HAMPTON, Va. — Amid the noise of the traffic along I-64 in Hampton is quiet, historic Phoebus. It's an area many people have probably driven past many times but may not have known was there.
It's an issue on the minds of businesses in Phoebus.
"We're always talking about how we don't have a sign that states about Phoebus," said Palace Jewlers Owner Colleen Walker.
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Walker is a longtime business owner in Phoebus.
“There’s food here, there’s amenities here," Walker said about Phoebus.
A missed opportunity for many traveling on I-64.
“Without there being a sign, they look up and they say, ‘Oh, Fort Monroe’ or ’The VA hospital’ and people just don’t think there’s anything here. For me, I just think that we’ve missed the boat and we really need to have something there," said Walker.
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Phoebus Neighborhood Commissioner Joe Griffith is pushing for a sign. It’s something he talked with News 3 about at our Hampton Let’s Talk session February 4. VDOT tells him a sign could cost $50,000-100,000, far more than the nonprofit he runs to support Phoebus can afford.
"I don't feel there's not a way forward," Griffith said. “I’m happy to walk alongside the city to help implement this.”
The city tells News 3 as of February 12 no official request for a sign had been made, but if and when it is, it will “absolutely be considered."
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The money is only part of the battle, though. Where the sign would go, with so many signs already on the interstate nearby, is a question. There’s also the question of why spend the money when there’s already a sign for Fort Monroe, which brings people through Phoebus.
“That’s a fair criticism, of course, but what I think is important here is people want to experience that small town vibrancy. They want to see joy. They want to see those small businesses that are unique to Phoebus, and I think this is an important way for them to know that’s there," Griffith explained. "One percent of one percent of the people that go through the HRBT seasonally in the summertime would be life-changing to some of these small businesses.”
If and when the money is raised, how long getting a sign put up would take was unclear.
