THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 10, 1996 TAG: 9608100005
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Another View
SOURCE: By ROBIN W. INGRAM
LENGTH: 83 lines
May I attempt to clarify the design process for the MacArthur Center Mall in downtown Norfolk? As a member of the Norfolk Design Review Committee and a board member and immediate past chairman of the Friends of the Historic Houses (a support group of Norfolk's Historic Properties, administered by The Chrysler Museum), I have participated in the planning and design stages of the MacArthur Center.
In 1993, long before any mall proposal, the Friends of the Historic Houses contacted owners of property surrounding the 17-acre development site, an initiative that led to creating the 17-Acre Coalition Committee.
The original members of the coalition were the Friends of the Historic Houses (representing the Moses Myers House and the Willoughby-Baylor House), The Chrysler Museum, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Freemason Baptist Church, the MacArthur Memorial and several commercial properties. The coalition wrote City Hall to request that, because of the proximity of its members to the site, the group be considered a civic league in relation to the 17 acres. Norfolk automatically notifies civic groups that assert an interest in a particular area of the city when development proposals are reviewed.
Members of the coalition shared many concerns about the 17-acre site. The five members representing nationally registered historic properties were concerned about preservation issues. Other shared concerns involved reopening Freemason Street, as suggested by the Downtown Norfolk Plan 2000, to create a green space that would visually connect the Willoughby-Baylor and Moses Myers houses, parking, traffic, design and scale and other interests specific to any large development plans for the site. The coalition met in mid-1993 with representatives from the city.
When the original Conroy-MacArthur Mall proposal was announced, the 17-Acre Coalition Committee was positioned to join the design process. The Norfolk Historical Society promptly asked the city to consider it an ``interested party'' in relation to the project and the 106 Review Process.
The federal 1966 Preservation Act makes projects intending to use federal funds subject to a 106 Review Process, including a guarantee of the opportunity for interested parties to comment in a timely fashion on anticipated development.
The federal government relies on each state's preservation office to oversee this process and certify that the 106 Process has been followed. Virginia has a long and exemplary record of looking out for the many and varied historical sites within the state. The historical society was included in the city's meeting with the 17-Acre Coalition.
I represented the Friends of the Historic Houses at these meetings, which began in July 1994. Attending these meetings were the 17-Acre Coalition, the Norfolk Historical Society, Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and city planning staff. Seven meetings included only the groups named above. Three other meetings involved these groups and the Norfolk Design Review Committee, the Norfolk Planning Commission and the project developers and designers. The state preservation office was invited to these three meetings and attended the May 1996 meeting. During this period, Norfolk worked with the state preservation office and the ``interested parties'' participating in the 106 Process.
I have been involved as a volunteer in preservation activities for more than 20 years, participating in similar downtown-development discussions in New Orleans and Roanoke. In my opinion, Norfolk City Hall sought public comment, and the 106 Review Process relating to MacArthur Center has functioned exactly as the federal law mandates.
Many of the suggestions from the 17- Acre Coalition and Norfolk Historical Society were reflected immediately in early concept drawings of MacArthur Center - the need for more pedestrian entrances to the mall, for example.
The earliest concept designs had only two or three entrances. There are now nine openings to the street: six pedestrian entrances and three combination pedestrian and vehicular entrances.
The height of the exterior walls of the mall has been adjusted downward and is now within 10 feet of the roof line of the Moses Myers House (the property closest to the mall). Parking garages were modified in response to our group's concern. Our group pressed for changes in building materials and design, landscaping, traffic patterns.
Final decisions have yet to be made regarding the mall design. The Norfolk Design Review and the Norfolk Planning Commission have approved only the site plan, footprint and building envelope. As soon as new documents are available, the 17-Acre Coalition will meet again with the city. Meanwhile, City Hall has promised to consider suggestions for improvements to the mall design developed by architects and designers who recently assembled for a ``charette'' to produce them. The design-review process continues. MEMO: Robin Ingram resides in Ghent. by CNB