A Working Plan for Waterside
Words AltDaily Staff
Monday, December 20th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared July 7, 2010. We are republishing this as part of The Drive AltDaily Drive.
When talking about Waterside,
An overview image of Waterside (top center of photo), looking south.
that once great and now sad blue-topped building that sits on one of the best locations in the region, it might be helpful to reminder the words of John Lennon:
“There’s no problem, only solutions.”
But man, oh man, is it a problem! The second floor is just about empty. The first floor is pretty much ready to be a set for a zombie movie as well. Parking is an issue. After the abrupt closings of Bar Norfolk and Have A Nice Day Cafe last August–not to mention the reputations of the bars themselves–Waterside doesn’t just have a black eye, but also a limp, and a gamy smell that ain’t the fish in the Elizabeth.
We’ll tell you, though, when we walk through Waterside, we don’t see that emptyness as an issue. In fact, it’s an asset. It’s got that location. It’s got the water. It has history on its side (you like fudge, don’t you?). Waterside can be turned around, and quick. Before we lay out our plan, a few ground rules:
1. We believe that, in order to determine the best long-term solution for Waterside, a public hearing period–which we’re now in–is not enough. The City needs to hold a national (international, even) design and development contest that lasts at least a year from when the call for proposals is put out. If we want Norfolk to be a great city, we can’t be satisfied with just the ideas that come from city hall, or even the zip code. Let’s open it up. See what ideas the world’s brilliant capitalists have for our little diamond in the rough on the river.
2. That said, any ideas proposed here have to be semi-temporary. We need to leave Waterside as something of a blank slate in case a brilliant developer comes in with a concept that requires a start from scratch. Remember, ultimately we’re looking for a 30 year solution here, not a quick fix.
3. Anything new to Waterside needs to be either financially self-sufficient or cost neutral from the City’s perspective.
4. We want ideas that can be up and running quickly, and which will serve the largest number of citizens. Waterside has been an under-utilized asset and a blight on our regional self-esteem for far too long. When Waterside is back humming as a center of city life, it will be like Norfolk went through a spiritual makeover.
5. There needs to be an awareness of the market. Another mall doesn’t make sense; MacArthur has that locked down. More night life doesn’t make sense either; that’s why we’ve got Granby St. So, what is Downtown (and Norfolk) missing? In our opinion, more activities for families, teens, and those looking to be physically active. Waterside has to be a destination.
Not only do we believe there is a vacuum in these markets, there are some attractive raw numbers that also inspire hope. Within a 15 mile radius of Waterside is a population over a million. There are some 383,000 households, with an average household income of $64, 181. That’s not upper-middle class, but it’s not poor either.
6. Included in the market analysis needs to be the verging on 4,000 people who live in the Downtown area. Any amenities missing from their local market should be addressed in Waterside.
Here are the steps we think the City should take:
1. Simultaneously put out an RFP for (a) long-term solutions and (b) entrepreneurs who can make the following businesses and attractions happen.
2. Allow, say, six weeks for short-term proposals, then six weeks for judging and interviews. This process should be as public as possible.
3. Choose the proposals that make the most sense not just as independent businesses, but within the family-friendly, pro-local business gestalt Waterside represents.
4. The businesses should be rolled out in phases, but as soon as possible.
5. Meanwhile, long-term solutions will be evaluated, with the success or failure of the short-term solutions used as essential market research.
Without further ado, our ideas:
Outside
Rendering by Thom White.
- Ferris Wheel. (Yeah, you heard us.) These are easy enough to erect, a stellar addition to the skyline, and a way to draw crowds. There is room for a Ferris Wheel near where the ferry docks.
- Outdoor basketball court. As far as we can tell there’s no outdoor basketball court in all of Downtown. This is a shame. A court would draw people to play who would then go inside to buy drinks and snacks from the food court.
- Carousel, right by the front entrance. It would be a colorful, moving, eye-catcher on Waterside Dr.
- More patio seating outside on the Town Point Park side. Encourage a flow between the park and Waterside.
- A fire pit. The fountain-as-centerpiece is, at this point, quite a cliche. And besides, Town Point Park just built their splash fountain right around the corner. What would be much more unique at the bottom of the amphitheater behind Waterside instead of a fountain is a fire pit. We’ve seen this utilized to nice effect at Catch 31, Busch Gardens and Short Pump Mall in Richmond.
- An education alcove for the Elizabeth River Project and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Maybe floating education barges?
- A neon Norfolk sign. Okay, so this would be more permanent, but we couldn’t resist. Wouldn’t a giant N O R F O L K sign, facing the water, in a script possibly something like Coca-Cola, be a brilliant treat? People would take pictures of it from boats. It would give us all pride. We can get one of the big corporations here to pay for it (they’d get signage on the lower part of the pole.)
First Level
First floor layout.
- Roller rink. Temporary floor and walls. You see the water on one side, the city on the other. How fun is that? This would go right in the middle of the floor plan.
