The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Ending years of stalemate, city and Norfolk Southern officials on Thursday announced a $40 million deal for the company's old rail corridor, a strip of land being considered for a light-rail project.
The 10.6-mile line stretching from Newtown Road to Birdneck Road would be a continuation of the light-rail route under construction in Norfolk. If built, it would link Norfolk to Town Center and the resort area.
"I couldn't be more thrilled," said Mayor Will Sessoms, flanked by state and local officials at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. "It's an opportunity to wean ourselves off the stranglehold of automobiles."
While the deal bolsters chances for light rail in the Beach, any project is years away. Conducting studies, finding money to pay for it and perhaps holding a voter referendum all mean nothing will happen fast.
It took Norfolk 13 years to get its project under way, starting with a 1995 study.
"These projects take an enormous amount of time," said Pierce Homer, state secretary of transportation, who attended Thursday's announcement. "The key to making this thing work is going to be patience and persistence for the region."
The money to pay Norfolk Southern comes from a $20 million state grant; $10 million in city money; $5 million from Hampton Roads Transit, the region's transportation agency; and $5 million from a utility easement on the land.
Sessoms, who was elected in November, touted light rail as a way to spur economic development along the corridor and to further regional cooperation.
For the second time in a week, he said he made a mistake during the campaign when he pledged to hold a referendum on light rail. Sessoms said he will "honor that commitment" but noted that a decision on holding a referendum would be made by the entire City Council.
State Sen. Ken Stolle, who helped get the state grant, said a referendum is unnecessary.
"The state has now invested $20 million in this," he said. "The council, as the people's representatives, are the ones with the responsibility to make the decision."
Council members said they are happy the city will control the right of way but expressed varying levels of enthusiasm for a light-rail project and a referendum.
"I'm taking a wait-and-see approach," Councilman Harry Diezel said.
Councilman Bill DeSteph said, "Whatever we do, we better have a referendum."
Councilman Glenn Davis said he doesn't see the need for a referendum.
"This is why or why not, not yes or no."
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
VB "Reasoning"
Ah yes... the citizens of Virginia Beach thought light rail was a bad idea 20 years ago so we must abide by that decision. I'm guessing interracial marriages and black suffrage must be illegal in Virginia Beach too. Since they were bad ideas several decades ago, they MUST still be bad ideas now.
Ken Stolle and Glenn Davis have the right idea... the people of Virginia Beach elected leaders to make decisions on their behalves. What good is going through that exercise if every decision has to be pushed out to the people?
kevin23451 if correct an attempted at imminent domain ?
if you are correct that cronyism had no part and that it was just not executed than an attempted at imminent domain would occur. To my knowledge that was never attempted so your post has no merit. That evidence is completely damning
I'm looking forward to the
I'm looking forward to the referendum on this issue. Can't wait to send this train into the tunnel when the sun doesn't shine.
Light-Rail CHOO CHOO
This is absolutely ridiculous. $40 million for something the railroad couldn't use anyway? A better idea would be a long bike trail or also a long skateboard ramp. Virginia Beach needs any light rail to go to and from the airport and the Naval Base yet Norfolk opposes any mention of the airport. Is Norfolk afraid the tourist might get off an airplane and board lightrail straight to their oceanfront hotel or that other fiasco convention center monster, the largest construction project ever? Who will ride this thing? Why not build one LONG SLENDER CONDO from the beachfront to DT Norfolk.......after all, VB City Council hasn't ever seen a condo project they didn't dearly love. (We do love Dragas don't we?????) The condo long and slender could be three stories high even. It could be overtaxed like all our homes! A taxpayer is distressed...is it 5-o'clock somewhere? If it looks like Locness Monster it still will never pay for itself. I know.....build a choo choo to the sand pits in SE VB....to haul that sand each year to the beachfront.....why not?
Bailout
"Robert C. Fort of Norfolk Southern was the fifth highest donor ($10,450) to the Sessoms campaign.
Other employees who donated to the Sessoms campaign:
$10,450 Robert C Fort
$2,000 John Paul Rathbone
$500 David R Goode
$250 F Blair Wimbush
$200 Deborah H Butler
$200 William A Galanko
$200 Robert Huffman
$200 Robert M Kesler, Jr
$200 Charles Wick Moorman
$200 James T Stewart
$200 Stephen C Tobias
Total amount contributed by those with a Norfolk Southern affiliation: $14,600.
Watch out Virginia Beach Real Estate/Construction interests donated a total of $256,250."
Nice to know that Va. Beach is doing their part in bailing out businesses. WOW, right out of the Obama Administration!
2cents
I think your name is better said "zero sense". Lots of platitudes but no financial sense.
kevin23451 ..... Respectfully I dissagree with you
I'm going to have to first say that again, I'm for the project. However, I think the evidence to the contrary is pretty damning.I think it is convenient to blame it on dragging feet, however, for the most part, my points are clearly true. I look at the supporters of this new Mayor and the vested interests of campaign contribution and I see a glaring example of cronyism. I'm assuming you live on the North end as your screen name happens to be that zip code in a particularly affluent part of VB,respectfully I would have to say that perhaps your interests are aligned in this network.I'm writing to call attention to transparency and who could argue with that. Unless of course it is of benefit to development, real-estate, or attorneys. We still have that flier issue to deal with fabricating an alliance with Obama. Sessoms in Banking; an old country clubber, come now
Newtown to Birdneck?
I thought it was to link Norfolk to the BEACH? So I guess what's another few blocks more for a few million on top of the 40 already planned? Will it ever end....
specifics please
mlsimons, your generalizations and bumper sticker slogans about “new millenniums” and “paving the future” sound like an Obama campaign speech… but as with him, you offer no specifics as to how and where this causes economic growth. Do you really think that this will bring more people to the oceanfront or town center? Are you saying that people don’t go to those destination now solely because of transportation issues? You’ve got to be kidding. I’m reading these posts comparing us to other major cities like Chicago… huh? There are no comparable demographics in any way. This city takes the “If we build it they will come” approach on everything that they do. They never conduct any objective cost-benefit analysis of any kind? I’m not anti-progress at any level, I just want to see a well thought out plan before investing millions of taxpayer dollars. This aint no cornfield in Iowa, it’s a city of about 500,000 people living in all sprawled suburb. You may call the model dead, but the fact is this was the model built in the 80’s and now we’re stuck with it. We have bigger issues to address than overpriced trains.
What About Using The Money For Jobs Today?
While this may be a boon or bust project, I for one do not see how it puts money into the local economy now when the unemployment rate is rising. Ask your leaders if we can afford to invest in a project that's light rail years away when tax revenue is declining? Great idea? Maybe for another time.