NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk is moving closer to demolishing the former Military Circle Mall, with city officials saying they hope to complete the contracting process within the next week and begin work tied to the demolition in October.
Officials confirmed the information to News 3 on Friday.
The city anticipates the demolition itself will take about 15 months.
According to the city, the scope of work beginning in October will include equipment mobilization, stakeholder engagement and permit filing, with demolition work expected to begin soon after the contracting process is completed.
The update comes after 13 bids were submitted for the demolition project earlier this summer. The 56-year-old former mall has been vacant and fenced off for about three years. The city previously denied a News 3 request to enter the building because of safety concerns.
Deputy City Manager Ron Williams told News 3 in July that vandalism inside the former mall had made the building unsafe.
"Unfortunately we did have a significant amount of vandalism, which has left the mall, you know, vulnerable to any pedestrian being in there," Williams said.
While the mall comes down, the city is also taking steps to better understand what it will take to redevelop the roughly 74-acre Military Circle site.
The Norfolk Economic Development Authority was awarded an Accelerated Site Characterization grant through the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program. City officials say the work is expected to move the property from a Tier 2 site to a Tier 3 site once the grant work is completed.
The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program is designed to help communities prepare properties for economic development by determining how ready a site is for future construction and investment.
Reaching Tier 3 requires a series of more in-depth technical studies that go beyond typical due diligence. Those studies will examine issues including whether water, sewer and electrical infrastructure can support future development.
The work builds on what Williams described to News 3 in July, when he said the city would conduct environmental, geotechnical, stormwater and power grid studies alongside the demolition.
"We'll do environmental studies, geotechnical, stormwater, power grid analysis, and that helps us to better attract and market the site as a new redevelopment site," Williams said.
Achieving Tier 3 status could also make the Military Circle site eligible for additional state infrastructure funding and increase its visibility among developers considering projects in Virginia.
City officials say the reports generated through the site-readiness process will help inform what redevelopment options are possible at Military Circle.
That's significant because the city has not yet settled on a new redevelopment plan for the property.
Williams previously told News 3 that the site was not yet ready to be built on, despite several high-profile redevelopment proposals submitted for Military Circle several years ago.
Redevelopment is also complicated by the fact that Norfolk does not control the entire property.
The city must demolish around a portion owned by Sentara, and an ongoing dispute involving the Ross Dress for Less lease has also complicated plans. Williams previously said the mix of property ownership could result in redevelopment happening in phases.
The future of Military Circle has been closely watched by residents on Norfolk's east side, some of whom have repeatedly pushed city leaders for progress on the property.
Charla Smith-Worley told News 3 in July that she remained skeptical after years of discussion about the site's future.
"We'll believe it when we see it," Smith-Worley said.
Smith-Worley said she would ultimately like to see a mixed-use redevelopment that includes opportunities for homeownership, rather than primarily apartments.
For now, the next visible step will be preparing the property for demolition. If the city's current timeline holds, that process will begin in October and continue for roughly 15 months as Norfolk simultaneously works to determine what could eventually replace Military Circle.
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