VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — We’re just one day away from Something in the Water’s grand return to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Pharrell Williams is not only putting on an exciting show for festivalgoers, but he’s also creating a lasting economic impact with his multi-million-dollar development projects and non-profits in the area.
He has many titles: Grammy award-winning producer, fashion designer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. But one that Pharrell Williams is most proud of is "Virginia Beach native."
"If you have 757 blood in your body, this is what you should be doing," Pharrell said during his Mighty Dream Forum last fall.
Virginia Beach is proud to claim him.
"He’s our favorite son. He’s from here. He’s helping put us on the map nationally and I tell you what, we embrace him, we embrace each other," Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said.
What is it, besides name recognition, that gets the 757 so excited about Pharrell?
To start, he created his non-profit, YELLOW, in Norfolk.
According to their website, their goal is to "cultivate a Community of critically conscious thinkers who see themselves and the world through the Lens of Possibility. We do this through the ecosystem of our five intersecting priorities: Abolish Remedial, Revolutionize Teaching, Nourish Youth, Inspire Entrepreneurship, and Enlist Communities."
He also brought a business and economic growth forum called Mighty Dream to the area late last year.
Many hope it will also turn into an annual event.
The city could not tell us what economic impact it had on the area or how many people attended, though ticketed events sold out. The City of Norfolk chipped in $150,000 to assist with production, management and hosting.
We have yet to mention that he has two multi-million-dollar projects in the works.
The $335 million Atlantic Park project was recently approved after years of waiting.
The Oceanfront site will house an amphitheater, a surf park, stores, restaurants and residential units.
It’s expected to have economic impact of $26 million per year, as well as creating more than 100 new jobs and $4.4 million in wages.
The city is putting $140 million into the project.
All signs point toward Pharrell also closing a deal to redevelop Military Circle Mall in Norfolk.
He and his partners plan to build Wellness Circle with an arena, a green path, offices, retail and restaurant spaces.
It’s unclear right now how much money that project is expected to bring in, but the total project investment is more than $1 billion.
Of course, there’s also Something in the Water. Though the music festival has a rocky history with the city, it’s back at the beach this year.
Pharrell first brought the festival to the city in 2019, with big names in music making appearances.
In all, it brought $22.8 million to the city. $14.5 million of that went right to businesses.
The city spent $1.18 million to host the festival in 2019, and this year, Virginia Beach City Council members voted to reserve $2 million to spend on the festival. However, that doesn’t mean the council will choose to spend it all.
COVID-19 forced the festival to pause in 2020 and 2021 and then it was moved to DC in 2022.
That decision came after what Pharrell described as "toxic energy" in the city in the fallout of the death of his cousin Donovon Lynch, who was shot and killed by a Virginia Beach police officer in 2021.
Former Virginia Beach City Councilman and now State Sen. Aaron Rouse said they were able to patch that relationship.
"It’s a friendship and everyone knows, most friends know, there’s going to be times you get upset with your friends, but in order to save that friendship you have to be able to communicate and communicate honestly and approach it with a sense of humility and confront the issues and work through it," he said.
Regent University Business and Leadership Professor Claire Foster says with any investor or project coming to a city, it can be fickle.
"There’s always risk and volatility involved in attracting events of any kind," she said.
However, she said Pharrell’s clear passion for the city will likely encourage others to follow suit.
"When one person gives, it encourages others to give, and this creates a ripple effect of generosity. We see that over and over again, not only in non-profits but in community development as well," Foster said.
This is something Coastal Edge owner D. Nachnani echoes from his shop at the Oceanfront.
"These are the seeds that are being dropped, that Pharrell is a true blessing to our community, and we’re able to take those seeds and germinate some beautiful programming throughout the whole year together," he said.
Rouse agrees Pharrell is clearing a path for others to come behind him.
"He’s been able to plow the ground and help it become more fertile to help take not only the city of Virginia Beach to the next 60 years but take Hampton Roads to the future."
Nachnani said he’s already seeing those seeds grow.
"I love the fact that this one individual is giving back to community, but he’s more than just giving back. He’s inspiring us to do the same."