NORFOLK, Va. - This week, a growing Norfolk neighborhood is hosting a series of events to engage the community in plotting out what's next.
Once at the heart of the city's industrial scene, the Railroad District has become a space for people to live, work and have fun. It's home to several factories-turned-apartments next to popular businesses like The Veil Brewing Co., Handsome Biscuit and Coalescence Coffee Co.
But Batchelder & Collins — a company that sells bricks, stone and more — has them all beat.
“Since around 1900," says owner Frank Wozniak, when asked when his 155-year-old business moved into the neighborhood. “(It's) totally different than what it was prior.”
Wozniak is the fifth generation in his family to run the shop. He tells News 3 that even his parents never knew too many of their Railroad District neighbors, but that's changed since he took over.
”Things have definitely changed as far as a more community feel," he said of the recent arrival of apartment homes and restaurants.
But there's still growth to be had and the neighborhood wants to figure out the best way to go about it.
The help turn the page, the City of Norfolk partnered with Work Program Architects, which in turn brought in Cincinnati-based firm Yard & Company to help organize.
“We want to be intentional with how we invest in this area," said Zachary Robinson with WPA. "To do so, we’ve started this charrette process.”
A charrette is a meeting where people come together to find a solution.
In this case, it began with an online survey. The Railroad District's social media also became active during the summer.
The charrette will begin Monday, July 25, with four days of interactive meetings and events around the neighborhood. 757 Makerspace on 24th Street will host the first event from 5-8 p.m. on Monday.
“A lot of our questions are going to be around that experience of walking, biking, driving," said Kevin Wright with Yard & Company. "A lot of the focus will (also) be on public space. Currently, the Railroad District doesn’t have a central gathering space.”
Wright says the neighborhood is different than those in other cities his firm has worked with.
“The railroad is still active," he said, referencing the Norfolk Southern line that cuts through the area while traveling to and from the rail yard at Lambert's Point. ”In a lot of other cities, the industry uses are gone."
Businesses like Batchelder & Collins are ensuring that doesn't happen in Norfolk. Wozniak is one of the owners helping steer the discussion.
“I wasn’t sure how it was going to work for us, but I think it’s turned out great," he said.
Just a couple blocks down Granby Street, an old tractor factory is transforming into District Apizza, where it's wood-fired ovens imported from Italy will cook New Haven-style pizza from Connecticut.
“It’s called Ah-BEETZ," said managing partner Matt Albano in a lesson on how to properly pronounce 'apizza.'
Albano and his business partners Mike Kreider and Rich Coleman are aiming to open the doors in August. They felt the Railroad District was a good fit for the business they were trying to create.
“A lot of the existing businesses here are really cool people, very eclectic, very welcoming," said Albano.
Kreider says he's excited to see where the charrette takes the neighborhood.
"It’s only going to attract more people coming from Ghent and other areas so we couldn’t be more happy about where we ended up," he told News 3.
By the end of the week, organizers of the upcoming events believe there will be real plans in place to keep all the progress of recent years on the right track.
