NORFOLK, Va. — Three different developers are vying for the chance to create a new future for Military Circle Mall.
“We are the one team that can take Norfolk to the next step and development Military Circle Mall,” said Steve Ballard, the CEO of S.B. Ballard Construction Company.
“This corridor, Military Circle itself, should be the catalyst for redevelopment. Not should be, will be, the catalyst for redevelopment of that entire region,” said Bruce Thompson, the CEO of Gold Key PHR.
Norfolk City Council heard from two teams, Crossroads Partnership and Norfolk MC Associates, Thursday night about plans to redevelop the mall.
Ballard and NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith make up the Crossroads Partnership team. The project hopes to create a 15,000 seat entertainment and sports arena and encourage sports tourism. That arena would be managed by ASM Global, a venue and event management company.
“We’re going to work to make sure that not just the arena, but the entire campus is busy,” said Chuck Steedman, the executive vice president of strategy and development for ASM Global.
Office space for Sentara Healthcare, a hotel, and grocery store are also included in the project.
Crossroads Partnership said they would expect the arena to be complete by 2026. The team expects the full project duration to last 54 months.
“It is a mission for Vernon, and myself and our team, to make sure that happens,” Smith said.
Norfolk MC Associates, led by Bruce Thompson, wants to add more green space to the area.
This project, called "The Well," would be centered around a 9-acre lake and include three miles of pedestrian space. Thompson says an amphitheater would anchor the project.
“It would contract and expand and would be a park when it’s not fully utilized,” he said.
The plan includes more than 800 residential units and a Wellness Village for Sentara Healthcare with offices, a recreation center, and a grocery store. Thompson said what you won’t see in this proposal is an arena noting how unsuccessful they are without a major sports team in the city.
"Norfolk would have to be willing to provide potentially as much as $100 million to the rendering development,” he said.
Thompson also promised if the city chose his team’s proposal, the team would be ready to start the project right away.