from the city, $31.9 million from the state and $39.2 million from other federal sources.
Some property owners said they want more time.
Leaders of Norfolk Moose Lodge No. 39, the oldest in Virginia, say it will take up to 12 months to find a building and renovate it. They're stymied because they don't have an offer yet on their 1.3 acres on Kempsville Road. "How can we move when we don't know what we're going to get?" lodge administrator Ray Schaller said.
The timing has also put Howard Forbes, Protime Automotive owner, in a bind. He's leasing the corner of Kempsville and Newtown roads for his auto repair shop.
Anticipating a mid-February settlement, he opened his new Virginia Beach shop last week. Yet, to be entitled to relocation assistance, he has to keep his original location open until the deal is completed.
"It's hurting my cash flow," Forbes said.
The businesses inside the Baylor buildings on York Street are the only ones downtown, besides the library, that need to move. Baylor Corp. officials declined to comment.
One of the tenants, Gilbert Eyecare, aims to move to another downtown location, said owner Seth Gilbert.
Displaced owners are positive about one thing. The market is more favorable to buyers now than in recent years. "It could work out OK with the housing market today," Hall said.
The irony is that Hall is excited about light rail. "I would love to be one of the first people to ride it," she said.
Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
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To Keith and Reid
Thanks so much for clarifying the terms WPA, CCC, and MagLev for me. I certainly do remember learning all about the New Deal and the effects it had on our country when I was in grammar school about, oh, a hundred years ago! LOL! I didn't remember those terms. I love history and your answers have inspired me to brush up on the New Deal Era! As for the MagLev at ODU, I think I will ask my husband to drive with me there to see it! I'm curious! I wish I could see it in action!
Happy Spring!
Compensation
"Because the properties are being purchased for a public project, property owners are entitled to the value of their land, relocation assistance and help with moving expenses."
Aren't the homeowners also entitled to compensation for the value of their house? Or maybe the city will pay to move it to another lot!
I never understood why such
I never understood why such a train was needed at ODU in the first place. This students at this college have been walking and carrying books to classes for years.
As for light rail, I was against the proposed link between downtown Norfolk and the Virginia Beach oceanfront for the same reasons as Reid. I was even more incensed at the 2002 ballot question where voters were told that it would just "continue the study of light rail" when in actuality it asked voters to approve it and pay for it.
The Naval Base and the shipyards are the biggest employers in Tidewater. If they had broke ground for light rail at Gate 2 at the naval base and worked toward the beach, I would have supported such a line. This link would have actually addressed gridlock as it would go somewhere where a great many people work.
$8,000,000.00 Reasons why this is a white elephant
In an article posted earlier this year in the Pilot, it was stated that the light rail will operate at a PLANNED budget shortfall of $8 million a year, that will be paid for with taxpayer dollars. If I was starting a business and told my investors that we would operate $8 million in the red every year for the foreseeable future, I would be laughed out of business. Good thing the City of Norfolk has the taxpayers to pick up the slack on this poorly planned project. I feel sorry for people and businesses being relocated to support a PLANNED business failure.
Here Reid
"Of course, building taxpayer subsidized transit during the next U.S. depression begs the question, who will ride it? Very few will have jobs or funds sufficient to pay the fares. Local governments may not be able not be to afford the millions of dollars HRT will demend to keep the public rail system operating."
I was just pointing out in the long term it is cheaper and more viable than adding sand to to a forming inlet. I surveyed Sandbridge and you are correct; it is beyond foolish as it does not address undercutting.
Remember when teenagers used to have parties in the foundations of the buildings that failed on the ocean side? Yep, I was in there.
