The Chesapeake City Council will vote tonight on the possible condemnation of five railroad crossings needed for the Belharbour Station at SoNo project.
The council last month continued a vote on a resolution that would allow the city to acquire the right of way across the crossings, even if it involves eminent domain or condemnation actions.
The vote could be a crucial one for the $200 million project, which could bring a whole new wave of residents to the mostly industrial South Norfolk area.
It will also indicate how a newly sworn-in council feels about the development. New Mayor Alan Krasnoff has been one of the project's most outpsoken critics. At least one new council member has also been critical of the deal.
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who are they trying to fool?
I would love to know who is getting paid off for this nonsense venture? Come on people calling it SoNo is laughable it is South Norfolk. This area is home to the toxic Elizabeth River that is squeezed between some of the largest industrial polluters of the past. Home to countless gasoline storage tanks; is Cargill still there with its overgrown wharf rat populations? Best thing that ever was a part of South Norfolk was Triangle Billiards ran by Shorty, Elmer, and Pop and the great food and wise advice, often handed out to young men. I miss those times greatly, but to try and sell an apartment complex as if it would be feasible in such an industrial area is plain dumb.
For the record...............
Alan Krasnoff and John de Triquet were the only council members to vote NO on the Belharbour Station project. At least they show some common sense which is why they are now Mayor Krasnoff and Vice Mayor de Triquet.
PoMo
To me it is and since 1953 has been Portsmouth. P-Town doesn't make it either..
South Norfolk
I agree with the other coments. There is alot of places that need to be fixed in SOUTH NORFOLK not So No. I have lived here for many years and South Norfolk could be the nice place that it was before if what we have now is fixed up and taken care of.
gotta admit
Megaman makes perfect sense. What is wrong w/our council members?
Same old song and dance
I, too, grew up in South Norfolk, as did my parents and two of my grandparents. Although it was far from an "upscale" neighborhood during my childhood and teen years, there was a sense of solidarity within the community that has always been severely lacking in pre-planned developments. As my grandfather predicted during the assimilation by Chesapeake of our district during the '60s, funding for the area from the city was low on the list of priorities thereafter. There was little revenue to be made from a working class neighborhood with no room for further large-scale suburban development, whereas the rest of the city was ripe for contractors. Now the winds blow toward urban renewal, and interest has increased along the waterfront. This, however, is not urban renewal, and I have no doubts that the residents in the area will suffer from this sort of project. It is not gentrification. It will, however, displace a good amount of current working-class residents in the area, pushing them to wherever they can afford to go after this little gem works its "wonders".
There are better ways to bring prosperity into a district that needs it. Of course, this direction, as planned, promises a f
You've got to be kidding?
Hey City Council Members take the vote.. 5-4 = No Growth, pls...
Whimsical project
For our City Council to invoke eminent domain on the railroad industry, would be an admission to incompetence of current economic affairs. With fuel prices rising continually, truckers will not be able to move consumer goods around our country as frequent anymore. The railroad industry will be our savior in the transportation sector, when driving becomes far too expensive for citizens and trucking goods becomes less profitable for companies. It would be and utter embarassment for our City Council to invoke eminent domain for the sake of a private developer residential apartment building in the middle of an industrial area. I could see if this was a major highway project or a viable economic development project that truly made our city & South Norfolk a better place by producing jobs that people could maintain a home with, but it does none of that. The Bell Harbor project fails the common sense test for economic development.
I grew up in South Norfolk &
I grew up in South Norfolk & as soon as I had the chance, I got out of there. Who in the world would want to pay $300 & up to live there, with a view of the shipyard right across that polluted river. It's not like you can go for a swim or fish from it. These developers will build condos anywhere. Just tear down the abandoned factories & plant some trees. If they want to revialize South Norfolk, they can begin with what's already there - tear down Harvard Apartments, do something with Southgate Plaza shopping center & clean up Poindexter Street. Since it is a so-called "Historic District" why aren't people required to keep their houses in better shape???
Yeah, I agree...
It's SOUTH NORFOLK. SoNo is ridiculous. Is Norfolk referred to as NoFo -- Portsmouth as PoMo? This area has a bad habit of trying to upgrade the local image to something much grander than it'll EVER be.
SoNo............weedikowis.
sono??
Its SOUTH NORFOLK...............