NORFOLK More than a month ago, council members and many residents eagerly waited for City Manager Marcus Jones to choose which of two competing proposals he would support for the prized Waterside property.

NORFOLK City Manager Marcus Jones knows what he wants to do with Waterside, but that hasn't stopped a local developer from quietly working to win support for a new proposal that would tear down the building and replace it with a conference center.

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The decision on what to do to redevelop Waterside won't be made for months.
Although City Manager Marcus Jones said Tuesday the plan by The Cordish Cos. is the best solution for the city's struggling property, the City Council said it needs more time to study the competing proposals. A decision, which some thought might come Tuesday, isn't nearing a vote.

NORFOLK After months of discussion about the future of the city's ailing downtown marketplace, City Manager Marcus Jones will make his recommendation for Waterside's redevelopment Tuesday. Baltimore-based The Cordish Cos. and Norfolk-based Harvey Lindsay Development Group have the final proposals to make over the site.

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Either a conference center or a venue filled primarily with entertainment spots and restaurants would revive the prized Waterside property, according to two studies commissioned by the city.

When the Waterside Festival Marketplace opened nearly three decades ago, Norfolk celebrated a milestone in the rebirth of the waterfront and a jewel of urban redevelopment.

NORFOLK The public will have to wait another month to hear the city manager's recommendation for the future of Waterside. City Manager Marcus Jones had planned to make his recommendation to the City Council by the end of March, but he notified members of the council on Friday that they would have to wait.

NORFOLK One of the developers in the contest to remake Waterside has changed its plans for a historic building in response to community outcry over a proposed partial demolition.

NORFOLK Two developers are vying for the chance to help remake Norfolk's waterfront, but the City Council must decide how much of the city's history it's willing to forgo in that process.

NORFOLK Waterside's future has been narrowed to two dramatically different concepts, and after initially attempting to keep proposals for the facility a secret, Norfolk officials are now broadening the discussion to include the community.