VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — After more than five years of planning, the Atlantic Park project at the Oceanfront is finally becoming a reality.
Venture Realty Group announced Thursday it had closed on developing the $335 million surf park and entertainment venue backed by Virginia Beach native and Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams.
The site started as the Virginia Beach Civic Center, better known as "The Dome" in the 1950s, but was torn down in 1994.
The property has been sitting vacant for 25 years.
Proposals for the property started coming in in 2019, including one from Williams himself.
The private-public partnership with the City of Virginia Beach is slated to include a surf park, a state-of-the-art live entertainment venue, as well as stores, restaurants, and hundreds of residential units.
“Atlantic Park changes everything for Virginia Beach,” Virginia Beach Mayor Bob Dyer said in a press release announcing the deal.
“With year-round surfing, entertainment, community gatherings and the influence of global visionaries like Pharrell, the heart of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront will be changed forever and for the better, for locals and visitors alike.”
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The Atlantic Park project wasn't always considered a done-deal. Plans seemed to stall in 2021 when Williams sent a letter to Virginia Beach city leaders, expressing concern over “toxic energy” and disappointment with their response to the death of his cousin, Donovon Lynch.
Lynch was shot and killed by a police officer at the Oceanfront in 2021.
A meeting last August seemed to get the project back on track. Then-Councilman Aaron Rouse and other city leaders met with Williams in New York.
"He is a great partner in our dome site which is the largest public and private partnership in our city's history, as well," Rouse said after that meeting.
Venture Realty said construction on Phase I of the development will begin immediately, with an anticipated opening date of summer 2025.
According to the development group, Phase I "will include new-to-market restaurants, shops and experiential attractions, more than 300 multifamily homes, office space, a 70,000-sq.ft. entertainment venue and a 2.67-acre Wavegarden Cove surf park with an expanded beach experience, including cabanas, corporate built-in facilities and a true 'beach club' environment."
Venture Realty said Phase II "remains in the conceptual phase" but is expected to include additional public parking, residential and retail space, and a boardwalk that connects Atlantic Park to the Virginia Beach Boardwalk.
The venue will sit on Arctic Avenue between 19th and 20th streets.