THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060567
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 39 lines
A coalition of city officials, private business people and members of the Downtown Norfolk Council have joined forces to revitalize the area around Granby Street.
The primary goal of the public-private partnership is to develop a plan of action to market the area, finance improvements, and help business and property owners put vacant building space to use.
An executive committee, which included Taubman Co. Senior Vice President John Simon, met last week to outline and organize plans for the initiative. Taubman is developing the MacArthur Center mall, which is scheduled to open March 12, 1998. The mall is next to the Granby Street District.
Defined roughly as the area bound by Virginia Beach Boulevard, Waterside Drive, Boush Street and Monticello Avenue, the district has been targeted as an area that the city hopes to revitalize as part of an update of its master plan, Norfolk 2000.
The Granby District Initiative speeds that process, said Cathy Coleman, director of the Downtown Norfolk Council, a community and business group that supports downtown initiatives.
``This is so important we need to jump start it,'' Coleman said.
In the early 1900s, Granby Street was a bustling shopping corridor for pedestrians. Organizations like Tidewater Community College, and private business owners have sought to renovate parts of the dying retail strip. A new TCC campus and a Norfolk City Hall annex building anchor Granby Street's rejuvenation. MEMO: WHAT'S NEXT: The next steering committee meeting is scheduled for
Dec. 6. Subcommittees meet monthly to discuss the development of
building upper floors for residential or retail possibilities,
marketing, development opportunities, physical environment improvements,
financing strategies and business/property owner assistance. Advisory
committee members will meet with the subcommittees quarterly. by CNB