Business groups ask Norfolk to weigh razing Waterside

NORFOLK

The best way to fix the ailing Waterside complex might be to tear it down.

That's the view three influential business groups expressed in a letter to city officials delivered Friday.

Directors of the Greater Norfolk Corporation, the Downtown Norfolk Council and the city's visitors and convention bureau penned a joint letter to the City Council urging the council to do a study of the entire Elizabeth River waterfront and to consider tearing down Waterside.

The council will discuss Waterside on Monday during its annual retreat at the Attucks Theatre.

While extolling Waterside's contributions to the resurgence of downtown, the groups lamented that in its current state "Waterside actually detracts from the City's image and consumes scarce resources that could be better used elsewhere."

They added: "It might be that tearing down the current Waterside and creating a temporary open space could represent the best preparation - intellectually and emotionally - for moving forward."

They also wrote that Waterside tenants should be relocated within downtown if the decision is made to raze the complex.

Constructed as a public-private partnership in 1983, Waterside was a festival marketplace that helped spark the transformation of downtown into a retail and entertainment center. City officials credit Waterside for leading to the construction of MacArthur Center, turning Granby Street into a restaurant center and transforming the waterfront into a tourist attraction.

Once a retail center, Waterside morphed into a c omplex of nightclubs and restaurants. However, Waterside is now largely vacant and in need of repair.

The city will spend $1.4 million this fiscal year, which began on July 1, repairing Waterside. It will spend an additional $1.9 million in subsidies to operate the building.

The three business groups spoke to that subsidy, writing that "Norfolk needs its resources in many places and cannot sustain investments in a structure that is functionally and operationally obsolete."

The city has embarked upon a yearlong study of Waterside that included public hearings. About 3,000 residents commented, most of them through online surveys.

Most residents want Waterside to remain a public space. Although opinions vary, most want Waterside to again become a regional entertainment hub.

The three council members who represent downtown reacted cautiously to the letter. The council will eventually decide what to do with Waterside.

Tearing down Waterside has always been an option, and it's something the city should consider, Councilman Barclay C. Winn said. "Do you keep throwing a million dollars at it year after year?"

Councilwoman Theresa Whibley also weighed in. "I've always expressed concern about putting a lot of money into Waterside without knowing for sure what we're going to do with it," she said.

"We need to get moving on it," she said. "I'm very pleased they went through the trouble to do this. Their input is important. We need to put all of that input together and see where it takes us."

Mayor Paul Fraim said the suggestions made by the three groups "are certainly worthy of strong consideration."

Regardless of whether the council decides to renovate Waterside or tear it down, the site remains valuable, Fraim said. "Perhaps the most valuable in the region."

The Downtown Norfolk Council promotes downtown and administers a tax district that pays for additional services for downtown businesses and residents. The Greater Norfolk Corporation is a business group that promotes private investment throughout the city.

VisitNorfolk, formerly known as the visitors and convention bureau, is partially funded by the city and works to attract visitors to Norfolk.

Donna Phaneuf signed the letter for the Downtown Norfolk Council, William I. Foster III for Greater Norfolk and Judy Swystun for VisitNorfolk. They could not be reached for comment.

Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com