NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — An old Greyhound station in Norfolk has new owners.
The city of Norfolk has agreed to sell the land to Virginia Beach-based Breeden Investment Properties, which plans to build about 220 apartments there, joining a development planned by the company next door.
This building is “Houndstooth” At first glance, it seems to reflect its roots: When the Greyhound station closed in 2019, the city initially wanted to turn it into a visual and culinary arts center, but those plans fell through, and it later served as a homeless shelter for a short time.
The new project has some neighbors worried about how it will affect Norfolk’s low-income residents.
“I want them to have a homeless fund,” Shakara Lawrence said. “If they’re going to build more apartments, I want them to be mixed-income apartments because we need more affordable housing downtown.”
Some are excited about this new location in the Neon District, as many of the storefronts and lots in the area are vacant and there’s a lot of unused potential in this part of downtown Norfolk.
Michael J. Benton, owner of Stark & Legum across the street, said he’s excited to see signs of growth.
“We’re kind of an island here, so we need more space,” Benton said, “and bringing in new people … would be great for business.”
Stark & Legum is approaching its 100th anniversary, and Benton said most of the stores in the Neon District are small businesses, too.
“We need traffic,” he said.
The city is also considering offsetting the value of adjacent property purchased by the same company. A decision on that will be made at a later date.