- Around the roller rink should be a rotating open art exhibit. We absolutely love Mike Bell’s current exhibition downstairs in Waterside. This sort of thing needs to continue.
- A climbing wall. Downtown’s upmarket crowd would love this. This would make sense next to the elevator.
- One of the empty retail spaces should be converted to a day care facility, both for people who work Downtown, and for people while they’re shopping.
- The childs’ play area at Joe’s Crab Shack should be expanded–and possibly moved to a brighter location–to rival the play area in MacArthur Center, in order to entice families.
- Consider moving the tiny Downtown post office to one of the open office spaces.
Second Level
Second floor layout.
- The empty space across from Mayer Fine Art should be made something active, such as a yoga/fitness/dance studio.
- Fudge Factory. Somewhere. Somehow.
***The Jillian’s space is gigantic, and all of it should be utilized. There are parts of the old Gillian’s space that would be perfect for:
- Laser tag, after a good neon black paint job.
- Small businesses one-stop shop. If someone wants to start a business, this office can give out (and print) permits, give LLC filing advice, legal advice, and accounting advice.
- Small business incubators. We would like to see the City do a better job of encouraging small business development, and then doing what it takes to see those seeds turn into flourishing economic plants. Working spaces should be given to businesses (as selected through a public proposal process) that can help Norfolk’s economy, raise it’s profile, and make us all proud. Mentorship programs will also be essential. (More on this in a future article.)
- Green energy lab. What does this mean? It could mean a lot of thing, but what might matter most is the message this would send to the region and the state about Norfolk’s earnest intent to be at the front of the Green Revolution the world is now experiencing.
- Agency that places retired military in private sector jobs.
Moving forward:
Are these all of the best ideas? Of course not. We fully expect you to add, edit, and delete from this list.
But what we do believe is that the City needs to identify a list of possible short-term uses and put those plans in action as soon as possible, while working toward the best long-term solution the best minds in the world have for the space.
So… What’s a great idea? What’d we miss? Let’s work in the comments section to come up with a definitive list we think the City should pursue.
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Waterside needs a skate plaza. Skateparks get used way more than basketball courts and baseball diamonds. A city that embraces skateboarding is more likely to attract the all important Creative Class. They can even be inexpensive if done right. We could get Rob Dyrdek involved and bring Norfolk onto the national scene.
New home for The Governor’s School for the Arts!
So giddy that Ferris Wheel made the list! It would be visible from the cruise ships drawing people towards Waterside, and would make a great “date” spot for those teens not allowed to hang at the mall. Not to mention the great view from up top!
Also, Im with Templeton on a skate-park. DT has a terrible track record with skaters… its actually illegal to even ride on a skateboard anywhere between Waterside Dr, Brambelton and St.Paul and Bousch if I remember correctly. Not to mention, with a good enough design, you will pull in skaters from all around the area (if not region). I worked at Mikes Skate Shop and Park in Hampton… and it was very much sub-par; yet people would come all the way from Richmond to skate since there are so few indoor skate-parks in the area.
I also like the climbing wall idea… but have seen too many poorly executed. Not sure if it is worth it while the spectacular Virginia Beach Rock Gym is right around the corner.
Laser Tag? Effing awesome. Especially if its available for overnight lock-ins on the weekends.
and… there’s an amphitheater at Waterside??
and, wow there is alot of roof there that would be good for solar panels.
I think a little mini water park would be cool. Maybe a few waterslides, a wave pool, a kiddie area. Really like the Ferris wheel idea. Maybe a drive in movie theater, with the river going by behind the screen.
The following issues prevent Waterside from being an entertainment or family-centric location:
-Limited parking options. We’ve all experienced the nightmare that is parking downtown during any event, or even on weekends. Adding kids to that only makes it worse for the parents. The Tide won’t be stopping very close, either, which is unfortunate.
-There aren’t any other kid-friendly attractions nearby. This means that Waterside has fill up with relevant business quickly. For example, no one is going to make a trip out to Waterside with their family just to visit a Disney store, but if there is a Chuck E’ Cheese and a fun art store in the building…
-With only 4,000 people living downtown, you are working with a very small and focused demographic. Basically the businesses would be marketing to those outside the immediate vicinity, which goes back to the parking issue.
-Things such as ferris wheels, carousels and water parks are great in the summer, but shut down in the winter. I don’t think it’s wise to seek seasonal solutions. For a good portion of the year, Waterside would be just as abandoned as it is today. That doesn’t feel like a very big step forward to me. Putting any of these things indoors would cost a fortune and compete with things like the YMCA (basketball courts, for example).
For these reasons I do not believe Waterside should be utilized as an entertainment or family venue. However, using the building as a business incubator is a very interesting idea. I would recommend dropping the incubator portion, however, as this typically means that after a set period of time a business will be expected to move out and find another location to operate from. Other incubators set this time frame between three and five years, but in order to attract businesses at first it makes sense to drop this caveat. Possibly call it the Waterside Business Hamlet, or something equally adorable.
