NORFOLK, Va. — After several years of planning behind the scenes, Dr. Anna Peoples is ready to present new plans for a possible health and wellness project to the City of Norfolk.
At the corner of Princess Anne Road and Ballentine Boulevard sits a roughly one-acre plot of undeveloped land, split amongst three parcels all owned by the City of Norfolk at an approximate land value of $326,000. The property sits across the street from the Kroc Recreation Center.
Dr. Peoples, owner and founder of People's Pharmacy on Norfolk's Church Street, wants to propose a multi-leveled health and wellness facility aimed at bringing a "comprehensive" approach to tackling chronic illnesses in the area.
“Transportation with this project won’t be an issue because the providers would be located in the same place," Dr. Peoples said. “What this whole project is centered around is addressing disparities in health."
The building's first floor is intended to support a collection of several medical disciplines and practices under one roof, with the additional floors geared toward senior living and conference spaces to help finance the estimated cost of the project. Based on estimates from accountants and an independent contractor, Dr. Peoples expects this project to cost somewhere between $10 to $12 million.
Dr. Peoples also shared that she believes the development team that would be needed for the project has so far been selected.
"From development consultants to developers. At this point, I’ve identified the entire team from the civil engineer, the insurance broker, the contractors and the developers. We have that in line, so I'm excited because we can try to move forward," Dr. Peoples said.
According to Norfolk's Director of Economic Development, the proposals do not appear to have been officially submitted or heard through the architectural review board or planning commission.
Dr. Peoples hopes to move forward and present the project to city council sometime as early as the beginning of 2024. Renderings of the facility have already been contracted out by WTG Design Architects, LLC.