NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk's Wards Corner neighborhood is in the middle of a growth surge, with a Target store opening expected this fall, a homegrown bookstore expanding and a new city fitness and wellness center on the way.
Sean Washington, Norfolk's Director of Economic Development, said the Target opening is still on track.
"Still looking at early fall and there will be more announcements by the Target team," Washington said.
Washington said the neighborhood — which sits around the busy intersection of Granby Street and Little Creek Road — already has strong fundamentals working in its favor.
"Median home values. The great transportation access that it has being close to the highway," Washington said.
Book Exchange, a homegrown business that's been on the northeast corner of Granby and Little Creek for 22 years, is also moving across Granby from its current location and expanding. The city's new fitness and wellness center on Newport Avenue is expected to open late next year.
Washington said a plan developed in 2019 that designated Wards Corner as an urban development area continues to guide the neighborhood's growth.
Scott Guirlinger, a 17-year neighborhood resident who said he helped develop that plan, recalled how it came together.
"People were okay with like a little more density in the business district," Guirlinger said. "Especially where that old Farm Fresh property is. Are there ways to reconfigure it?"
The former Farm Fresh property remains the largest vacant space in the neighborhood. It sits directly across Little Creek Road from the new Target. Washington said the site is owned by Slate, a large real estate investment trust based in Canada, and that the company has been watching the Target development closely.
"They absolutely were waiting to see how this Target thing plays out," Washington said.
He also says there is already talk of what could go in at the vacant space.
"We've heard conversations of maybe another grocery end-user," he said, adding there's also been discussions of mixed-use development. "We've heard maybe there's an opportunity to do some more residential on top, some ground-floor retail."
Guirlinger said there was also discussion during the planning process about giving the area more of a "Main Street feel. He acknowledged that increased development brings concerns for residents, particularly around traffic.
"It's definitely a concern for residents especially right now with the restriction of lanes under the interstate," Guirlinger said.
Ongoing road construction under the interstate is a current pressure point, though it is not permanent. Washington said the city is optimistic about what the wave of investment means for the neighborhood's future.
"We're really really hopeful that the investment that you're seeing will really uplift that whole intersection," Washington said.
Last month, Book Exchange employee Kole Matheson told News 3 the business is proud to remain part of the community.
"For a very long time people have come to Wards Corner and we are honored to continue that legacy," Matheson said.
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