VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A proposed redevelopment project could transform a shopping center in Virginia Beach’s Kempsville neighborhood.
Just off Indian River Road and Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach sits the KempsRiver Crossing Shopping Center.
“I think it’s a nice, cool, laid-back atmosphere," said Jevan Pasley, who works at the Planet Fitness within the shopping center. "A lot of people don’t know it’s here.”
The shopping center is filled with stores but it also has vacant buildings.
“This is a 1970s version shopping center,” said R.J. Nutter, the attorney representing the developer.
Nutter told members of the Virginia Beach Planning Commission at their meeting last week that some of the buildings at the shopping center have been vacant for several years.
"It not only impacted the loss of revenue from those players, but it was also affecting the bottom line to every one of the single remaining mom-and-pop shops," he said. "They'd lost the people that had directed traffic to their center."
Developers hope to revitalize the center by demolishing about half of its retail space and replacing it with 332 new apartment units.
But the plan isn’t welcomed by all.
“I don’t think it’s necessary," Pasley said. "There’s other land around here that they can use.”
Traffic is a big concern for residents. With an already busy intersection outside the shopping center, they feel adding apartments would add more problems.
“Traffic congestion is very bad," said resident Drew Little. "At rush hour, you’ll see traffic backed up from Indian River all the way onto the interstate.”
Little, who visits KempsRiver Crossing often, said he and his neighbors would like to see the quiet shopping center bustling again. He said that first, they want city leaders to address traffic at the intersection.
“Anything that creates more traffic here won’t work unless we address the traffic we already have," he said. "But there are other issues following... tax burden, water quality.”
At last week's meeting, the planning commission voted to recommend the project to Virginia Beach City Council. The project is expected to go before city council members on January 17.