The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Good bye, small ponds. Adios, orange and white barriers. Bon voyage, piles of dirt.
The fenced morass of construction debris that has taken up residence at the site of the failed Granby Tower condominium project will soon be history.
Federal officials said this week they plan to give the property, long an eyesore at the gateway to downtown, a $1.2 million makeover.
The government recently took ownership of the site, where it plans to build an annex to the Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse. Because planning for the project could take years, government officials want to turn the site into an urban park.
They have contracted Noah Enterprises of Virginia Beach to transform the property “into an urban-friendly location,” Gina Blyther Gilliam, a spokeswoman for the General Services Administration, wrote in an e-mail.
Gilliam said Noah Enterprises will remove all construction debris, plug in two large holes filled with water, sod the site with grass, restore torn-up sidewalks along Granby Street and install lighting. Work will be completed this spring, she wrote.
“I expect we will have people working on site very shortly,” said Carol Curtis, president of Noah Enterprises.
Granby Tower developer Buddy Gadams had drained and maintained the site until July 2, when he said the federal government took ownership. At the intersection of Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue, the property has been the subject of criticism from city officials and nearby business owners.
Thanks to the makeover, merchants along Granby Street will also see long-blocked-off parking spaces restored. Pedestrian access to their businesses will also improve.
“It’s not Buddy’s fault, because he did his best to build a great development, but that corner has been an eyesore for a long time,” said Baxter E. Simmons Jr., whose restaurant, Baxter’s Sports Lounge, is steps away from the Granby Tower site.
“This is very good news,” Mayor Paul Fraim said. “It’s what we would expect the federal government to do.”
Gadams had planned to build a 34-story, $180.5 million condominium development on the site. Construction began in the summer of 2007 but halted in September 2007 when he lost financing.
Gadams tried unsuccessfully for nearly three years to obtain new financing. His efforts ended when the federal government filed a condemnation lawsuit in July to take the site for a courthouse expansion.
Officials offered Gadams almost $6.2 million for the site, an offer his attorney, Joe Waldo, said he will contest in court.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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Leavfe it just like it is
and put a sign out front reading "Public-Private Redevelopment Project Memorial Garden"
Granby Tower...
You know, if Norfolk, Va. Beach and all other municipalities were truly interested in solving the homeless problems, they could have still built this tower. What you do is have a small kitchen staff much like a jail, a small "sleeping quarter" and even sort of an individual stall shower room for say 30 people at a time. You could staff it with security, perhaps have counselors and try to get some of these people reintroduced to society. All of this could be done in a 34 story building I am sure. Maybe I am a dreamer but I think it is feasible. I also know it will never happen.
Spend the MONEY!
An improvement to the area along with job creation. Good move.
crazyness
Only in America would we pay 1.2 million to fill in a hole so that in a few years we could pay another 1.2 to dig it out again.
Atleast the City Council's
Atleast the City Council's Landscape Contractor of Choice is not doing the work. He got the multi-million waterfront park rework, but not this?
That is an unfair statement
Winn Nursury was a sub-contractor to the low & successful bidder. His part of the work was NOT in the millions as you falsly claim. City council had nothing to do with awarding the landscaping part of the project - that is a business decision by the successful general contractor. The city's only interest is that the landscaping met the specifications they produced to be competitively bid.
Nope
Norfolk City council has nothing to do with this. If they did, it would be at a low-ball bid and end up cost twice as much.
Filing the Granby ponds
I just lost hope of ever getting my first social security check, as the feds seem to think they have the right to spend my money as they see fit. While yes, the site is an unsightly mess, could they perhaps consider this site for a landfill, as it sounds like it could be "years" before any construction takes place. Plus, the natural gas emitted from the site could be used to save on energy consumption of what will likly be another extravagant architectural monument to federal law breakers. Take a look around at some of the recently completed federal building in other mid-major cities.
Is an underground courts facility with park on top just not feasible. It could save millions and leave a nice public park for the homeless.
Monument Park
I hope they put a plaque on the site as a memoral to the investors that got bilked in this ponzi scheme.
Speechless
Look up the definition of ponzi.