Military Hwy Redevelopment

[BFG]

Thinking about it, and staying with the TC concept...keep the Sears building and make it a Best Buy, which Norfolk sorely needs. Everything else stays, including the Cinemark, and extensively renovate the Doubletree.

If it's too big for a BB, divide it up and put a second store there, say a Barnes and Noble.

[brikkman]

A bestbuy is better suited for DT Norfolk and there are several places it could go. Backing the old Macy's lot is one place, Granby street and Brambleton is another. I say tear down everything with the exception of the theaters and build some type of east town community. I would not go full Towncenter, but a new destination. I would even consider making it a new colley, heck why not right? Seems like it would do that area some justice.

[metalman]

It seems like no one here has been to Military Circle lately. I think I can count my second time ever just before Christmas to get a Cinimark gift certificate for a buddy. But there is no more hotel there. I looked up at it from the Cinimark entrance and there were no curtains on the windows and nothing in each room but walls. Double Tree packed up and moved out. So, add that to the vacancy list.

So, did the M. Hwy redevelopment plan on the first page fall thru?

[Former Resident of HR]

I worked in the area 10 years ago and at the time, Janaf was in its death throes. Then Wal-Mart changed to a Super Wal-Mart and that was a big game changer. So was the fact that they were doing all that construction from VB Blvd to 264 which drove everything out of business. Ironically all the businesses are now centered on the northern, traffic jammed stretch from VB Blvd north to 64. I wonder what will happen when they start widening that?

I walked through the mall after a movie to Ross and have to say that although the mall is not standard fare that most people expect, it has a lot of independent retailers, very few empty stores compared to Pembroke or Greenbriar and there were a lot of people there. I was thinking it would be like walking through the other two malls (ghost towns). The outside is terribly dated (late 60's?) but I guess the owners get enough money to not really care enough to do much improving it.

[zeppelin14]

It just needs to go. Open up Macy's at MacArthur Mall, move JCP somewhere close to the same area and just tear down that entire Military Mall area. Build a nice apartment/town home community there and tear down the SPQ. At the SPQ, build a Best Buy and an Ikea.

[ronsmytheiii]

Military Circle could benefit from a major overhaul, a near-demolition with a new, non-traditional shopping area built around the strongest current tenants, Hunter said. "I would create an outdoor shopping and dining experience that clings to the success of the movie theater and retains Penney and Macy's," he said.

He compared the possibility to the reinvention of Coliseum Mall in Hampton, where Peninsula Town Center now stands with retailers and restaurants arrayed around several storefront blocks and parklike squares.

Rigney said he sees Sears' departure as an opportunity and believes that Military Circle's current owners, New York real estate firm Thor Equities LLC, will give the property needed attention. Another chance for refurbishment stands across Military Highway from the mall, in the increasingly empty Best Square shopping plaza, where longtime local clothing and accessories store Altschul's closed on Christmas Eve.

Yes please!

http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/sears-closing-raises-concern-about-vitality-military-circle-area

[Weaver24]

It's sad to see how military circle is going down. Loosing sears will further hurt the mall's reputation. JcPenney and Macys will evaluate the mall more to see if it's worth staying there. The anchor stores are the only thing that can bring all types of people unlike the urban, shoe and cheap looking jewelry stores that currently reside in the mall. They can't put a Burlington there like Chesapeake square did to fill the Dillards space....and that's because there is a Burlington in college park down street. Burlington is the only store I can think that would an aging run down urban and dilapidated mall could get. I do kinda like the Anna's linens store and that Ross is ok but military circle mall better do something. The mall already have negative image...need to go town center route like coliseum mall did....