THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 23, 1996 TAG: 9605210264
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JANE HARPER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 124 lines
KNOWN AS THE ``Gateway to Norfolk,'' the intersection of Norview Avenue and Azalea Garden Road near Norfolk International Airport has long impressed visitors with its tall oaks, pines, maples, dogwood and gum trees that lit up with color from spring to fall.
But that's all gone now.
Hundreds of trees have been removed from the site since November because they exceeded height limits set by the Federal Aviation Administration for trees standing within an airport's runway protection zone.
While the city has begun an elaborate $300,000 landscaping project with a goal of making the site even more scenic than before, city officials concede that it's going to take at least a few years before the new - and shorter - species of trees and flowering bushes take form.
``Basically we're asking people to make an investment in time as we wait for the beauty of the area to return,'' said Chris Smith, senior architect for Norfolk's Department of Public Works and the manager of the re-landscaping project.
The intersection is an important one to the city, Smith said, and one that city officials especially want to see sparkle. Thousands of visitors who fly to Hampton Roads each year get their first impression of the region when they pass through the gateway.
That's why the decision to remove the trees was not made lightly, said Ken Scott, executive director of the Norfolk Airport Authority.
In fact, the authority, which owns the land, had tried for years to save the trees and comply with the height regulations by trimming the tops of those deemed too tall, Scott said. But that method was slowly killing the trees. It also was extremely expensive, with each trim costing $200,000 to $250,000, Scott said.
So, the only alternative was to replace the towering old trees with shorter ones.
Airport and city officials knew their solution would not be popular, especially among the many neighborhoods near the intersection. To try to soften the blow, they held four public meetings to explain their plans and also to get ideas for how residents wanted the site reforested.
Terry Smith, who lives in Bromley, one of the adjacent communities, said city and airport officials bent over backward to keep them informed.
``I've never seen the city so concerned about what the citizens thought,'' Smith said. ``They really listened to everybody and were very willing to compromise.''
Despite all the warnings and explanations, few were prepared for how empty the area would look once the trees were gone, Smith said. Some dogwoods, magnolias and cherry trees that did not violate height limits were left behind, but hundreds of oaks, pines, maples and gums were cut down.
Add the fact that the trees were removed in winter - when the few trees left behind were dormant and bare - made the area look even more ravaged.
``It really was shocking,'' Smith said. ``No one expected that much was going to be cleared. The city tried to prepare us for it, but I don't think any of us were really prepared.''
Bill Perry, an Eastpoint resident who has lived next door to the site for 34 years, said he had been led to believe the woods were just going to be thinned and that many old trees would remain.
``But when they started cutting, they just kept cutting and cutting and cutting,'' Perry said. ``If this is a beautification project they've got a long ways to go.''
Smith, the city's project manager, said all trees that were under safety limits were left standing. But that wasn't too many.
``We kept nearly every tree we could because for every tree we could save that was one less tree we had to replace,'' Smith said.
Not only did the loss impact appearances, but it also greatly increased the noise that residents hear from the airport, many neighbors said.
``There are some days when it sounds like (the planes are) coming right through the walls,'' said Bob Rimmer, an Eastpoint resident who lives just a few houses from the gateway.
One good thing for people living nearby is that the removal also took away a hangout for teenagers, whom neighbors said were involved in some ``undesirable activities'' in the dark woods. Work crews that removed trash from the area found a hammock and a mattress where teens had gathered.
Rimmer, who grew up in Bromley, remembered playing army in the woods himself as a boy. He also was concerned that wildlife had lost their habitat when the trees were removed, and was further disappointed to learn that the new trees are very young and will take several years to grow and provide cover.
Smith said the city was unable to plant more mature trees because there is no irrigation on the site and larger trees would not likely survive the summer. The new trees being planted will range from small seedlings to some about 8 feet tall, he said.
Replacements include dogwoods, southern magnolias, Japanese Snowbells (a flowering, treelike shrub), American Hollies, Serviceberry, Waxmyrtle and some small oaks. Wildflower meadows, various marsh, meadow and turf grasses also will be planted, and a black vinyl chain-link fence will surround the perimeter, Smith said.
City officials had considered building a trail through the site and placing park benches and picnic tables as well. But those plans were dropped when several residents complained that the amenities may increase traffic in their neighborhoods.
The removal, clean-up and first phase of the planting should be completed by late May, Smith said. It was supposed to have been finished sooner, but harsh winter weather delayed it, he said.
The airport authority is paying for the project, but the city is overseeing it, Smith said. The city also will maintain the land afterward, he said.
``The design of this project is ongoing, and it will be ongoing for many years to come,'' Smith said. ``We'll wait to see how it grows out and will work with it from there.
``The first one to two years you can't expect much. In three to five years we'll start to see a much better looking site.''
Terry Smith, the Bromley Civic League's liaison to the project, said she's confident that the intersection will be just as beautiful, if not more so, once the new trees and bushes mature.
``I think if they (the public) just give it time and try to be a little patient, it's going to be gorgeous,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Color Aerial cover photo by Huy Nguyen\The
Virginian-Pilot
Inside B\W Photos by Gary C. Knapp
Where the tall trees once stood, much debris still needs to be
cleared before the new, and shorter, species of trees and bushes can
be planted and begin to grow.
Color drawing
Preliminary Design of the Airport Gateway
Color staff graphic, by John Earle
Area Shown: Airport Gateway
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT by CNB