A few weeks back, I was down in Norfolk for Harborfest, an annual event put on by Festevents, Norfolk’s events promoter. The organization estimates approximately half a million people attend the festival, which is in its 33rd year, annually. Well known artists such as Collective Soul, The Spinners and Lee Greenwood performed; craftsmen and vendors lined the streets; and there was nary a vacant hotel room in the downtown area to my knowledge.
After attending what I thought was the most well-put-together lineup of events, activities and entertainment over three days, something struck me: Norfolk "gets it," and Richmond could learn a lot from its neighbor.
When 6th Street Marketplace first opened its doors on September 19, 1985, thousands of people crowded into the new complex. A parade was held and fireworks were set off. Richmond leaders saw the event as a huge step in revitalization for the city and a breath of fresh air in a declining area that was once the retail mecca of Downtown Richmond.
But the luster soon faded.
Flash forward less than two decades and city leaders began to explore the idea of demolishing the center, a plan that was eventually realized.
A few miles to the west, the Diamond now sits vacant on Boulevard. The Richmond Braves patiently awaited the plan for a new stadium while Richmond City Council fought over where it should be built, eventually being lured away by Gwinnett, Georgia’s beautiful new ballpark.
Norfolk and Richmond, as different as they may be, have some remarkable similarities. They both have wonderful riverfront property and similar baseball teams (a trait that Richmond shared until recently, at least).
The biggest difference between the two cities has been what they’ve done with the two.
Two years before 6th Street Marketplace opened, Norfolk Waterside, built by the same developer and very similar architecturally, opened its doors in Norfolk. It’s still thriving today, with an estimated 95 percent of retail space leased out through 2010, according to a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch article.
Consultants reportedly advised Richmond city officials to build 6th Street Marketplace on the riverfront, an idea City Council rejected because of the desire to build the development as a bridge between the black and white communities. While a great idea and symbol of unity, it just wasn’t the right place to build the marketplace.
Just imagine if it had been built alongside the Canal Walk or on Brown’s Island. Norfolk has masterfully blended just enough development to bring in tax dollars and foot traffic with ample open space and outdoor entertainment venues.
Just down the street, the Norfolk Tides play ball at Harbor Park, a beautiful waterfront stadium. Though developers lost patience with Richmond over building a stadium in Shockoe Bottom, I’m still holding out hope for the possibility of a waterfront stadium on the city’s Southside with a panoramic view of the city skyline.
Richmond and Norfolk share a similar history when it comes to redevelopment and revitalization, too. Norfolk’s waterfront was once a deserted wasteland of run-down warehouses, but is now a gleaming example of what Richmond could be. The Canal Walk in Richmond was a good start, but needs some more retail and restaurant development to be sustainable. Right now, it’s just a nice place to take a stroll now and then, but by no means a destination.
Richmond has a lot more history and character than Norfolk in a lot of ways, which presents a lot of unique opportunities for creative and innovative riverfront development. They’re on the right track, but don’t quite have it down yet.
Projects like CenterStage and the new Miller & Rhodes apartments are once again reviving the area left vacant by 6th Street Marketplace and mix the old and new, something Richmond is very good at.
This, along with the various river loft developments and bigger projects such as Rocketts Landing are moving the city in the right direction, but it would likely take something as drastic as cleaning house at Richmond City Council to get away from the same old arguments and failed ideas that have kept Richmond spinning its wheels in the mud for far too many years.
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