Fantasy Urban Design Project #2: Create a Beach for NOVA (Virginia Beach: colleges, live)

[normie]

Oooh! Oooh! We could host sandcastle making contests for PR. And kids could make sand snowmen at Christmas time. That would certainly get a photo or two in all the papers.

[540_804]

Wow, what an exciting thread!

Im in college now studying economics. After I graduate I wanna pursue a graduate degree in urban planning. Can't wait!

Ok...so im going to get off topic for about 2 minutes (depending on how fast you read..lol) but I promise its relevant and I'll bring it around back to the topic at hand.

So below is a picture of an area of land about 2 miles down the road from where I live.


In the above picture on the left is a semi-abandoned skating center, in the center is an abandoned grocery store and on the left is a shopping center with Food Lion, CVS, Chinese and Italian restaurants and a movie rental place...your typical suburban shopping center.

Directly to the north of this shopping center is a new, small (15 units), housing community being carved into the hill (pictured below)(its part of another larger development of about 150 (approx) homes already built and 2 more 'phases' on the way):


To the south of the shopping center (out of the pic) is a golf driving range.

So ive always had this idea of turning the area (in the first pic) into kind of an entertainment/activity zone by remodeling and reopening the skate center in its original building, then use the abandoned grocery store (with a new facade probably) for more entertainment (think indoor go carts, lazer tag, a small cinema, etc) as well as outdoor go carts and a small water park-type area (shallow pools, water fountains, etc). Then across the street, redevelop the shopping center into more of a (pardon the cliche buzzword) "town center" type of attraction with plenty of green space and maybe underground parking. It would have a grocery store, cafe's, ice cream parlor...that type of thing. Finally refurbish the golf driving range to finish the whole entertainment venue. They would all be linked by underground or above street-level pedestrian walkways.

Now you're probably wondering, "What does any of this have to do with the topic of this thread?"

Well here goes: When you read everything I typed above you probably think "Ew, that sounds kind of cheap, tourist-trappy, theme-parky, etc". Thats what I get when I think about it, too. When I read about the giant indoor wave pool, thats the same vibe I get. When I think indoor beach I immediately think "cheap, gaudy, kitsch, cheesy". My question is, what do you do to resolve that issue? You want it to be an attraction, but how do you incorporate it into an area without it being too much.

Think about major tourist areas like Atlantic City, Virginia Beach, the beaches in Florida. You can't help but pick up on the 'cheapness' of the tourist areas. Cheap is certainly not an adjective that comes to mind when I think of Northern Virginia and im sure most of the residents would not want something that gives off that type of presence.

What would be a plan to successfully integrate this type of project into an already established neighborhood or community?



PS: Is anything I typed making sense? It makes sense to me of course, because I wrote it, but it may not be as clear to someone reading it. Let me know if you need any clarification due to my poor wording of anything.

[neighborhoodfind]

The world's largest indoor water park: Seagaia Ocean Dome, Miyazaki - Japan News Review

[springfieldva]

540_804 - I think your ideas are awesome, not at all cheesy. The concern I have involves the location you want to develop. There is an abandoned ice rink and empty grocery store within the area. What is the local economy like? Is this an area that people already like to visit (such as FL or CA). Are the people who live there fairly affluent?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by 540_804

Well here goes: When you read everything I typed above you probably think "Ew, that sounds kind of cheap, tourist-trappy, theme-parky, etc". Thats what I get when I think about it, too. When I read about the giant indoor wave pool, thats the same vibe I get. When I think indoor beach I immediately think "cheap, gaudy, kitsch, cheesy". My question is, what do you do to resolve that issue? You want it to be an attraction, but how do you incorporate it into an area without it being too much.

I don't think an indoor beach would be cheesy. To me, it sounds about the same as an indoor skating pond (what we commonly call ice rinks).

