THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 14, 1997 TAG: 9701140202
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 86 lines
The city plans to sell four blocks of prime downtown land for the construction of about $22 million in townhouses, apartments and stores by a private developer, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority announced Monday.
The developer, Arthur Collins of Collins Enterprises in Greenwich, Conn., said in an interview that a wave of new development is likely for downtown Norfolk because of the construction of the MacArthur Center mall and other factors, and he wanted to get in early.
``There is a trend across the nation that people want to come back to the downtown area, and we want to be part of that,'' Collins said.
The development should produce millions in new tax dollars while filling a chunk of vacant land that could help revitalize Granby Street. The project also represents the first major spinoff from the construction of the MacArthur Center, two years before its scheduled opening.
Of the $22 million in development, about $5 million will come through spending by the redevelopment authority on new streets and utilities. The authority will get part of this back, however, through selling the land to Collins for about $1.5 million, said NRHA officials.
Construction of the homes is set to begin in August and be completed by April 1999, about the same time as the opening MacArthur Center. But some homes should be completed and ready for sale by April of next year, said housing authority officials.
The planned 146 apartments and 45 townhouses will be built on both sides of Duke Street downtown. They will fill a no-man's land made up of a large grassy lot next to the Taiwanese pagoda, and several blocks of parking between Duke and Boush. The homes will be built as urban row houses and apartments, similar to older ones in Ghent and Freemason. A redesigned College Place, with small stores at its intersections, will lead residents into Granby Street and the rest of downtown.
The homes will be marketed under the name College Place Square.
City and housing authority officials cheered the announcement as the completion of a long-awaited component of downtown revitalization. The fortunes of Granby Street could be particularly helped, officials said. Through the building of the apartments and townhouses, Granby's long-suffering retail and office area will no longer be separated from the residential area of Freemason by blocks of parking lots. The new homes also could help spur the development of loft apartments on the upper floors of buildings on Granby, said Councilman Mason C. Andrews.
The homes are aimed at an upscale market: Apartments will rent for $850 to $1,300, and houses will sell for $185,000 to $218,500. Parking will be hidden in the interior of each block, with the homes facing the exterior streets.
As long planned, Boush Street will be widened slightly and converted to two-way traffic. It will be the principal boulevard through this part of downtown. Duke Street, now a heavily used one-way street in this area, will become a more residential two-way street. College, Tazewell, Duke and Boush will be modified, their forms sculpted to fit both new traffic patterns and the character of a residential neighborhood.
Doyle Hull, chairman of the NRHA board, said the selection of Collins completes ``the delicate matter of matching the right developer to the right project.''
Collins said the development of the apartments began a year ago at lunch at the Harbor Club with David Rice, NRHA executive director. The development of the MacArthur Center mall helped persuade Collins to launch the project, as did a general surge in downtown residential construction, Collins said.
``Timing is everything in my business,'' he Collins said in an interview. ``Right now you all seem to be on the move.''
The project includes plans for an additional $10 million in future development that would occur if economics are right. This would include plans for a waterfront development around and on the pier that juts into the Elizabeth River parallel to Nauticus. It would include a 168-slip marina, an 80-suite inn and a restaurant. ILLUSTRATION: Color Drawing
A rendering of College Place Square looking east toward the former
Smith and Welton Building on Granby Street.
Color Map/The Virginian-Pilot
Area Shown: College Place Square
[For complete copy, see microfilm]
Graphic
College Park Square
[details on the development]
[For complete copy, see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: PLANNED DEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPMENT DOWNTOWN NORFOLK
COLLINS ENTERPRISES COLLEGE PARK SQUARE