Get out and enjoy that May weather today. Summer will be here before you know it.

Here’s what we’re watching today:

🧱 The Flood Wall is Coming 🧱 

📆 Next Three Days of Events📆

🧱 The Floodwall Is Coming 🧱 

After months of mystery about the designs for the Norfolk floodwall project, we finally got a look at the first phase in downtown. There were two options presented that are essentially included in the current price of the wall ($2.6 billion) so let's start with those.  

Both options run along a Waterside Drive In downtown Norfolk connecting Nauticus to Waterside. The north side option had traffic running on the outside of the wall, while the South Side option had the traffic running on the inside of the wall.  Officials and residents at this meeting preferred the north side option because it is though that it won’t disrupt waterfront views as much. Although it’s hard to tell who’s viewshed would be dramatically different other than drivers on Waterside drive. 

Then there was a third option which was preferred over both of the others. It was a floodwall that doubled as an urban park, with the Waterside Drive traffic tunneling underneath it. While this option would take the floodwall from an eyesore to an aesthetic asset in Downtown, the Army Corps of Engineers says that that option is not included in the price. The ACOE considers that to be a “betterment” which is something beyond the scope of the project as currently defined. 

The design process is still only 35% done and City Council could choose to foot the bill for betterments like the park capping Waterside Drive.  However, construction is still years away. It is not scheduled to start until after the 2026 Sail250 Festival.  So it’s too soon to tell how this one will end up.

This is just the design for one part of the first phase and it is already presenting difficult choices between cheaper price tags and placemaking-friendly designs. The next phases should have designs coming to the public soon and could hold even more tough decisions. The project could balloon to a much higher total cost if the more aesthetic options are chosen everywhere, however, bare bones options, could block miles of the city's most valuable Waterfront views.  

This project should keep floods of water out of our neighborhoods, but it almost surely guarantees a flood of public meetings and tough civic decisions coming for neighborhoods across the city. 

What’s next? Utility and geotechnical investigations in Phase 1C East and Phase 1C West. 

Bonus: Don’t miss this easter egg “Potential Future Development” site at the Waterside District parking lot. 

📆 Next Three Days of Events📆

WEDNESDAY:
Klassic Doughnut Popup at Cova Brewing. 7:00 am. Rip it. 
MEAC Softball Championship at NSU. 9:00 am. Rip it.
MEAC Track & Field Championship at NSU. 10:00 am. Rip it. 
Summer Market Grand Opening at Afterglow. 3:00 pm. Rip it. 
Ghent Business Association Happy Hour at Craft on Colley. 4:30 pm. Rip it. 
Shut Up & Write Drop-in Session at the Muse Writers Center. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Super Casual Wednesday Bike Ride departing Slow & Steady Bikes. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Stretch & Ride with Sky’s the Limit at Slow & Steady Bikes. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
City of Norfolk NBN Academy: Neighborhood Standards at Norview Rec Center. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Car Crazy Cruise In at Doumar’s. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Creativity for Mental Health at the Hermitage. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Boardgame Night at Atlantis Games & Comics. 6:00pm. Rip it.
Norfolk Run Club Wednesday Meetup at Afterglow Brewing. 6:20 pm. Rip it.
Well-Being Workshop: Emotional Regulation at Push Comedy. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Wednesday Night Music Bingo at Sanctuary Lambert’s Point. 6:30 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Smartmouth. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
D&D Game Night at Atlantis Games & Comics. 6:30pm. Rip it.
Planetarium Show - Black Holes at Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Bhav Brigade Sunset Yoga near the Pagoda. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at MJ’s Tavern. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Torch Bistro. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Hank’s Filling Station. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Stockpot. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Azalea Inn Grill. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Norfolk Admirals Playoff Game at Scope Arena. 7:05 pm. Rip it.
Slow Flow Yoga & Wine Tasting with Sky's The Limit at Eleanor’s. 7:15pm. Rip it. 
Takács Quartet with Olga Kern at Virginia Arts Festival. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Lay it Down: The Music of the Everly Brothers at Wells Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Mammoth WVH performs live at the Norva. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Mossy performs live at Grace O'Malley's. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 

THURSDAY:
Red Cross: Blood Drive at Cova Brewing. 12:00 pm. Rip it. 
MEAC Softball Championship at NSU. 12:00 pm. Rip it.
Alcohol Free Happy Hour at Glass Light Restaurant. 5:30 pm. Rip it. 
Open Mic Night at Cova Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Ocean View Run Club Group Run/Walk at Cova Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Elation. 6:30 pm. Rip it. 
Attack of the Rookies at Push Comedy Theater. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Bold Mariner. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Pixel’s. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Baxter’s. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Cypher Night at House Of Consciousness. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Owl Prowl at Norfolk Botanical Garden. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
"Nobody Wants Us" Film Screening at Macarthur Memorial. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Takács Quartet with Olga Kern at Virginia Arts Festival. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Lay it Down: The Music of the Everly Brothers at Wells Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Mossy performs live at Grace O'Malley's. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Performers Playground Stage Workshop at The Venue on 35th. 9:00 pm. Rip it.

FRIDAY:
Norfolk Run Club Friday Meetup at Yorgo's Bageldashery. 6:00 am. Rip it
Sunrise Yoga + Coffee On The River at Pagoda & Oriental Garden. 6:30 am. Rip it
NFK2050 Pop-Up Office Hours at Borjo Coffeehouse. 9:00 am. Rip it
MEAC Softball Championship at NSU Softball Field. 12:00 pm. Rip it
Mother's Day Crafting at Blyden Branch Library. 4:30 pm. Rip it
Friday Night Live at COVA Brewing Company. 6:00 pm. Rip it
Friday Night Magic: Commander at Atlantis Games & Comics. 6:00 pm. Rip it
A Memorial to Eternal Rest - The Iconography of Elmwood Cemetery. 6:00 pm. Rip it
Steve Link performs live at Elation Brewing. 6:30 pm. Rip it
Ace High performs live at Brothers. 7:00 pm. Rip it
The Muse Neighborhood Jam at The Muse Writers Center. 7:00 pm. Rip it
Family Twilight Trek at Norfolk Botanical Garden. 7:00 pm. Rip it
Mystic Moon Drum Circle at Mystic Moon Norfolk. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Norfolk Admirals Playoff Game at Scope Arena. 7:05 pm. Rip it.
Gettin' Weir'd featuring Patrick Higgins w/s/g Kyle Folsom at Smartmouth Beer. 7:30 pm. Rip it
Lay it Down: The Music of the Everly Brothers at Wells Theatre. 7:30 pm. Rip it
360 ALLSTARS performs live at Roper Theater At TCC. 7:30 pm. Rip it
Friday Night Magic: Draft at Atlantis Games & Comics. 7:30 pm. Rip it
The Book of Mormon at Chrysler Hall. 8:00 pm. Rip it
JT&FRNDS performs live at The NorVA. 8:00 pm. Rip it
Mother's Day Weekend Classic Soul at Chartway Arena. 8:00 pm. Rip it
How the West Was Improvised: The Made Up Western at Push Comedy Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it
Mossy Plays at Grace O'Malley's Irish Pub & Restaurant. 8:30 pm. Rip it
Tales from the Campfire at Push Comedy Theater. 10:00 pm. Rip it 

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