NORFOLK, Va. — A pair of consultants is in town this week to help Norfolk City Council and the Norfolk Economic Development Authority (EDA) develop a plan for the former Military Circle Mall site.
Community listening is part of the plan, according to a presentation the consultants gave during the City Council’s work session on Tuesday. Feasibility and market studies are also in the immediate future.
There is some urgency in the timeframe, according to Jeffrey Brooke, chairman of the Economic Development Authority. He said the EDA will run out of funds to manage the former mall site in about another year and a half.
The mall closed to shoppers in January 2023. Since then, a variety of proposals have been put forward by development firms as well as musician Pharrell Williams, who proposed an amphitheater and homes. No plans have been finalized.
Tuesday’s presentation, however, made it clear that consultants and city leaders are leaning toward a mixed-use development anchored by an indoor sports facility. A light rail stop, multi-family housing, restaurants, retail, a hotel, and open space are all potential additional components of the final plan.
Brian Connolly of Victus Advisors, a consulting firm that focuses solely on sports and event facilities, said these types of facilities are in demand.
“Communities view these now as facilities that have a strong return on investment in terms of being able to attract new spending and generate new tax dollars while also providing a need during the week for the local community,” Connolly said.
The consultants told city council that local residents who participate in recreational leagues and the like can use the facility during the week, while the facility plays host on weekends to large regional tournaments for club and travel sports teams. These types of events typically bring in thousands of families who stay in the market for at least two nights, spending money on lodging, food, and gas in the vicinity.
The consultants have talked to or will be talking to a variety of community stakeholders such as Seven Venues, Visit Norfolk, FestEvents, Sentara Health, Hampton Roads Youth Hockey Association, Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, and Tidewater Community College.
“We are here to listen,” said Mark Erdly of Gensler, an architecture planning firm.
Council member Mamie Johnson asked for a list of neighborhoods the consultants have talked with and pushed for more community engagement. Sean Washington, the city’s director of economic development, said he has talked with the East Side Task Force.
“I’ve heard from them over the years what they felt was a lack of participation as it relates to this project,” Washington said. “I made it very clear this is just an initial intimate conversation, but there will be broader community engagement as we go forward with the scope of work.”
Johnson also asked the consultants to keep young people in mind and ensure the development has something for children and teens to do and somewhere for them to go.
“We have to focus on the younger generations as well,” she said. “Young people spend money, too.”
Brooke said the EDA shares the overall vision for the site, which the EDA owns.
“This issue, Military Circle, is the number one thing we have been dealing with,” he said. “It’s costing us more money than we have, to put it very briefly. We’ll be out of money in about a year and a half, and we’ll be in a real pickle in terms of how the mall gets run.”
Brooke asked the council and consultants to keep that urgency in mind and also to keep the EDA in the loop moving forward.
“I think speaking for some of the members, we did not feel entirely included in” the last round of studies, he said.