When the Greenbrier Commercial District of Chesapeake, VA rezoned 69-acres of industrial property to urban mixed-use in 2010, it was because Dollar Tree knew they needed to provide more than office space for their associates and the community.
Now, Summit Pointe is Coastal Virginia’s premier urban lifestyle community, singularly focused on quality amenities to attract the world’s top-tier talent.
As a premier business location and community asset, this walkable/bikeable urban setting employs the best, time-tested planning principles in every facet of its design.
Summit Pointe will become the core of an emerging new downtown. It is reversing the development patterns of Greenbrier from suburban to urban mixed-use, allowing the area to further advance as a social-economic urban center.
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PREMIER URBAN LIFESTYLE COMMUNITY
Strategic Master Planning
Community Visioning
Transit-Oriented Development
Infill/ Revitalization
Sustainable Development
Urban Lifestyle Architecture
Open Space/ Greenways
Parking Strategy
Re-zoning
Urban Standards
Workshops/ Public Input
Presentation Materials
Resurrecting one of the city's oldest and most significant districts required inciting extensive public participation through workshops and socioeconomic visioning, as well as focus groups for environmental remediation.
Now, exactly 400 years after its discovery, the 54-acre site is providing space once again for people to gather and make history. The $500 million village includes 2,000 residences, 500,000 square feet of office space, 200,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, a hotel, and a private marina. A canal even flows up to the marina creating a permanent downtown waterfront.
In colonial times, this land served as a place for commerce, making it an integral part of America's history. Centuries later, it had degenerated into an industrial brownfield.
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A NEW + REVITALIZED URBAN VISION
Strategic Master Planning
Community Visioning
Transit-Oriented Development
Sustainable Development
Urban Lifestyle Architecture
Open Space/ Greenways
Parking Strategy
Re-zoning
Urban Standards
Workshops/ Public Input
Presentation Materials
Town Center, as a modern downtown, could lead future development patterns, making the area a dense urban core for this popular tourist destination.
To create a walkable district, we established a pedestrian-friendly street grid enhanced with streetscapes, "Main Street"-style storefronts, open spaces, and public parking. The vibrant atmosphere of Town Center has provided the local community with a delightful place to gather, dine, shop, live, and work in a unique urban environment.
This $500 million, 17-block public-private endeavor has become a dynamic mixed-use district attracting tenants such as The Westin, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, PF Chang's, and Brooks Brothers. Today, Town Center brings people together in a centralized, community setting to make their own history and experiences.
The city of Virginia Beach faced several maturation issues including the lack of a true urban center, suburban sprawl, and rapid expansion.
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NEW URBAN CENTER
Strategic Master Planning
Community Visioning
Sustainable Development
Urban Lifestyle Architecture
Open Space/Greenways
Parking Strategy
Re-Zoning
Urban Standards
Workshop/Public Input
Presentation Materials
In 1968, the city of Newport News purchased 700 acres of federal land to create the Oyster Point Business Park. The park grew quickly through the 1980s with private business development. City leaders began thinking about ways to further invest in Oyster Point to ensure growth and sustainability.
The resulting project was City Center which would encompass about 50 undeveloped, publicly-owned acres within Oyster Point.
It was during this period that the City began working with citizens on its first comprehensive plan, Framework for the Future. This citizen-based approach to long-range planning started in 1989. The first plan was adopted in 1993, and two major updates were made in 2001 and 2008. The Oyster Point Business District has been a consistent and fundamental element of all three comprehensive plans.
Much of City Center's development is focused around the prominent 5-acre fountain and surrounding plaza. It is the fountain that sets the stage for the high-quality private development and functions seen in City Center to this day.
City Center is a true live-work-shop-play atmosphere. This atmosphere has been a great draw for new restaurants and businesses wanting to enter the Hampton Roads market.
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FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE
Strategic Master Planning
Community Visioning
Transit-Oriented Development
Infill/Revitalization
Urban Lifestyle Architecture
Open Space/Greenways
Presentation Materials
In the past decades, the City of Norfolk has launched a massive initiative focusing on infill and urban revitalization. Together with our clients, our firm’s principals have been privileged to be an active participant in this effort to re-engage the community with its historic downtown.
Burrell Saunders and John Crouse served as architect and planner for one of the most notable downtown developments, Heritage at Freemason Harbour, ultimately helping to pioneer the resurgence of the downtown developments.
Since then, the firm has provided master planning, architectural design, and streetscape and landscape design on a variety of infill components such as the Dominion Enterprises Corporate Headquarters, 150 West Main Tower, One Bank Street Tower, PierPointe Condominiums, 388 Boush Street, the NorVa Theater, Harbor Heights, and a number of mixed-used and adaptive reuse projects along Granby Street.
The success of these projects has helped pave the way for a renewed Downtown Norfolk, resulting in an economic resurgence, a rising demand for housing, a booming tourism trade, and a vibrant downtown district.
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