THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996 TAG: 9607120458
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 137 lines
In what city officials say was the final vote on the basic layout of the downtown MacArthur Center mall, the Planning Commission on Thursday approved a three-level, four-sided design flanked by parking garages.
The commission did not allow public comment before approving the plans, saying that the opportunity for discussion had been given in three meetings over the past year.
On Monday, the city's Design Review Commission also approved the design without allowing comment.
Some of those who have argued that the current design will not nurture street life attended the meeting Thursday. They said they would continue efforts to change the plans, including trying to persuade the mall's owners to change its design.
At the home of architect David Levy, they met Thursday night to organize an all-day ``charrette,'' or open public session, in which local architects and interested citizens will try to come up with alternate designs for the center.
About 35 people, mostly design professionals, met in Levy's home in the converted Hofheimer warehouse on Tazewell Street overlooking downtown. They discussed a set of design principles and agreed to meet at St. Paul's church July 20 for the charrette.
At the meeting, Patrick Masterson, president of the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Institute of Architects, said his board voted Wednesday night to give $500 to the group to help fund the cost of holding the charrette.
The Planning Commission discussed the concerns of those advocating a mall design that would turn more stores or windows to face the street, or break the mall into smaller, street-oriented buildings.
Commissioner Anthony C. Paige said he did not understand how the mall could be designed any differently and still function effectively as a regional retail center.
Commissioner L. Robert Layton said the city had put a lot of thought into the mall's design.
``This was not a plan arrived at by throwing a bunch of darts at a board,'' Layton said. ``Every alternative was considered.''
It had been unclear whether the City Council still had to vote on the mall plan, which has undergone substantial changes since the council approved the project in 1994.
But on Thursday, City Attorney Philip R. Trapani said a vote by the council was not necessary. Under the language of the Downtown Development Certificate the council approved in 1994, the Planning Commission's recommendation is final unless overruled by City Manager James B. Oliver.
The layout approved by the Planning Commission Thursday includes:
A three-level mall with six-level parking garages along City Hall Avenue and Freemason Street. Under the plan, each level of the mall will be served by two levels of parking.
An 18-screen movie theater on the third level, along with a food court that will have a balcony overlooking Monticello Avenue.
In an effort to increase interaction with the surrounding streets, officials discussed putting restaurants along Monticello Avenue. Sidewalks would be expanded there to allow for more pedestrians, possibly including sidewalk cafes.
A three-story Dillard's department store at the corner of City Hall and Monticello, and a three-story Nordstrom on Cumberland Street.
The mall would not overwhelm downtown with its size, city officials said. As proof, they showed drawings indicating that the Dillard's would be only slightly higher than the Kirn library, which faces the store. The parking garages along City Hall Avenue would be lower than the dome of the MacArthur Memorial.
A third department store is planned at Monticello and Freemason, although one has not been signed yet.
A shallow circular driveway at the front entrance on Monticello Avenue to allow cars to drop off passengers, similar in concept to one in front of the downtown Marriott hotel.
Rows of trees that will run along streets on all four sides of the mall, and in the median of City Hall Avenue.
The city will contribute between $100 million and $110 million toward the $300 million shopping mall. It is meant to attract shoppers from Williamsburg to North Carolina, who lack an upscale shopping center.
The city is spending $50 million on parking garages, $33 million to build the Nordstrom store, $6.5 million to move the downtown fire station and operations, and $12 million to $20 million on street improvements and modifying the Freemason garage.
The city expects to recover the money through lease payments, parking revenue from the mall and elsewhere in the city, and increased tax revenues. City officials expect to turn a ``profit'' of $1.5 million in net new taxes the first year, even after subtracting for debt payments and other expenses.
The commission approved only the basic site design, or ``footprint,'' of the mall, which shows where the buildings, parking garages and principal entrances are located.
The actual stores, entertainment or restaurants at the mall could change from plans shown Thursday, because they are up to the developer and not subject to approval by the city.
What the facade will look like, including windows and materials, will be approved in separate meetings in September. Public comment will be allowed, Commissioner William Craig said.
Mark Perreault, who has led a drive to change the mall's design, said the basic layout of the mall has never been open for discussion, even in meetings he attended from February through June.
``The concept that there has been a dialogue, and that the public has been allowed to question the footprint of the mall, is not justified,'' Perreault said. ``The footprint has always been accepted as a given.''
The Norfolk Historical Society expressed its concerns in a January letter to city design consultant Ray Gindroz.
William C. Wooldridge, who was then the society's president, expressed concern that the mall appeared in some respects like a suburban shopping center and would not fit in well with the rest of downtown.
The commission approved the design without reviewing a report by Nore Winter - an urban consultant hired by the historical society - that recommended changes in the mall's design.
The historical society said copies had been sent to the city manager. When asked about the report, Planning Director John Dugan told the commission that he had not seen it. ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD L. DUNSTON
The Virginian-Pilot
As city streets and parking lots close to make room for the mall,
the 17-acre site is being prepared for the construction.
Opponents of the design say the plan won't nurture street life. They
said they would continue efforts to change the plans.
MALL LAYOUT
The layout approved by the Planning Commission on Thursday
includes:
A three-level mall with six-level parking garages along City Hall
Avenue and Freemason Street. Under the plan, each level of the mall
will be served by two levels of parking.
An 18-screen movie theater on the third level, along with a food
court that will have a balcony overlooking Monticello Avenue.
A three-story Dillard's department store at the corner of City
Hall and Monticello, and a three-story Nordstrom on Cumberland
Street.
A shallow circular driveway at the front entrance on Monticello
Avenue to allow cars to drop off passengers, similar in concept to
one in front of the downtown Marriott hotel.
Rows of trees that will run along streets on all four sides of
the mall, and in the median of City Hall Avenue.
KEYWORDS: MACARTHUR CENTER by CNB