Maybe it's because I've made that long, long drive out to Ocean City one too many times. I would love to have something in my neighborhood that would give me the "feel" of a beach in the middle of winter... and without the horrible drive. Believe me, if such a place was built I'd buy a season pass and go at least once a week all winter long.

Or maybe I have a high tolerance for kitsch--I'm too busy having fun to worry if someone else thinks it's "cheesey." I've noticed the people who sneer that this thing and that thing are too cheesey are also the same people who sneer that there's nothing to do and life is boring. I just write them off as whiners.

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by FromVAtoNC

I don't think an indoor beach would be cheesy. To me, it sounds about the same as an indoor skating pond (what we commonly call ice rinks).

Maybe it's because I've made that long, long drive out to Ocean City one too many times. I would love to have something in my neighborhood that would give me the "feel" of a beach in the middle of winter... and without the horrible drive. Believe me, if such a place was built I'd buy a season pass and go at least once a week all winter long.

Or maybe I have a high tolerance for kitsch--I'm too busy having fun to worry if someone else thinks it's "cheesey." I've noticed the people who sneer that this thing and that thing are too cheesey are also the same people who sneer that there's nothing to do and life is boring. I just write them off as whiners.

Ahhh, the beach.....With no drive, rip tides, jelly fish or expensive lodging to pay for. Yep, I'd buy a season ticket .

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

540_804 - I think your ideas are awesome, not at all cheesy. The concern I have involves the location you want to develop. There is an abandoned ice rink and empty grocery store within the area. What is the local economy like? Is this an area that people already like to visit (such as FL or CA). Are the people who live there fairly affluent?

Good point. That's down in Florida, right? There are already a lot of competing attractions in Florida, what would make yours stand out?

Location is important. I think the indoor beach needs to be near or in a residential area. A place kids could ride their bikes to. It should also be near a major road so people can easily get there from other parts of NOVA.

Normie's idea of surrounding the beach with a pedestrian mall is interesting, but it's just not practical to build something like that IMO. On the other hand, I do like the idea of having stores nearby. Building it in an old big box store, especially a store that was part of a shopping plaza, would be ideal, IMO--mom can drop the kids off to play at the beach for an hour while she does some shopping.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

Ahhh, the beach.....With no drive, rip tides, jelly fish or expensive lodging to pay for. Yep, I'd buy a season ticket .

And no eroding beach! You can count on the sand always being there... and it would probably be easier to keep it clean, too.

[normie]

Originally Posted by neighborhoodfind

The world's largest indoor water park: Seagaia Ocean Dome, Miyazaki - Japan News Review

What a cool place. Now this is what I'm talking about. Wouldn't you love to have a place like this in NOVA? I know I would! Preferably in Cascades so I can walk to it.

Not so sure about the retractable roof, though. Seems to me that would develop problems over time and end up being more hassle than it would be worth.

[normie]

Originally Posted by 540_804

When I think indoor beach I immediately think "cheap, gaudy, kitsch, cheesy". My question is, what do you do to resolve that issue? You want it to be an attraction, but how do you incorporate it into an area without it being too much.

In my opinion, the key to avoiding looking cheap comes down to 3 points:

1. Build with top quality materials, and use a lot of natural materials. In other words, real palm trees, not stucco ones. Lots of garden beds and plants--both inside and outside the facility. Avoid stucco and plastic. Make the inside as vibrant and colorful as you wish, but keep the outside simple and plain. (No cartoons painted on the outside of the building, no garish colors).

2. Architectural design should blend with other nearby buildings. If you really want to avoid looking kitschy, try to make it look more like a high quality sports facility.

3. Keep building spotless and well maintained. No faded or peeling paint. Repair any gouges in the building. Planting beds need to be kept well-groomed. Discourage trouble makers from hanging out in the parking lot.

By the way, there are a few examples of silly attractions like this that the community has embraced. On Rt. 7 you'll find a Raiders of the Lost Ark miniature golf park. It's huge, it's very silly, but people don't object because it's built well and it incorporates a lot of trees and nice plantings.