NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — Developers are now a Norfolk City Council vote away from beginning construction on a townhome and shopping complex in East Ocean View.
Thursday, the Norfolk Planning commission unanimously recommended rezoning parts of the 7.2-acre lot where Equity Development Corporation wants to build up to 96 townhomes. The plans also include a small commercial area.
John Hadfield co-owns an art gallery around the corner from the proposed development site. He said the new project would be great for business.
“We’re always liking more people coming in,” Hadfield said. “It helps improve the area and frankly with more people, there will be more demand for other services - we like that.”
A few neighboring homeowners opposed the project at Thursday’s meeting including Deborah Hill, whose home backs up to a proposed 4-story building.
“My problems are that it’s too close to the fence, and it’s four stories,” Hill said. “The four stories are not with keeping of everything else in that area.”
EDC representatives presented that they made a few small changes because of this complaint, adding more space in between the new structure and the next door neighbors.
After looking at other renderings of the new complex, Hadfield said it’s about time the Ocean View area starts growing like this
“Norfolk has seven miles of beach and for years and years they were just ignored,” he said.
The Norfolk City Council will vote on the zoning changes at an upcoming meeting.
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