For the Record – Eastern Virginia, June 2013

The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and Norfolk-based Old Dominion University are featured in The Princeton Review’s “Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition.” This year’s green colleges guide profiles 320 institutions of higher education in the United States and two in Canada that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. Eight other colleges in Virginia were also featured on the list.
(VirginiaBusiness.com)

Hampton Roads’ large, ever-rotating military population makes it a strong market for car sales. That means a lot of borrowing, some of the heaviest borrowing in the country for vehicle purchases, according to a recent report. Hearst Corp.’s Manilla.com account management service said it found the average car loan balance in Hampton Roads as of April 1 was $15,667.67, the 10th-highest among U.S. metro areas. Little Rock, Ark., topped the list at $18,406.76. (The Virginian-Pilot)

An affiliate of Norfolk-based Harbor Group International has purchased an oceanfront apartment community in Virginia Beach for $34 million. The seller was Atlanta-based ARA, an advisory brokerage firm that focuses exclusively on multifamily housing. The 265-unit Mayflower Seaside property is located between 34th and 35th streets and Atlantic and Pacific avenues, one block from the oceanfront. The sale included a freestanding retail building and parking structure located on the same block. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Williamsburg-based MHI Hospitality Corp. has changed its name to SoTHERLY Hotels Inc. As part of the move, the company will change its ticker symbol to “SOHO” on the NASDAQ Stock Market. As part of the name change, SoTHERLY Hotels Inc. will launch a website, www.sotherlyhotels.com, and the company’s email addresses will migrate to the @sotherlyhotels.com suffix.  SoTHERLY Hotels Inc. is a self-managed and self-administered lodging REIT.
(VirginiaBusiness.com)

Circuit Judge James A. Cales Jr. ruled in early May that the state’s $2.1 billion public-private Midtown Tunnel deal and its tolls are unconstitutional, throwing uncertainty over a project that is months into construction, and setting the stage for an appeal. The decision thrilled the dozens of residents who began to organize more than a year ago to kill a project they deem unfair and punitive for commuters and businesses. (The Virginian-Pilot)

Old Dominion University, named a host campus of the Confucius Institute, an international program that promotes the study of Chinese language and culture and seeks to foster mutual understanding between the United States and China. ODU is the third Virginia school selected for the program, following George Mason University and the College of William & Mary. There are nearly 100 Confucius Institute sites across the United States. (The Virginian-Pilot)

Three Sentara nursing centers, including two in Hampton Roads, have received the highest possible overall rating of five stars in U.S. News & World Report’s fifth annual Best Nursing Homes. The feature draws on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency that assesses homes in three categories — health inspections, level of nurse staffing and quality of care — and gives each an overall rating. U.S. News awarded the “Best Nursing Home” designation to homes that earned an overall rating of five stars from CMS in January 2013. (News release)

Newport News-based Virginia Health Services (VHS) has begun operating the Coliseum Park Nursing Home in Hampton under its new name, Coliseum Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center.  VHS purchased the nursing home from Coliseum Park Nursing Home LLC in March. The 180-bed licensed facility was constructed in 1982.  Renovations and enhancements are scheduled to take place over the next 18 months and include operational and aesthetic as well as technological upgrades. (News release)