CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Months-deep into their study of Greenbrier, Chesapeake city planners are continuing to look at the future of the busy area.
They asked people in the community to attend an open house and give more input Wednesday. The meeting started at 6 p.m. inside Greenbrier Middle School, and lasted until 8 p.m.
Nathaniel McCormick, a community design manager with the Chesapeake Planning Department, said they gave the public a first look at ideas or schemes for how certain land could be used.
"We're really going to focus on four key areas, one of which is the mall site," said McCormick, in an interview prior to the meeting.
"Living here with the Hallmark, the grocery stores and the Barnes & Noble is so convenient," said Chesapeake resident Kay Sisson.
Some people 13News Now spoke with said they enjoy the retail variety. However, a couple people mentioned wanting more dining options.
"I feel like it would be nice to have some more around, maybe more mom-and-pop type places instead of chains," said local college student Abrielle Maurer.
"I would like to see a little breakfast shop go in over near the apartments I live in," Sisson added.
City planners are pressing forward with the Greenbrier Area Plan study, which started in January.
Specifically, they are evaluating approximately 12 square miles of area, bounded by the South Military Highway, Chesapeake city limit, Kempsville Road and Route 168.
Previously, one other open-house meeting took place in June. Two surveys were opened to the community earlier in the year, and another could be disseminated in 2024, according to McCormick.
"Make it more commercial and accessible," Maurer added. "I think the traffic is a big problem that I've seen and a lot of my friends have seen."
McCormick said traffic was one of the top issues brought up to the team.
"Down to the level of really walking, walking and biking, we heard a lot of comments about," he said.
Moving forward, planners want to evaluate all the input and form the feedback into something they can present to city council next summer.
"We want to identify very specific objectives. This is not a plan to sit on a shelf," said McCormick. "The recommendations that come out of it, that get presented to council are very real and implementable things."
If you could not attend meeting Wednesday, you can also submit comments by emailing planning@cityofchesapeake.net.