The Virginian-Pilot
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For years, Virginia Beach has been a textbook example of suburban sprawl. Housing booms in the 1970s, '80s and '90s led to miles of strip malls, car dealerships and big-box stores with acres of parking lots. Now, the city is pretty much full.
The one exception is the agricultural area south of the growth restriction boundary known as the Green Line. But since there is no political will to open that area to development, the question becomes: How does Virginia Beach continue to grow in the mostly developed northern half?
City officials have an ambitious and somewhat radical answer to that question. They've identified eight parts of the city they want to remake, six of which lie along an old rail corridor proposed for a light-rail project. A new city office has been created for the effort. While the vision for each of these "Strategic Growth Areas" is different, they share common traits.
For example, they would have a compact form of development conducive to walking and mass transit. Vertical development, where permitted, would trump horizontal. Contrary to the goal of traditional suburban zoning that separated uses, the new approach would combine uses to create "mixed-use" developments, the dominant trend in urban planning. One example of this is Town Center, where hotels, restaurants, apartments, loft condos, retail shops, colleges and an arts center all share the same few blocks.
It's no accident that six of the eight growth areas are near the proposed light-rail line. Officials want to use the mass transit system, if it's approved by the City Council, to drive higher density urban-style development. They argue this form of redevelopment and light rail would attract big businesses and help tilt the tax burden, which today falls largely on homeowners, toward businesses.
Plans are completed for four of the eight areas. They outline the vision for political leaders and the public and serve as marketing tools that could help economic development officials lure businesses to Virginia Beach.
The projects face two main challenges. First, money. The city hopes private developers will build the projects, but the private sector will want public money to pay for infrastructure improvements. Second, land acquisition. The Beach does not have a redevelopment authority with condemnation power. Deals will have to be reached with private landowners.
This will all take time, many years, officials caution, but it could begin sooner than people think. For example, the Newtown area is seen as ripe for redevelopment with the coming of the Norfolk Tide light-rail station just across the city line.
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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What is going on
Can someone at the Pilot please explain why North Carolina is inside a red zone on the cover page? Is this an error or what is VA Beach up to?
I've traveled to England and
I've traveled to England and think the public transportation system is lovely BUT that's because the towns built up AROUND the stations. You may walk a few miles from your house to get on the train because that's the only station in your town. Here, everything is so spread out that no one will want to use it. Not many people live around where they're trying to stick the stations.
As a side note, I wouldn't feel safe taking it personally. I work in downtown. I'd have to go from the Curlew station to the courthouse stop. In winter, it's dark when I get out of work. I'm not walking alone at night around Curlew, nor am I leaving my car in that not-so-nice area. I can just see the amount of break-ins that are going to occur in the parking lots.
Good Points
It was great living a few blocks from a tube station in London, but you bring up good points. Essentially, most people would need to drive to a light rail station and worry about their cars being parked in public all day/night. I would certainly use it on weekends to get to the boardwalk or beat the cluster **** parking at the Tides games and concerts. Not sure I like the idea of "higher density urban-style development", that's kind of ambiguous...
Unsustainable and unaffordable.
HRT plans to stick local taxpayers with 90% of the cost of operating light rail. NINETY PERCENT!!!!
Norfolk just admitted that the cost for their tiny 7.4 mile light rail and feeder bus system is $17.5M a year - year after year after year. Of course, 60% of that cost are the humans that drive the grade level rail system. We all know how the cost of those union jobs will increase over the years, let alone the cost of VRS retirements that begin to pile up over time.
We can't afford light rail. It will not reduce traffic congestion.
Banks are not loaning money like they used to prior to the 2007 housing bubble/meltdown. Developers cannot find the hundreds of millions required to build the tallrise, mixed use "TOD". Just say "No!".
Light Rail is expensive to remove
VA Beach is dependant on tourism, so if the need is to improve transportation why not kill two birds with one stone? Maglevs would reduce eminent domain struggles, point-to-point times, the eye-soar of light-rail all while improving the Beach's image and tourism. If you want to talk about jobs, let's discuss being the center of a nationwide movement for clean affordable transportation.. "if you build it, they will come". If light-rail is chosen over magnets, your multi-million dollar rail system will be obsolete soon costing about the same to remove as it did to build. Wheel vs. magnet cost would be similar, and ODU is attempting to dramatically reduce that with it's project.
Light Rail
Light rail is the question to the answer. If it scares you, then you haven’t driven in Virginia Beach lately. If you look forward to it and all the good it will bring, you are not reading the entire picture that the city is painting for you. I was brought her by the Navy 30 years+ ago and now call this place home. When I was a younger man I wonder why is there no mass transit systems that serve the US Naval Base directly and is efficient for the people to use?
Crazy
Traffic isn't the problem here. By comparison, it's light compared to other cities I've lived in. Problem is people just don't know how to drive and get themselves into wrecks all the time (late mergers, tailgaters, general jackassery). They need to focus on fixing the actual roads (potholes) that are tearing up our vehicles before they go on this boondoggle.
light rail
Light rail will not work in VB. At first there will be a lot of demand just to check it out. Then over about 18/24 months demand will decrease, and to pay for operations and pay off light rail property tax money will be needed to keep it going. Here is an idea, Why don't we start with light busses first. Build parking lots and bridges that could be used for light rail. After 10 or 15 years if there is a demand then build light rail. Atleast with busses you can add or delete them based on demand and it would only cost 30/40 percent of light rail.
Light Rail
Now I wonder why the rail systems are not doing the same? As someone who still has occasion to drive the 264 – 64 – 564 madhouse, I am confused. The military bases in this area can pay for our system in a lot less time that it will take the few tourist a year using it to go downtown Norfolk. We need to stop the madness and get the light rail placed correctly were it will be utilized and not be a burden on the tax payer and benefit a few property owners at the ocean front. Just a thought.
If you build it - they will come!
I think people who are at the mercy of 264-64-464-664-168 are pro light rail - & by far this is the cheapest alternative. Please extend light rail to the beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, etc....