VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — If you walk around the Red Mill area, you’ll notice there has been significant development over the last few years.
The next step in development in the area could occur in the green space at the corner of Nimmo Parkway and Newstead Drive.
The owners of that property are seeking to have it rezoned and sold for a Panda Express.
"It's basically encroaching upon our residence," said Ellis Brooks, a neighbor.
For more than 25 years, Brooks has maintained his home on Newstead Drive, long before the arrival of Publix, Walmart, or Home Depot in the neighborhood.
"I bought it when it was nothing more than a soybean field across the street," he said.
With new development potentially on the horizon for the area behind his neighbor's home, Brooks has concerns.
The Virginia Beach Beacon Baptist Church owns that green space, which has housed the same building for the last 35 years.
The church plans to rebuild some of its outdated structures and is looking to rezone part of the property to possibly sell it to Panda Express.
"We are looking at replacing [the building], and to do that we need finances, so we've looked at opportunities to either move or sell portions of our property, and Panda came to us with an offer," said Pastor Russell Robertson during Wednesday's planning commission meeting.
The proposed Panda Express could be situated adjacent to Nimmo Parkway with parking spots along the fence line of the neighborhood.
Another building would also be built right to it, but for now is unnamed.
During Wednesday's planning commission meeting, engineers for the project say they've conducted a traffic study and met with the community about the plans.
However, residents are still concerned about the implications of adding a fast-food restaurant.
"It's the noise from the dump trucks and the increased traffic on Newstead and behind here," Brooks said. "You have the garbage trucks and the delivery trucks."
Those working on the project assured that trash pick-up times will be restricted and claimed that their studies indicate there will not be a negative impact on property values.
Yet residents remain skeptical.
"I spoke with a realtor the other day who said that property values are probably going to drop," Brooks said.
The request to rezone the land was recommended for denial after a 5-5 vote, but the city council retains the final say and will consider it in a future agenda.
"We want the city council to side with the residents in this neighborhood and the Red Mill residents on the other side of Nimmo," Brooks said. "We shouldn’t have to face this encroachment."