Good luck with your move. I too was basically forced out of VB, although for different reasons it was the same source: goverment decisions.
odu's mag lev functionality
They actually moved it in 2006 (via gravity), but that is all this money pit has done before and since...
http://hamptonroads.com/node/180111
ODU MagLev ground breaking Aug. 29, 2001
georges61555, You asked how long the MagLev has been sitting at ODU in a non-functional state. I'm not sure exactly what day it was delivered to ODU from it's test site located in Florida. However, I have a small framed artist's rendering of the ODU MagLev on display on the shelf next to my home PC. I was given the graphic at the ground breaking ceremony held at ODU. The graphic is dated Augest 29. 2001.
Taxed out of Sandbridge - taxpayer funds for beach sand foolish
Ira, first off I never supoorted the taxpayer subsidy of the sand being dumped on the beach in Sandbridge. I have always stated it was a huge waste of money because dumping sand on the beach every 3 to 5 years doesn't solve the errosion problem, the sand just washes away.
Secondly, due to the sky high increases in the assessment of my modest 980 sq foot home in Sandbridge - and City Council's failure to lower the tax rate to offset the resulting tax hikes, my wife and I could no longer afford the taxes in Sandbridge and we were forced to sell. We had planned to retire in Sandbridge, but the combined sand taxes and property taxes on the equity we supposedly had prevented that. While we did make a good profit on the sale, but our tiny beach home sold for less than the assessed or appraised value - which means we paid taxes on money we never really had.
What this has to do with Light Rail is a puzzel to me.
Hmmm
To the poster who asked about the the New Deal programs, you should read up on the programs that resulted from Mr. Roosevelt's attempt to change the economy leading us out of the Great Depression. In the end, WW2 did a large part of the heavy lifting but the programs still affect us today. Especially in hydro electric dams, national parks, and many other public works. They are responsible for for programs such as the the FDIC and social security. To this day there is debate about the nessecity of such programs and the perceived damage the democrats did to the country via these channels. Agree or disagree, it is basic required reading. I do not mean to offend but to suggest the reading.
Mr. Greenum, you have failed to address your home beach(Sandbridge) and it's tax payer supported sand influx. I appreciate your posts but you seem to pulling a 'do as I say, not as I do.'
MagLev
Just how long has that thing been sitting at ODU?
Sorry for the use of terms ...
I'm sorry - bad habit. When you only have a small number of words you are allowed to post ... WPA = Works Prgress Adminsistration. CCC= Civilian Conservation Corps. In the 1930's, following the US depression, the Fed gov. launched "New Deal" programs that paid people to build public infrastructure; to create jobs.
MagLev = Magnetic levitation. It is a new type of train that floats on a electric magnetic current. We have a prototype at ODU but it has some technical bugs left to work out. The ODU design is unique as it has "smart cars" and "dumb track"; meaning the guideway is much more affordabel than other types of MagLev trains. Guideway is the track the train follows. It is elevated, so it can be automated - no driver needed.
Here ya go mermaidonna!
Here are the links to these organizations so you can read about them.
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev_train
???
Please forgive my ignorance, but just what is maglev, WPA and CCC? Please explain these to me and others reading this who don't know, either. Thanks,
I still don't think it's worth $231.1 Million
I also believe it's for special interest, I don't think it will get the ridership we've been told it would, it will create more traffic congestion, and yes the Mayor and City Council cramed it down our throat. Norfolk needs so much more than this light rail will provide. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't believe I am.
Well
Well it would be there during the next uptick in the economy. Things run in cycles. Of course, that is if corrupt politicians don't allow auto manufacturers and tire manufactures to buy up the maglev guideways and destroy it to drive sales of their autos.
I think ODUs system isn't too far off from working. Perhaps if a portion o the $8 trillion dollars or so that were misguided and invested in sure-fire housing flips were put into things like maglev transit, and coast to coast underground tubes with high speed freight and passenger transit, we would be getting somewhere other than watching the top banks fail and get bailed out by the fed.
So then
"Intersting idea Ethan, bringing back the WPA and/or CCC to give the masses of future unemployed something constructive to do when the economy collapses."