If the rent is low enough, and the utilities provided at a reasonable cost, small businesses will flock to the building – quickly filling the vacant spaces and reinvigorating the area. It could be marketed to an entrepreneurial crowd, people with exciting new ideas and companies, and help keep our area from losing its best and brightest. Waterside could be a place people get excited about, rather than one we all mention while looking down at the rock we just nudged with our sad little shoe.
- PARKING – The Waterside Garage is connected to Waterside and has 561 parking spaces. The Tide’s main station will be located 2 blocks from Waterside. (And, there’s another parking garage between the two.)
- KID-FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS – Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin are located across Town Point Park from Waterside. MacArthur Center is 3 blocks from Waterside. (It’s kid-friendly until 5:00 PM.)
- AUDIENCE – The city should want non-Norfolk residents to frequent Waterside so that revenue is brought into the city. Again, parking is not an issue.
- SEASONALITY – The great thing about Norfolk is that the weather is nice most of the year. Outdoor activities promote a healthy lifestyle and are indicative of progressive cities.
The Ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago, ON lake Michigan is open year round. And people ride it year round. You bundle up, it’s romantic. You’ve got more months of good weather out here than you realize. And the bad weather isn’t so bad at all. It’s a VERY short winter here.
Parking is one of the major reasons I and many people are turned off of going to the Waterside – not because of lack of spaces, but because it costs an arm and a leg to park there. Why should I pay so much of my hard-earned money toward parking for a broken down entertainment venue when I can go to thriving Town Centers in Virginia Beach, Hampton, and Newport News at little or no cost? It’s even cheaper to park at MacArthur than it is Waterside with more available for my entertainment dollar. Same thing with Olde Towne Portsmouth and many other parts of the area.
That said, your proposal has some great merits and could really spark interest in Waterside again but I strongly disagree with your insistance of basketball courts. If history has proven anything, it’s that nothing good comes from a basketball court with regard to crime and violence. You don’t see anyone except city parks putting basketball courts in public places for that reason.
I think the skate park is a GREAT idea. it’s perfect for active lifestyles, kids AND adults, and encourages skating safely and will keep the damn cops from shouting at the kids on the streets.
I also agree with the solar panel thing that paul said.
and, um, a ferris wheel? YES, PLEASE!
It amazes me that the city spent all of our tax dollars on a face-lift for townpoint park and nothing, I mean NOTHING, is going on there for the fourth of July weekend or the following weekend either. I mean at least there should be a local band playing there. Come on Norfolk and fest-events, get your sh@# together.
I think it would be a perfect location for urban nightclubs.
Okay, a more serious post.
First, a friend is very vocal about how bad skate parks are. After he spent time working for one, he is bitter. Having to call the police all the time because kids don’t wear their helmets. Interestingly enough when limbs were broken the kids always said don’t call an ambulance, and instead were driven by others to the hospital. They didn’t want the cost of the ambulance. My guess is no insurance.
The incubator idea is interesting, but there is a problem. You end up competing with the private building owners using taxpayer funds. The other property owners end up with unfair, subsidized competition. Sure, their office rates might be incorrect, but the market will sort that out (look at their empty storefronts.) If priced right, the market wins. When the gov’t get involves, things are distorted. Rents are high possibly due to navy housing allowances, and $8000 checks from the gov’t has propped up home sales and purchases when they should be down (so the market can properly correct.)
Really, MacArthur mall killed waterside.
The best use of it would probably be restaurants. If I were me and I were in charge with unlimited taxpayer monies, the light rail would have been maglev, and elevated, and split in downtown using waterside in one direction and macarthur in another, on the 2nd floors.
Hmm. Someone give me a huge venue to use as a live music spot. Free of ticketmaster.
And another venue to use as an arcade/video game museum. Classics, not redemption.
Ethan:
I agree that a skatepark isn’t a good idea. It would be a liability the City doesn’t need to assume, and I don’t think there would be enough people within walking/skating distance to keep it busy, since so few people actually live downtown.
Perhaps a little government backed competition is just what the downtown building owners need to get their pricing in line. After all, those buildings have been vacant for a looong time now. If the market were going to resolve its own issues, wouldn’t it have done so by now? Also, I prefer to think that we can fill an incubator AND the vacant offices downtown – not just one or the other.
There were restaurants in Waterside in the past and they just didn’t fare well, though the building certainly needs more culinary options no matter what it ends up being used for.
I would never be opposed to a arcade/video game museum – ever. High school gym locker smell, ftw – just sayin’.
A marketplace would be completely awesome. Not just fish and produce, but everything. Whatever people want to sell, let em. Also, forget neon lazer tag. Turn the whole Jillians space into a giant indoor paintball arena. Better yet, don’t even remove the restaurant setup. It would be like a restaurant level in Call of Duty.
Looks like Myrtle Beach, SC beat Norfolk in getting that ferris wheel.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43112192/ns/travel-destination_travel/