NORFOLK, Va. — To get a good look at what's happening along Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk, you have to go behind the fencing.
There, you will find forklifts on the move and concrete churning. The end goal is to create The Railyard at Lambert's Point, a ten-building complex filled with retail, office, and restaurant space that spans four city blocks.
"There's going to be the central courtyard, outdoor seating [and] green space. We're going to program that greenspace, hopefully with pumpkin patches and Christmas trees and holiday markets," said Rich Meredith. Meredith heads the Development Division of Meredith Construction, which, in partnership, is overseeing the project.
The 120,000 square ft. property is situated beside the train tracks and centered between the Sentara Hospital complex, Old Dominion University, and Naval Station Norfolk.
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"We approach this, not as faceless out-of-town developers, but we are the end-user. We're going to shop here," said Meredith.
They are also going to drive past it.
Many people who travel Hampton Boulevard during rush hour know that the roadway can be a traffic headache. News 3 Problem Solver and Anchor, Erin Miller questioned how much of that was taken into consideration.
"The answer is yes, it will impact traffic. This site has been dormant for decades," said Meredith. "That said, we've worked with the city [and] with the Lambert's Point community to address those concerns. We went through an extensive process with the city, that included everything from working with the fire department, transportation folks [and] utilities folks."
Meredith, alongside George Compo of Compo Construction, said a stoplight and stacking lane will be added at 26th street, right by the 7-Eleven.
"We're going to prevent people from turning left by having what are called these large porkchops and then it's right in, right out on 24th and 25th street," Meredith said.
Motorists traveling southbound on Hampton Boulevard will be able to turn right into any of the Railyard's streets, and motorists traveling northbound on Hampton Boulevard will only be allowed to turn left on 26
Among the new, residents and visitors can also take notice of the historic charm.
There are four historic buildings being renovated and restored. In fact, one of the buildings has original windows that date back to 1925.
"We're essentially bringing the buildings back to what they looked like in [the 1920s and 40s]," said Meredith. "It means a lot to be able to save these old structures."
Residents and visitors can also walk, bike and cycle down the Elizabeth River Trail come summertime.
"We've worked closely with the ERT. We're going to improve the [trail] experience once it's all done and our hope is that folks who will use the ERT will also stop by and use the Railyard," he said.
"It'll be a great place to come and hang out," said George Compo.
- A drive-thru Jimmy Johns
- Nothing Bundt Cakes
- Domoishi
- CycleBar
- Club Pilates
- StretchLab
- Sushi King
- DB Nails
- ABC
- Unnamed grocer
News 3 also reached out to the City of Norfolk on the new development.
In part, a spokesperson said,
The Railyard at Lambert's Point is a private development and is not tied to any city revitalization plan. In terms of oversight, it will include what’s typical for any development, i.e. inspections, compliance with permits, consistency with any Conditional Use Permits, and so on. The reuse of historic buildings and bringing additional uses and/or services to this particular area of the city is viewed as a positive, though we do not have any studies or analysis that formally evaluate its impact.
Construction of The Railyard at Lambert’s Point was unanimously approved by Norfolk's City Council and the Norfolk Planning Commission.
