Virginia Beach Downtown (Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond: credit, neighborhood, quality of life)

[Ace-not-in-a-hole]

Originally Posted by citydweller

Well, again its not a true downtown per se and moreso just a town center as the name implies - one which happens to be in the middle of the city.

Why can't they just refer to it as City Center or something, what's so hard. They don't have to stick to what the developer originally labeled it since it is supposed to be dynamic and adjust with growth and development.

Honestly HR cities are almost as bad as NYC in double naming and misplacing every development with misleading and confusing names. That area was designated as downtown about 25 years ago, the Pembroke area, so that's what they had planned for it to become. Why can't they just reference it as Downtown Center. City Walk will be a good name however. In Orlando there is Downtown Orlando plus one of the parks is Universal City Walk. So I think VB is getting with it and this sounds to be a similar development. Proud a ya.

Even Newport News' beautiful new "downtown" is called "City Center". But the HR cities have to copy each other and never named things with originality. Town center here town center there. It doesn't have to be that way. There is even a Hampton Town Center to confuse things.
Honestly.

[xGrendelx]

Anyone know if "City Walk" is still being built? I haven't heard anything about it in awhile.

[Koehlekat]

My husband is transferring to the Chesapeake/Norfolk/Va beach area for his job. We are looking for somewhere to live that has a cityish feel where we can walk to restaurants etc. I know about the Ghent area in Norfolk but it's expensive and looks like the surrounding areas might be a little dicey. Is there anything in the Va beach area that is cute with like row houses and close places to walk to eat? Also a place where there might be young people with families as we have a baby due in June. I'm not so much concerned about living close to the water. Please let me know if you have any recommendations! Thanks so much!

[D train outta nowhere]

This is such a tough question. I hate to say it, but there aren't many places in VB where you could walk under 20 minutes and end up at any area other than a strip mall. Maybe Town Center or off of Northhampton Rd might be to your liking. There is nothing with a city feel to it, but if you like strip malls and Dollar Generals, you'll be in heaven.

[Coconut1]

Originally Posted by Koehlekat

Is there anything in the Va beach area that is cute with like row houses and close places to walk to eat?

Simple answer... NO!

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by pimp

Umm...no...like where is it located? south, north, etc? When i look at a map where it has that dot for virginia beach, that is supposed to be the downtown, right?, but when i drive there, all i see is subdivisions.

North. Urban areas of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are the Northern most sections of those cities. The Norfolk/Portsmouth urban landscape bleeds south into Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Or better put, Virginia Beach, East of Norfolk, Chesapeake, South of Portsmouth.

Downtown, or Town Center, of Virginia Beach, really is close to the center of the city, or at least, the urbanized center of the city. One would think it were the Oceanfront, and I think it would be in most other cities. Why they chose to place Town Center where it is at and refer to it as downtown as beyond me, other than to create a different urban center (outside of downtown Norfolk/Portsmouth) to be used as a catalyst for the 50 year plan in which the entire city of Virginia Beach is urban.

[Spazkat9696]

Originally Posted by goofy328

North. Urban areas of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are the Northern most sections of those cities. The Norfolk/Portsmouth urban landscape bleeds south into Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Or better put, Virginia Beach, East of Norfolk, Chesapeake, South of Portsmouth.

Downtown, or Town Center, of Virginia Beach, really is close to the center of the city, or at least, the urbanized center of the city. One would think it were the Oceanfront, and I think it would be in most other cities. Why they chose to place Town Center where it is at and refer to it as downtown as beyond me, other than to create a different urban center (outside of downtown Norfolk/Portsmouth) to be used as a catalyst for the 50 year plan in which the entire city of Virginia Beach is urban.

Because people don't want to work in a tourist area.


Town center is going to have to have more office space, and people just don't want to deal with the ocean front traffic to get to work.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Spazkat9696

Because people don't want to work in a tourist area.


Town center is going to have to have more office space, and people just don't want to deal with the ocean front traffic to get to work.

It did not have to be one or the other. But since Virginia Beach refuses to build office space behind the Oceanfront perhaps they'll build more office space at Town Center. They have the land. It simply needs to be done.

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Spazkat9696

Because people don't want to work in a tourist area.


Town center is going to have to have more office space, and people just don't want to deal with the ocean front traffic to get to work.

Office areas and tourist areas are quite often next to one another in large cities. The thing about Virginia Beach is that what would normally be office areas directly next to the water is used for other purposes. The Oceanfront would encompass more of the waterfront if the military were not here. It is not that unusual to have a tourist area, and then office areas behind those areas by a few miles, or by several blocks. In Virginia Beach what would otherwise be an office area in another town is low rise residential, and that continues until you get to Town Center, and remains as a constant reminder of how the urban boundaries of those neighborhoods have changed over the years.

But that is all in the past. Virginia Beach still has plenty of vacant blocks around the perimeter of Town Center that can be used for office purposes. It would actually be better if it were developed for office purposes because if you have more people working there those people will hang around and spend their money there before going home, as opposed to relying on people to go out of their way and make a trip there. More would live there if they could afford the rents, but again, even if they do live there, if they don't work there the chance is greater they'll spend their money somewhere else, if they do not feel like going home right away, or perhaps the office wants to do something in the city or entertain clients, etc. than they would otherwise. I think the initial idea was to put everything on a very high scale and give people everything in one place, and instead people come in from other neighborhoods because it is nice alternative to what should exist in downtown Norfolk, which has so far been unsustainable in downtown Norfolk. Put in a fancy grocery store and some people would never leave the place.

It is a good first effort, but you still have to leave Town Center for some things you just take for granted are in an urban area, like hospitals, schools, work, church, parks, grocery stores, big box stores, etc. It is all there, but it is not all there in Town Center and as of yet there is no real convenient, practical way to spreading out the boundaries of Town Center to include all of that as of yet.

[citydweller]

Also its a town center and not really 'downtown'. Most town centers rarely have 'everything' and more or less offer entertainment, dining and residential in the same area. It makes an attempt to provide some things but not everything.