THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407040185
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 212 lines
THE CORRIDOR SHOWS both failure and promise. Amid a decaying yacht club and abandoned storefronts are hints of renewed business activity.
In short: Norfolk's Riverview commercial district is in limbo.
The tract, also called central Granby Street, stretches from the zoo to the Granby Street bridge. While the Riverview neighborhood adjacent to the corridor has enjoyed a resurgence, the commercial strip has not had the same fortune.
Many businesses have closed or relocated. Others are in poor repair.
Yet, there are bright spots.
At 39th and Granby streets, the Duce haberdashery, which opened in December, is a sharp-looking testament to the area's potential.
``We're on a main artery into downtown Norfolk. If you make your business look attractive, people are going to stop by,'' Ralph Reynolds, co-owner, said. ``I'm betting on Riverview.''
While the Duce has made an investment, much property remains stagnant or in decline.
``We'd like to see the businesses on the strip improve their appearance,'' said Rosemary Zemanian, a leader of the newly formed Granby Bridge Merchants Association.
``Some structures need to be torn down and others need to be cleaned up,'' said Zemanian, who lives in Riverview with her husband and three children.
Families like the Zemanians represent changes in residential Riverview.
``There are a lot of young families moving in now. The area has really improved since it became a neighborhood conservation area,'' said Judy Howlett, a founding member the Colonial Place-Riverview Civic League.
Riverview has been coming back for 10 years, she said, adding: ``It would be nice to see the commercial district follow that path.''
That's why the civic league helped organize the merchants. The association business owners and neighborhood residents.
The group now hopes the City Council will include their section in a commercial revitalization study that would analyze economic conditions and the potential for revival.
``Our effort, pending City Council's approval, is to look at the three commercial areas of 35th Street, Central Granby Street and North Colley Avenue,'' said Brian Townsend, a senior city planner. ``These sections all serve the same general population and have exhibited stagnation or decline. The study would evaluate and eventually help determine a strategy to revitalize the districts.''
Riverview would be in a zone called Greater Park Place. Other proposed study areas are Berkley and Campostella, and a section of East Little Creek Road.
The planning department and Planning Commission will discuss the idea with a City Council subcommittee on July 8.
``I can't anticipate Council's decision, but the staff has identified the areas that we feel need attention,'' Townsend said. ``The study would be a blueprint of how to proceed.''
If the pilot study is approved, it could lead to improvements that the Granby Bridge Merchants Association is hoping for. New street lighting and sidewalks, landscaping, and financial assistance and incentives for business owners are high priorities on the group's agenda.
The association also wants the city to push for some property owners to upgrade their facades.
``I think they could start by enforcing some of the building and health codes,'' Zemanian said.
Community involvement is crucial, said James Gildea, strategic planning manager for the department. ``The key is to identify what the community sees as its problems,'' he said. ``A revitalization strategy varies from area to area.''
While there is a sense of optimism within the planning department that the study will be approved, probably no tangible action would emerge until next summer.
But Richard Levin, a local investor and owner of the old Riverview movie theater, noted the need for quick attention.
``The problem is that you're in a transition here. It could go either way,'' Levin said. ``I think there's a lot of potential here, especially with the zoo and its expansion plan, but the city has to move on it.''
Meanwhile, some momentum has come from the private sector. The Futures and Retro Collectibles antique store opened at 39th and Granby streets last July.
``I thought this would be an affordable location with promising growth potential,'' said Ronn Ives, co-owner. ``It's worked out well so far.''
Tabouli Restaurant opened in April near the Granby Street bridge, the north end of the corridor. Owner Fouad Mohit renovated and converted an Open House Diner. Now it's a quaint eatery with Mediterranean and vegetarian cuisine.
``We're getting a really positive response,'' Mohit said. ``I think the area will prevail. The demographics are right.''
Mohit said central Granby Street is a busy commuter route. ``Strategically, it's a main thoroughfare through the center of the city,'' he said. ``It's so conveniently located and you have a good mix of people coming in and out.''
Though many merchants are optimistic, there are significant indicators that suggest a questionable forecast.
A number of businesses have gone under. Burger King and the Ho Si Ki Chinese eatery shut their doors several years ago. Simply Divine Restaurant, closed when owner Bobby Gordon died.
In addition, some long-time proprietors say they aren't generating the sales they once did.
``We're surviving only because it's a family business,'' said Eli Habib, part-owner of the French Bakery, opened in 1941.
