THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9507010142
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 223 lines
FOR ROUGHLY 10 YEARS a group of dedicated business leaders have pleaded, wished, worked and struggled to create - on paper at least - the Central Business District.
Theirs is a unique vision that seeks to transform the tangled mix of shopping mall buildings, roads, forest fragments and sterile parking lots that make up the Pembroke business district into something of an urban jewel.
Seeking more than another collection of buildings, CBD planners envision a unique pedestrian-based environment where streets, storefronts, businesses and cafes are aesthetically and architecturally integrated.
In this vision, pleasant tree-lined streets would invite people to leave their cars and take a stroll past an artfully designed plaza, past a fountain perhaps, that in the off hours would be a venue for something entertaining.
To anyone who has lived in Virginia Beach for more than a few years and has paid attention to community affairs, they no doubt have heard about this dream. One might reasonably ask then: When are they ever going to stop talking about that and do something?
The answer, if you ask developer Gerald Divaris, the dream-maker himself, is be patient.
The plan, he assures, is unfolding.
For example, three key ingredients that would allow the city to grant building permits to create precisely the kind of place Divaris and others envision are close at hand.
Sometime in August, the City Council should receive legislation that would change the district's zoning in three important ways:
First, it would allow developers to erect new buildings without parking lots connected to them.
Secondly, it would limit the way a building can be used. Today, for example, the district allows the presence of storage yards for building supplies. The city wants to eliminate that provision.
Thirdly, it would change the way in which new buildings are positioned in relation to the street. The effort here is to put them closer and in line with the center of the roads they face. What this would do is create an articulated building front typical of other business districts. Today, the city requires buildings in the Pembroke district to be set back 35 feet from the road.
If approved, the new zoning laws would add a new classification to the Central Business District and call it the Central Business Core District. It would give architects and planners significant new design tools for any new buildings contemplated for the business district.
To get an idea of what's possible when the zoning laws are written to encourage a more pedestrian friendly environment, a group of 22 city and business officials took a bus trip last Wednesday to Reston Town Center.
Located 18 miles west of Washington, D.C., and situated on 20 acres, Reston Town Center is a planned development that mixes the best of urban and suburban life. It is at once a business complex, a shopping enclave, an entertainment district and a public square.
Walking its streets, one has the impression that it is the center of a small city, having evolved over time into an ideal town square where one is equally comfortable shopping for housewares or working on a business deal. The architecture blends a variety of building sizes and materials into a space that is both appealing and comfortable.
Buildings are set close to the tree-lined streets, with small shops on the street level and business headquarters on the upper floors. Lighting standards are pleasant and intended to illuminate the sidewalk - not a freeway overpass.
Nothing like it exists in the Southside of Virginia, and even on a rainy day in Reston, people on the square gush at how much they love it.
``I drove an hour just to get here because I miss this kind of place,'' said Randi Evans, an Annapolis resident who sat by an energetic public fountain watching over her 2-year-old son David.
``I don't like being in malls,'' Evans said. ``Here, you have great restaurants, great shopping and just regular, normal people. It's a fun place. And I like the way they put the parking away from the buildings. I don't want to look at a parking lot when I'm outside.''
Her comments seem tailor made for Reston's marketing department, but they were spontaneous.
Make no mistake, however. This $300 million development is the result of an unusually coordinated effort by Mobil Land Development, a subsidiary of the giant oil corporation, which developed the property with help from the nation's leading architectural and urban planning firms.
The streets are private although usually open to the public, and the shops are specifically selected to attract shoppers accustomed to seeing mall stalwarts like Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, GapKids, Pizzeria Uno, Williams-Sonoma and the Pottery Barn. In fact, the selection of retail stores is like one might find at Lynnhaven Mall, except there are no anchor stores and they are set in an open, town-like atmosphere.
If it was not said outright on the trip last Wednesday, those who attended clearly understood that there would be no global corporate powerhouse to arrive anytime soon in Pembroke and transform it. That was a bit disheartening because the town center appeared to be a perfect example of what developers have so long envisioned for Pembroke.
But what has been lacking in the district are the planning tools needed to make even modest gains. Hence, the proposed zoning change.
It's not a major change, said Burrell Saunders, an architect and board member of the Central Business District Association.
``Think of it as a tweaking of the law. But it's a key element. You can't have a vibrant area that we're envisioning unless you have all these uses in place,'' he said. ``It allows you to have an off-site parking structure so you don't have the parking garage adjacent to the building.''
If people think that talk about Pembroke is getting tiresome, James Cleveland, president of Reston Land, pointed out that zoning change alone in Reston took three years to accomplish.
``What we're doing is no mystery,'' Saunders said. ``It just takes a little forethought to make sure that it happens instead of just creating another `Virginia Beach Boulevard.'