It would seem better to spend the money on the working man than bailing out banks who could easily forsee the result of their looser restrictions. Many of the players invloved have MBA's and degrees in Economics and so on. I say halt saving the banks, allow the economy to tank and quit pretending we are a competitive country. Ingenuity and hard work will once again become a neccesity. No offense, I read all of your psots, but how can you knock the New Deal programs when you live on a goverment supported piece of beach? The tax increase doesn't even ding the total cost.
Ethan suggests new WPA/CCC for transit?
Intersting idea Ethan, bringing back the WPA and/or CCC to give the masses of future unemployed something constructive to do when the economy collapses.
Like you, I support a forward thinking transit system, such as a MagLev train that uses a "bare bones" minimum amount of energy. Of course, it would need to be a MagLev system that actually works when elevated.
Of course, building taxpayer subsidized transit during the next U.S. depression begs the question, who will ride it? Very few will have jobs or funds sufficient to pay the fares. Local governments may not be able not be to afford the millions of dollars HRT will demend to keep the public rail system operating.
Sad, isn't it?
bLight rail!
So the guy bought the house at a foreclosure sale with the intention of profiting from the taxpayers when the house was taken for the light rail. Nice.
We will see how Light rail works. I'm thinking it wont be very popular because Americans have a love affair with their cars and our region isn't laid out well for mass transit. I confess I walked to work, and live and work right next to stations, and have no interest in riding it to/from work. I'd rather walk or drive on rainy days.
I'm against light rail. I think it will cause traffic problems, don't like that HRT is running it. Although I think a elevated maglev system that spans all 7 cities and moves people from suburbs to work centers would be a _real_ step in the right direction. Perhaps the gov't can fund such a system during the upcoming potential depression to keep people working?
Proposed Light Rail a waste of tax dollars
As a member of one of the many organizations that opposed the attempt to force Virginia Beach taxpayers to pay HRT for a light rail line and a massive “feeder bus system” connecting the Beach oceanfront to downtown Norfolk, I also voted "No!" in the 1999 Light Rail referendum. I am not opposed to all Light Rail, only those rail projects that waste tax funds and offer no meaningful capacity or traffic congestion relief.
We have limited transportation funds and we need to spend them wisely. Building a very expensive, yet low capacity Light Rail line along the Norfolk Southern rail corridor is poor use of our tax funds. We have far greater needs. That project is an amenity for special interests - and a catalyst for more development, not congestion relief.
I support elevated rail over grade level rail because elevated rail does not cause greater traffic congestion where it crossed city streets and because elevated rail can be automated, thus reducing up to 60% of annual reoccurring operating costs.
Hope
Lets just hope it's more of a success than other forms of mass transit has been in the area - what a waste of funds
Progress isn't easy
This story is as old as civilization itself. It's sad, yes, but inevitable. Evolution of a metropolis is ever changing, construction matching those demands. So long as Norfolk has employees who have dealt with residents and business owners in a manner that is professional and kind-hearted, I have no problem with the removal of people. Would I move from such established roots? Already happened once in my life. Change happens whether we like it or not. It's those who can adjust to it and flex with change who can make it work for them. In short, make the best out of it!
listen to the voters?
The voters rejected light rail.
lite rail
lite rail system , this is something that should have been built 20 yrs ago , , better late then never
Light Rail
I was against Light Rail in the beginning. Many factors have changed my mind....I'm all for it, now. Virginia Beach will be left sitting in the backwoods if they don't jump in with all feet now. Maybe a new city council will listen to the voters.
What a shame
Too bad these people have to lose their memories, dreams, and property for a norfolk redevelopment choo-choo. It has been made quite clear that norfolk pushed this train to spawn additional development along the track. No way it would be to reduce traffic congestion. There isn't any. If we wanted to spend $230 million to reduce traffic congestion, the rail line would head to the Naval Base. Smartest thing the people of VB told the council was do not Ride the Tide of Failure! Keep it out of VB. We have enough over development without a train to create more traffic mess.