NORFOLK, Va. — The city of Norfolk is taking its next step in creating a 22-acre park as part of the massive St. Paul's redevelopment near downtown.
The city recently put out its request for companies to bid on the project, which will become the future Blue/Greenway.
Between Tidewater Drive and St. Paul's Boulevard in Norfolk, crews are hard at work transforming what was once Tidewater Gardens public housing. As part of the larger transformation of the city's St. Paul's area, recent years have seen former low-income housing — known for poverty and crime — bulldozed in favor of the new mixed-income Kindred neighborhood.
But even in the planning phase of the redevelopment nearly a decade ago, there was one issue that rose to the top for many: Flooding in the area, dating to when the city covered the former Newton's Creek long ago.
"That water comes in, you can hear it coming and it's roaring," one Tidewater Gardens resident told News 3 in 2018.
The St. Paul's Blue/Greenway — a proposed 22-acre park — will sit just east of Kindred on the rest of the former Tidewater Gardens land.
Perhaps the most notable feature is uncovering Newton's Creek, which is flowing through what city Public Works employees call a "box culvert," allowing this green space to absorb stormwater to fight flooding.
Earlier this month, the city of Norfolk put out its request for companies to bid on that part of the project.
"The excavating and grating of a new channel which is gonna replace the box culvert and provide more storage for water quantity as well as water quality benefits," Kyle Quick, Senior Design and Construction Project Manager for Norfolk Public Works, said.
Marcia McGill, assistant director of Norfolk Housing & Community Development, explained why the location was chosen.
"The lowest-lying area. It is within the floodplain, so it makes sense for that to be the park. It is gonna be designed to hold water when we're experiencing weather events. When it is dry, it's gonna be enjoyed by those that want to enjoy it," McGill said.
The city says companies can request information about the project by Nov. 13. After that, the hope is the park can be open in two years.
In August, City Council approved issuing $5 million in bonds to help pay for Quick says is a total $55 million project.
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