Norfolk's
Toy Story
The
only thing that's missing is a toy store.
Vibrant
Spaces, an initiative to breathe life into downtown Norfolk (actually
Granby St), is missing one thing: vibrancy. Granby Street does have
spaces, though most of them are empty and none of them are very
vibrant.
But
the new stores must have a unique concept, according to Drew
Ungvarsky who is trying to upgrade downtown Norfolk into a playground
for Millennials.
Here
are a few of the concepts: grocery store, bakery, brewery,
bike shop, boutique, pet supplies and ice cream shop. But where's the toy store?
Add
a toy store and you have an extension of every Millennial's
childhood. Vibrant Spaces is trying to recreate the childhood fantasy
of every Millennial.
Let
us share, let us collaborate – and give us free space.
Even
Buddy Gadams, downtown Norfolk's potentate of property, concedes to the obvious - that property rents in downtown Norfolk are too high.
"High
tide lifts all boats," Gadams said in a Virginian-Pilot article.
"It may seem like I'm accepting less rent, but truthfully, if it
makes Granby Street and downtown a more vibrant place, then we all
benefit."
Recall
the Recall in
Portsmouth
A recall of Mayor Kenny Wright is
divisive in a city that is divided. People are upset. Some of the
people are more upset than others; the others, however, are upset
because some of the people are upset.
But why are the petition mongers
upset? Are they upset because Mayor Wright made a decision or are
they are upset because he made a decision they didn't like?
Recalling the mayor is a knee jerk
reaction to a bad decision. Or is this a very calculated move to
unseat Wright now and install Vice Mayor Elizabeth Psimas temporarily until the
mayoral elections next year?
The petitioners want Wright removed
because, according to their petition, of Wright's neglect of duty,
Wright's misuse and abuse of power and Wright's incompetence in the
execution of his duties as Mayor.
Did he neglect his duty?
Did he misuse and abuse his power as
mayor of Portsmouth?
Was Wright incompetent in the
execution of his duties as mayor?
Raising the property tax three cents
per $100 of the assessed value was a bad decision. Portsmouth has the
highest property tax in the region. Higher property taxes stymies
investment; homeowners and businesses must adjust their budget to pay
the additional taxes. Businesses will delay or cancel hiring more
workers and expansion plans will be shelved. And homeowners, hit by
higher taxes, may consider moving to another town.
Can Portsmouth property owners
absorb a higher property tax?
Portsmouth's
Budget Buster
Not everyone in Portsmouth (or
Portsmouth city government) is feeling the pain.
The city's marketing and
communications department saw its budget rise 25.5 percent, according
to budget documents, from $1,527,278 for fiscal year 2015 to
$1,916,844 for fiscal year 2016.
The department's base salaries will
rise 37.7 percent, from $439,522 for fiscal year 2015 to $605,415 for
fiscal year 2016.
Eight full-time employees are
budgeted for this department.
You do the math.