NORFOLK
Rising to 315 feet, the Norfolk Westin and Conference Center will be downtown's second-tallest building when it opens in 2011.
The 26-story hotel will be three stories taller than officials originally announced for the project at the corner of Granby and Main streets.
Malay Thakkar, managing partner for LTD Management Co., the Chesapeake hotelier heading up development of the project, showed preliminary drawings Wednesday of the proposed hotel, which still is not completely designed, to a Downtown Norfolk Council forum at the Dominion Enterprises building.
The hotel will be almost as tall as Dominion Tower, a 340-foot, 26-story office tower on the south end of the downtown waterfront. The Bank of America building will fall to third at 304 feet.
The region's two tallest buildings are in Virginia Beach. The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, at 508 feet, is the tallest building in the state.
Thakkar appeared not to know his building would be downtown's second-tallest. When asked during the forum how tall the building will be, he turned to Rod Woolard, Norfolk's director of economic development, for the answer.
"We're just trying to build a project that works and that we can be proud of," Thakkar said in an interview. "If it ends up being the second-tallest, that doesn't matter."
Two years ago, the project was estimated to cost $150 million. Thakkar said he's not sure whether the price will rise or fall. "I hope it goes down," he said.
But prices for cement, steel and other construction materials have climbed sharply since the original estimate.
The city is set to spend more than $70 million on the public-private project, including $9.3 million for the land and a $7.5 million performance grant in which some taxes generated by the hotel will be returned to the owners.
Thakkar said the project will go to bid this winter, and construction probably will start in the spring.
The firm hired Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. for pre-construction work on the project, and Thakkar said LTD would consider retaining the company to build the project.
LTD also will build a 660-space parking garage and $50 million conference center for the city. The parking garage will be paid for by patrons. The conference center will be paid for largely with lodging and meals taxes.
The project will include a ground-floor upscale restaurant that will be subsidized by the city if the developer can lure a big name - city officials have cited a restaurant like Morton's steakhouse as an example.
The conference center will be on floors 3 to 6, a pool and workout facility will be on the seventh floor, and guest rooms will be on floors 8 to 19. Floors 20 to 25 will hold 12 condominiums, all of which have been sold.
Several members of the Norfolk Preservation Alliance attended Wednesday's forum. The group protested that three historic buildings were torn down to make way for the project.
Thakkar said the facade of the 88-year-old Decker building, known as such because it was long occupied by a law firm headed by Peter G. Decker Jr., will be a part of the new hotel. It was one of the three historic structures razed for the project.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
Josh Brown, (757) 446-2318, josh.brown@pilotonline.com
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i'm confused...a couple of points
1. This project has been 'approved' but the design has not been finalized even to the point of the number of floors?
2. Norfolk owns a four-floor conference center in a privately owned building? Was this competitively bid, or are they simply paying what the developers say it will cost?
In answer about convention
In answer about convention centers and do they work, I suppose it really depends on the location.
I grew up in Flint, MI (it was GM that left not Chrysler) and the convention center never really took off because of the location - Flint, MI is not a great place for a convention center because there wasn't a whole lot going on in that area. It's not a big tourist grabbing area, so drawing in conferences and conventions was never really going to work.
For this area, yes I can see how conference centers can work. There is the oceanfront, a city that is changing and growing, I think conferences and conventions could be booked here much more easily.
Second tallest?
If you're not first, you're last...
Beautiful building
The proposed Westin Hotel is a beautiful building that will add a significant presence to downtown's growing skyline. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product along with the Wachovia tower. These two additions along with the other towers downtown will give us a skyline to be proud of.
Build it and they will come.
Do conference centers always work? I remember watching "Roger & Me" and Flynt Michigan was building a conference center to save the town after Chrysler had left. I was watching it right as the new Virginia Beach convention center was being constructed, and couldn't help but wonder. Everyone goes for the convention center. I think a Casino would do better?
This is huge!
This hotel & conference center will be a magnet for continued development downtown businesses. It will produce jobs and tax dollars. It will bring out-of-town conferences to Norfolk and attendees will spend a lot of money rooms and meals. Good job Norfolk!