And that's all the cash-strapped city and its boosters are asking. Building improvements are expected to increase the tax base. But revitalization also is about pride and turning the downtown into a desirable place to live and work, said Cathy Coleman, executive director of the Downtown Norfolk Council, a merchant-supported organization. Stoking the pioneering spirit is a daunting task. One Granby Street building has 19 owners.
Landlords also can reduce costs by tapping into incentives.
The entire Granby Street corridor was deemed a state historic district in 1986, and a national one a year later. Historic, income-producing buildings in the federal district are eligible for credits worth 20 percent of rehabilitation costs. The state program will offer a 25 percent credit by 2000, according to Mary Ruffin Viles, an architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Historic or not, some of the buildings are likely beyond repair, according to Brian Townsend, a manager at the city Department of Planning and City Codes. City inspectors have stepped up efforts to identify which properties are unsafe.