PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Portsmouth Partnership plans to turn a vacant High Street lot into a semi-permanent food truck stop next spring, using a $15,000 grant to bring more food businesses and economic activity to the district.
The Community Vitality Grant will help fund improvements to the former site of Zion Baptist Church, which burned down in 2007 and has remained vacant since.
Liz Pasqualini, director of Portsmouth's Main Street initiative, said the goal is to give emerging food entrepreneurs a place to test their concepts, attract customers and build their businesses.
“The word here is modest but impactful,” Pasqualini said. “It's a $15,000 grant that will transform this lot into a semi-permanent food truck spot in the center of our district, a place for budding restaurant entrepreneurs to be able to test their concepts and refine what they're doing, attract an audience, and build the vitality we're looking for here in the district.”
See previous coverage: Portsmouth's Main Street Initiative aims to make High Street the heart of downtown
A stepping stone for new food businesses
Plans for the site include electrical outlets for food trucks, lighting and potentially a small stage with amplified sound.
The temporary setup is intended to create activity along High Street while the partnership explores the property's long-term future.
Pasqualini said a study conducted about a year ago with the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority and Retail Alliance found an unmet demand for about 14 additional restaurants in the district.
The food truck stop could help bridge the gap between vendors selling at farmers markets and other pop-up events and businesses ready to open permanent restaurants.
The partnership has not finalized how food truck vendors will be selected or how the program will operate. Pasqualini said the organization is working with its Small Business Development Center partners to determine what additional support businesses need to grow.
Part of a larger redevelopment plan
The food truck stop is intended to be a semi-permanent use of the property while the partnership evaluates longer-term development options.
The site is part of a larger group of properties being considered for redevelopment. The partnership also received a separate $110,000 award for pre-development services to help determine the best use for the site and seven connected parcels.
Pasqualini said the long-term vision likely includes commercial space along the High Street corridor, potentially combined with residential development.
"Once we break ground and actually turn this into a buildable site, we'll be able to take that improvement and that investment into other areas in our city," Pasqualini said.
The infrastructure installed for the food truck stop could eventually be moved to another location in Portsmouth as redevelopment moves forward.
The partnership hopes to launch the food truck stop in spring 2027.
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