NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk City Manager Larry “Chip” Filer has made a recommendation to take the renovation plans for Chrysler Hall off the table.
Filer made the recommendation during the council meeting Tuesday evening, citing multiple reasons including the cost.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial cost to renovate the city’s 50-year-old downtown entertainment complex was an estimated $50 million. Currently, the price tag has soared to $90 million.
In 2019, Norfolk-based architecture firm VIA Design proposed new improvements for the aging facility, including an all-new rehearsal venue, additional aisle access to bowl seating and more green space.
During the council meeting, officials stated that the city, at the moment, cannot afford the hefty price tag for the improvements.
Officials have also received pushback from community members upset with the St. Paul’s redevelopment project who believe the funds should instead be used to help residents relocate while the city improves the area.
In late February, the Norfolk City Council voted to add more land to the St. Paul’s revitalization area with the goal to add even more affordable mixed-income housing for people displaced by the demolition of public housing in the area.
The new resolution would add more plots of land to the east and northeast of the roughly 200-acre area currently designated east of St. Paul’s Boulevard.