THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411180158
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: THE GRAND PLAN
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 135 lines
THE AREA AROUND the proposed new high school should be planned as an important civic center and serve as a gateway to Downtown and Scotts Creek waterfronts, planning consultant Ray Gindroz said.
``This is a major investment and it needs to be more than a school,'' he said. ``By creating a public space around it, you are making it more useful to the city. You will get maximum benefit from it by using the space for other functions.''
Instead of putting the school and ball fields in the middle of 18 acres, Gindroz said the school should be moved to one side and the ball fields, proposed as a regional stadium, to the other side, leaving green space in the middle because it is ``not just a school.'' The school and ball fields would be on the London Boulevard side of the site.
``Norcom is an extremely large investment and it should be connected to the water in some way,'' said Gindroz, who advocates orienting everything to the rivers and creeks that surround the city.
``One thing that is so stunning about Portsmouth is the presence of water,'' he said. ``In the future, every effort should be made to relate to the waterfront.''
The green space would be opposite the arm of Scotts Creek that stretches to London Boulevard beside the old Elks Lodge. The plan includes a marina development at the Elks property.
By re-designing the site for the school and athletic facilities, the city would be spending public money within the plan. Gindroz has recommended careful allocation of existing resources to make the plan move.
``It doesn't take too many things to get it moving,'' he said. ``When you get it moving, you make it creditable.''
Gindroz refers to Shea Terrace, West Park View and Park View as ``the North Coast'' neighborhoods. While the city is working on other projects, it should proceed simultanously to seek a developer for the Scotts Creek project, he said.
The neighborhoods are stable and affordable but are beginning to deteriorate, the report said. It added that speculator-owned rental properties tarnish the area's image and quality of life.
The Scotts Creek project, originally proposed a decade ago by residents of the neighborhoods, would develop marinas and other boat services on the north shore of Scotts Creek. Gindroz has endorsed opinions of other consultants who have said the city should proceed with the project.
``With the dredging of Scotts Creek, there is a very good chance of revitalizing the neighborhoods,'' the planner said.
The city has a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit to dredge about a mile of the creek and has set aside $1 million to help pay for the work.
Although previous requests for proposals have not been successful in finding a developer for marinas and other activities on the North Shore of Scotts Creek, Gindroz suggested soliciting proposals in the context of the plan.
The ``storm proof'' location on the Intracoastal Waterway is one of the city's many assets, he said. MIDTOWN CORRIDOR
ASSETS: The Midtown Corridor (London Boulevard to County Street) has excellent regional access from all directions, especially the expressway.
A remarkable number of medical facilities and other institutions are located along it.
The proposed new I.C. Norcom High School opens up the possibility of creating a civic and educational core in the city.
The proximity of this area to the Scotts Creek inlets also offers the potential for bringing marina development as far as London Boulevard.
In the southern part of the area, near the railway tracks, there are large areas of undeveloped and vacant land that will have excellent regional access when the Martin Luther King Freeway connector is extended to I-264, making it a prime location for business and industrial development.
LIABILITIES: The large number of deteriorated properties and perceived high level of crime have combined to give this area, and by association Portsmouth, a negative image. The city's greatest challenges exist in this Midtown Corridor area.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Construction of a new I.C. Norcom High School on 28 acres, bounded by London Boulevard, High Street, Jamestown and Peninsula avenues, could prove a major impetus for the redevelopment of this part of the London/High Corridor.
The consultants recommended siting the new school so that a public complex could be constructed around it in the future. Gindroz and school officials currently are working together to revise the site plan.
There is great potential in this area for a civic center near the new high school and development of a small north-south shopping street and for-sale housing.
One option to remove City Hall from valuable waterfront office space would move it to the area of the new high school and proposed regional stadium. This would free up the current city offices for immediate conversion to tax-paying uses and also provide a stabilizing force in the area of the new high school.
Another option would be to create a business park in the area near the school, where PRHA should continue to acquire dilapidated property.
Immediate action could include design and improvement of intersections on London Boulevard near the school.
Coupled with Scotts Creek dredging and marinas on the north shore, the city should dredge a Scotts Creek inlet up to London Boulevard and develop a marina at the old Elks Lodge site. Such a plan would link the new civic complex around the new high school and London Boulevard to the water and would boost revitalization for adjacent neighborhoods.
The consultants suggested that the city proceed immediately to acquire the Elks Lodge property adjacent to the Scotts Creek inlet at London Boulevard.
In addition, they recommended creating waterfront public access in the area and also suggested some new for-sale housing near the water. MEMO: EDITOR'S NOTE
This article represents the third of a four-part series by staff
writer Ida Kay Jordan on the proposed 10-year master plan for the city
presented by consultant Ray Gindroz.
Previous installments focused on Olde Towne/Downtown and Effingham
Corridor/Park View. Today's installment focuses, in part, on Scotts
Creek Marina and Campus Civic Center. The final installment, on what is
commonly referred to as MidCity, will be included in the Thursday's
edition.
In hopes of encouraging citizen debate, discussion, input and/or
participation before a decision is made, The Currents will seek comments
through Infoline and letters to the editor.
For more information on the proposal or access to the entire report,
please contact Economic Development at 393-8804.
- Joseph P. Banks
Portsmouth editor
ILLUSTRATION: On the Cover
Color artist's rendering
File photo
The city's historic neighborhoods are stable and affordable but are
beginning to deteriorate, the report said. Speculator-owned rental
properties tarnish the area's image.
by CNB