Now that the idea of a river walk in Norfolk is again receiving support, one of the big questions to be answered is how will it be paid for?
The first step is applying for a $220,000 grant for a sidewalk trail along a portion of the North Fork River that runs through Norfolk.
But that would only be a start. Many other steps remain.
It's significant to note that the river walk idea has drawn support from city officials, including city administrator Mike Nolan.
"I think it would be a tremendous benefit to the whole ambiance of downtown to be able to do a project like that,' Nolan said. "I having nothing but support for the whole vision.'
The city already owns several isolated parcels of land along the North Fork that could be part of landscaping and for parks and recreation uses. They were bought years ago for a park that failed to develop due to funding cutbacks in the Reagan administration.
The city can take private properties by eminent domain for a public purpose, such as a sidewalk trail, but it cannot use that process for a redevelopment project, Nolan said.
City officials have advised supporters of the river walk project that securing options on the various private properties for redevelopment would be the best way to proceed.
The next step would be putting together a business plan to show sources and uses of cash.
The city can provide tax-increment financing to defray costs of razing structures, for site preparation and for infrastructure like water, sewer and paving.
The city did just that in 2001 for Dudley Laundry Co. at Third Street and Braasch Avenue downtown, a block from the North Fork River. Issued were $70,000 in municipal bonds for site clearing, access improvements and utility relocation for its new plant.
The entire area between First and Fourth streets and Braasch Avenue and the railroad tracks has been declared blighted, allowing tax-increment financing to be used by a developer.
City officials also have been down this development path before.
"I bet we've had . . . close to 100 hours of meetings over 15 to 20 years,' Nolan said. "I don't know how many developers I've talked to about how to do it.'
To this point, none has stepped forward.
Nolan said he's not at all skeptical about the vision put forth so far. But it's important to note that the city doesn't have all the public right-of-way needed for the sidewalk trail as currently envisioned.
"The rest of the vision happens if you have someone willing to capitalize the investment,' he said. "We have talked about having townhouses, condos, whatever. If you had control over all the property, it would be fairly easy' for a developer with a business plan in hand.
As for the sidewalk trail, there also is doubt it could be squeezed into the narrow space behind King's Lanes and the nearby apartments. City officials have taken photos to show how tight it would be.
"In those areas where those pictures were taken, it would be my opinion that there is not right-of-way room,' said Dennis Smith, the city's public works director - especially for a 10-foot sidewalk.
Lonn Atwood, who has spearheaded the current interest in a river walk, said adjustments are being looked at to accommodate the sidewalk, including making it 8 feet and changing where it would cross the North Fork River.
As far as financing the river walk project, Atwood said a team of professionals from CTA Architects Engineers, which has a Norfolk office, will help put together a plan.
"Once we get a plan, we could take that and sell that to a whole list of developers and companies that might be interested in being part of a grand scheme,' Atwood said. "I think it will be a valuable sales tool.'
There already are parties interested in forming a group to finance land purchases, and some properties already have been identified, he said.
"We have semi-agreements to sell land and will try to put together a group of investors to purchase land for future development,' Atwood said.
Joe Ferguson, economic development director at Northeast Community College, said he views the river walk as a public-private partnership in terms of funding.
"There will be some developers very interested in parts of this project - for retail, housing, for shopping, some other entertainment venues,' he said.
"I think there would be some private money, some corporate money and, I wouldn't be surprised, some foundation money surface for the right type of projects. We'd have to do our research to see which we should be pursuing,' he said.
There are also Community Development Block Grants and various federal funds available.
"But there is no magic bullet out there. The city can't foot the bill and shouldn't be expected to, nor should the NRD,' he said.
Ferguson said it could cost between $60,000 and $80,000 for a study of what the project would entail.
"I don't know if anyone's stepped up to the plate and said, 'I'll write the check.' If someone provided seed money, you could generate the rest of the money from private and corporate sectors,' he said. "No one's been assigned to say, can you generate enough funds to do a study? But I think we'll get to that point in the near future.'
"We don't have a general idea for total cost of the project or timing and feasibility of certain aspects of it based on zoning and community support and neighborhood support,' he said.
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Coming tomorrow: Time to think creatively about Norfolk's proposed river walk.
