Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
WTKR News 3
Parking garages with $22M price tag proposed in VB's Pembroke Square development
By Jay Greene,
2024-06-21
It's hard to miss the construction at Pembroke Square in Virginia Beach. With a senior housing complex, hotel and apartment building on the way, the City Council is now trying to decide whether more parking will be needed.
Shirley Smith was parked outside Target Thursday afternoon, waiting for her granddaughter to finish some shopping. She about the impact the development could have on parking space.
"I think we could use the big garages," Smith said. I don't like the high-rise stuff, but if we have to have it, then we have to have it."
Just a few steps away, construction workers are building the Aviva senior housing complex, which includes 153 units. It's the first phase of a $200 million development project which started back in 2022 following then Pembroke Mall's closure.
News 3
Additional phases for the project include a hotel with more than 150 rooms and a mixed-use apartment building comprised of 272 units.
When this all began, the developer, Pembroke Square Associates, LLC, proposed two parking garages for which the city would pay.
The original Feb. 2022 proposal included a total development cost of $162.4 million with the city paying $23.8 million for the garages which would have provided 791 spaces.
Some council members took issue with the need for parking garages.
News 3
"What is currently wrong with the existing public parking with 3,000 spaces and not much surface area being taken up after the construction?" asked Councilman Chris Taylor.
Kathy Warren, the director of planning and community development, who presented the new proposal to city council, replied and compared it to Town Center.
Chic's Beach residents send lea to visitors as road parking becomes overcrowded
"If you can start developing structured parking just like Town Center and start building up, that's going to open additional land possibilities for redevelopment down the road," she said.
Other council members agreed that parking would be needed and is in the best interest of the area.
"This is an incredibly important strategic corridor in our city," said Councilman Joashua Schulman. "We ought to be and we should be encouraging this kind of a thing because it is exactly in line with every everything that we've been working towards."
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
News 3 
News 3 
Most Popular
Comments / 0