Angelina Veneziano, owner of the Veneziano Restaurant, established in 1947, agreed. ``Business has been off over the last two or three years, but I'm not sure if it's the economy or the area,'' she said.
``Sales have been all right, but they've got to do something about the crime,'' added Emmett Baxter Sr., owner of Benders Venetian Blinds and Window Company, in the district for more than 10 years.
The crime problem, though, is in dispute. Mohit, Ives and Bryant Lambert, owner of Hair Dimensions, insist there is little crime.
But Habib said his bakery was broken into six times in the last two years. Reynolds has had several attempted break-ins. Both businesses have bars on their windows.
According to Lt. George Davis of the Norfolk Police Department, the crime rate is fairly stable. ``I have not seen any increase in incidents of crime over the last several years,'' he said.
A concern to everyone, however, is the abandoned Lafayette Yacht Club at the south end of the bridge.
``They need to clean up the club, or condemn it and tear it down,'' Habib declared.
Though everyone in the district is hoping for progress, there is a disparate level of expectations and involvement. Most of the newer owners participate in the merchants association, but several of the more rooted merchants say they had heard little about - or from - the organization.
However, Zemanian contended, all businesses were approached.
``We've contacted and invited everyone on the strip to attend our meetings,'' she said. ``Many seem to be simply to busy running their companies. I think some of the more established business owners are less hopeful. But once they see something happen, I think they'll get more interested.''
There are different ideas of what the area could become if revitalization becomes more of a reality.
Many people believe that if the old Riverview reopens as a movie theater, it would be a great catalyst to the district, similar to what the Naro did for Ghent and the Commodore is to Old Towne, Portsmouth. The Riverview now is used by a church group for gospel activities. It will be vacant again around Christmas.
``We're slowly renovating the theater,'' Levin said. ``When it was built, no expense was spared. I'd love to find someone who would turn it back into a theater.''
Another concept would be to develop an ethnic restaurant district. The idea was suggested by Barbara Zoby, a planning commissioner.
``I thought Barbara Zoby's idea to develop the strip into an ethnic restaurant district was great,'' Zemanian said. ``We already have the Italian, Mediterranean and French places.''
Others would like to see the corridor work in concert with the zoo and be promoted as a shopping and dining destination for zoo visitors.
``The zoo is revitalizing itself and it would be wonderful to work closely with the community,'' said Glenda Nelson, the zoo's development director and a board member of the merchants association.
The optimism shared by Zemanian, merchants and neighbors is fueled by a growing relationship with City Hall.
``We've kept in close contact with the planning department and other city officials,'' Zemanian said. ``I'm very encouraged by their interest.'' ILLUSTRATION: On the Cover:
Staff photos by RICHARD L. DUNSTON
The business district on Granby Street in the Riverview area is
uneven. Above left, the Lafayette Yacht Club is closed while the
Tabouli Restaurant opened in April.
The Riverview Theater could be a catalyst, similar to what the Naro
did for Ghent and the Commodore is to Old Towne.
Photos by IAN MARTIN
Lou White's gas station on Granby Street.
The Riverview theater is used by a church group for gospel
activities.
One concept would be to establish an ethnic restaurant district.
The French Bakery, a family-owned business, opened in 1941.
Rosemary Zemanian and her family live in Riverview. She is a leader
of the Granby Bridge Merchants Association.
Ralph Reynolds, left, and Dana Mayo have had success with their
clothing store.
While the Riverview neighborhood adjacent to the business orridor
has enjoyed a resurgence, the commercial strip has not had the same
fortune. Many businesses have closed or relocated. Others are in
poor repair.
Yet, there are bright spots. At 39th and Granby streets, the Duce
haberdashery, which opened in December, is a sharp-looking testament
to the area's potential. ``We're on a main artery into downtown
Norfolk. If you make your business look attractive, people are going
to stop by,'' Ralph Reynolds, co-owner, said. ``I'm betting on
Riverview.''
Ralph Reynolds, left, and Dana Mayo have had success with their
clothing store.
AT A GLANCE
Demographic data for one-mile radius
Median income: $20,095
High school grads: 63.5 percent
Poverty rate: 35.5 percent
Unemployment: 11.1 percent
Median age: 29.2
Traffic flow: 34,855 vehicles over the Granby Street bridge on a
typical 24-hour week day.
Source: Norfolk Department of Planning and Codes Administration
(based on 1990 Census and 1992 traffic counts).
KEYWORDS: RIVERVIEW NORFOLK CITY COUNCIL
NORFOLK PLANNING COMMISSION NORFOLK PLANNNING DEPARTMENT
by CNB