THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994           TAG: 9409220635
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS          PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   65 lines

DELAY IN TCC DESIGN COULD PROVE COSTLY THE CITY MAY HAVE TO PAY IF THE SCIENCE BUILDING ON GRANBY STREET ISN'T FINISHED ON TIME.

Delays in approving a design for the science building of Tidewater Community College's new Granby Street campus ultimately could cost the city $1.3 million in fees.

Plans to resolve the design dispute were stalled this week when the Planning Commission and Design Review Committee could not decide on changes.

``We're on a very tight time schedule,'' TCC President Larry Whitworth said. ``We're scheduled to open August '96, but if we miss the date, the city will have to pay the state back. There is a penalty for not completing the project on time.''

Construction is scheduled to begin in January on the four-story, 50,500-square-foot science building that will be built on Granby Street, just north of College Place. The committee met Monday after initial plans for the science building were rejected last week.

At that time, some commissioners said the building looked too institutional, like a jail. Those sentiments were echoed by some design review members.

``I just kept feeling there was a lack of oomph in that facade,'' said Robin Ingram of the Design Review Committee.

Others likened the south side of the building, with its glass-enclosed walkways, to a motel.

The science building is the only new structure in the Norfolk TCC campus. The library, other classrooms and departments will be housed in renovated existing buildings such as the former Smith & Welton department store, Loew's Theatre and the empty Woolworth's building.

Ray Gindroz, of UDA Architects, said a main concern of the commissioners is trying to insert a new building into a historical setting. The science building, while new, will have a window pattern and yellowish-brick color similar to that of the Smith & Welton building.

``This campus needs to be an integral part of downtown,'' he said. ``We designed it to be compatible with the other buildings.''

Gindroz introduced changes to the original plans that would allow for wider windows on the Granby Street side of the building, but the committee members still were not happy with the building's look.

``Changes in this design included . . . changing the landscaping to give it a more open look,'' Gindroz said.

Committee members agreed they were more concerned with the building's exterior plan than the interior one.

``It's the corner of the building that needs to have more character,'' Gindroz said.

They will continue to review the design to make additional changes and meet again in the near future, Gindroz said.

``I suggest we retreat,'' he said. ``We may have set up an unsolvable issue,'' he said, referring to the plans.

Although the design controversy is causing some delays, Whitworth said the arguments about the building's appearance are valid.

``It's extremely important that we go away and come to some consensus that will allow us to go forward,'' he said.

KEYWORDS: TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE NORFOLK CAMPUS by CNB