The eight-lane thoroughfare that divides Pembroke is often cited by naysayers as the single most insurmountable problem to creating a pedestrian-friendly environment. Crossing the street, in fact, is a life-threatening experience. But planners envision a substantial pedestrian bridge, one perhaps nearly as wide as the road itself, to provide the linkage that's needed to the district's north and south sides.
``What we're doing is not so much unique as appropriate,'' Saunders added. ``Companies that do relocation research come here and want to see a central business district. Some of these businesses have requirements to locate in a central business district on the assumption that there is more going on there.
``But if there is no CBD, then you could lose on the chance to bring another company to the city,'' he said.
``The customary retail pattern has been suburban in nature with parking lots set deep back surrounding the building,'' he added.
``We are not advocating a departure from the way the city has developed but simply offering an alternative in an area that seems to be appropriate for it.''
Should the City Council approve the new zoning, the changes would affect the text of the zoning law only, not the map at this time, said Thomas C. Pauls, comprehensive planning coordinator for the city.
Businesses presently operating in Pembroke need not worry about being zoned out of existence, nor should neighborhoods. An important component of the comprehensive plan is the protection of stable neighborhoods, which are seen as vital to the district.
But in trying to achieve its goals, the city is currently considering a realignment of Jeanne Street that could result in the demolition of about 12 houses depending on the alignment.
Judy Rosenblatt, an attorney and Planning Commission member, liked what she saw in Reston and was hopeful council would back the proposal.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to review the proposed zoning changes next week.
``There are parts of what I saw in Reston that we could do in Virginia Beach, but there are definitely aspects to it that are different,'' said Rosenblatt, who holds a master's degree in urban planning.
``First of all, it's owned by one owner. And they had vacant land. In the Beach, we have lots of different owners and we must rely on a public-private partnership. So we have to build on what's existing,'' she said.
Robert Scott, the city's planning director, was also impressed by the cohesive and intelligent design of Reston's Town Center, but was mindful, if not still optimistic, of the limitations faced in Pembroke.
``I think the plan we have put together for the CBD does fit in,'' he said. ``It looks very much like what you see in Reston. But they started with a clean slate; we're not. There are roads and businesses in place.
``Number two, they have one owner, whereas with Pembroke we have multiple owners who we're trying to pull together. That represents a real difference. The third is the public investment. Reston was built privately. In Pembroke, we've already made the decision to share the investment.''
What bothers Scott, and many others who have considered Pembroke's future, is the presence of gas stations and fast-food outlets at key intersections - notably the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut at Independence and Virginia Beach boulevards.
``When all is said and done I would like to have seen better use of that (Taco Bell) property,'' he said. ``The restaurant does not bother me so much as the orientation of it to automobiles. That's the problem. I think it's quite possible to build a successful city with restaurants of that type in the mix, but to be successful you have to separate people from the their automobile.''
Gerald Divaris, whose development company has investments in the Central Business District and whose office is located in One Columbus Center, was characteristically optimistic.
``What they've seen here is what we've been talking about in concept for so many years,'' said Divaris, who frequently visits Reston on business.
Undeterred by the presence of fast food and a sluggish economy made more uncertain by the on-going Lake Gaston problems, Divaris proverbially sees the glass half full.
``There are several things that work for us in Pembroke. We know the market. We know who lives there. We have the interstate nearby and we're intersected by two major roads. We have an established shopping mall with clear shopping patterns. We have a big concentration of space, a public library, a nearby hospital (Sentara Bayside) and existing schools,'' he said.
``For us, it's a little like painting a picture for a room that we know exactly what it looks like. True, we don't have the luxury of a single owner. We have multiple owners.
``We are not competing with downtown Norfolk; we are complementary to Norfolk. But not having a big corporate sponsor does make it a bit more important for us to work together.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
A LOOK AT THE FUTURE
ON THE COVER
CBDA board member Sandy Cohen walks down the main street of Reston
in a staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Staff photos by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
To get an idea of what's possible when the zoning laws are written
to encourage a more pedestrian friendly environment, a group of 22
city and business officials took a bus trip to Reston Town Center.
Here, they tour the Fountain Square Pavilion.
BEACH'S FUTURE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT?
A staff file photo by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
A view from the roof of the Columbus One building shows the tangled
web of Pembroke Mall, other shops, roads, forest fragments and
sterile parking lots that visionaries would turn into something of
an urban jewel.
Randi Evans, left, her son David, 2, and Connie Smith, all of
Annapolis, Md., relax by a fountain in Reston Town Center. A similar
setting is envisioned for the Pembroke area.
Virginia Beach City Council member Nancy Parker brings back Reston
memories. The planned city's Town Center is at once a business
complex, a shopping enclave, an entertainment district and a public
square.
Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Developer Gerald Divaris, the dreamer behind the Pembroke Central
Business District, listens to James C. Cleveland, president of Mobil
Land Development Corp, which developed the planned city of Reston.
KEYWORDS: DEVELOPMENT CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT by CNB