Growth & Development
A quick look at recent economic development projects in the Hampton Roads region

Virginia Business
May 2006

Hampton Roads Convention Center
A year after the $100 million Hampton Roads Convention Center opened in Hampton, meetings and conventions at the facility are running ahead of projections. The 344,000-square-foot space can accommodate groups of as many as 14,000 people. The new center also features a cyber café and a business center, providing Internet access. Adjacent to the convention center is a new 295-suite John Q. Hammond Embassy Suites Hotel.

Phase One of NSU technology park nears completion
The Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research is nearing completion. The center, adjacent to the campus of Norfolk State University, will serve as a multipurpose education and research facility. Located on 13 acres, it will be part of the Research and Innovation to Support Empowerment Technology Center, also know as the RISE Center. When completed, RISE will include the six-story, 160,000- square-foot McDemmond Center and a four-story, 240,000-square-foot facility.

Ferguson Center for the Arts
The new Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University provides a focus for the arts on the Peninsula. The center offers 200,000 square feet of space and houses three performing arts spaces: a 1,700-seat concert hall proscenium theater; a 500-seat music and theater hall; and a 200-seat studio theater. It also includes classrooms, studios and practice rooms.

Virginia Beach Convention Center
The first phase of the new $202 million Virginia Beach Convention Center opened in 2005. The facility will be three times the size of the old convention center with expanded exhibit, ballroom and meeting space. The 516,000-square-foot glass-and-steel facility will offer 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, 31,000 square feet of ballroom space and nearly 29,000 square feet of meeting room space. The parking has been doubled from 1,100 spaces to 2,230 spaces. The new facility was built on the site of the old convention center parking lot. In order for the center to remain operational, the project is being completed in two phases. The initial phase includes about 300,000 square feet. The entire structure and parking lot will be complete early next year.

EVMS joins forces with Lake Taylor Hospital
Eastern Virginia Medical School is teaming up with Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital to provide students and physicians-in-training with geriatric clinical training. The agreement involves a broad spectrum of training, from EVMS physicians completing fellowships in geriatric medicine to hands-on experience for medical students and medical residents.

Town Center of Virginia Beach
The Town Center of Virginia Beach is a mixed-use, $400 million development in the city’s core business district. The project spans more than 17 city blocks, with upscale shops, luxury residential units, Class A office space, a business-class hotel and an array of restaurants. Next year, Town Center will feature a 38-story Westin Hotel and the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center Residences along with the Sandler Center for Performing Arts. When completed, Town Center will accommodate 4.3 million square feet of mixed-use, finished space. The Armada Hoffler Tower at the Town Center is the second tallest building in Virginia and serves as a landmark for the region.

City Center at Oyster Point
City Center at Oyster Point represents a $350 million, mixed-use development in the heart of Newport News. The project will include 230,000 square feet of retail space, 500 residential units, more than 1 million square feet of Class A office space and a Marriott hotel and conference center. The development surrounds a five-acre fountain. City Center covers 52 acres and will include 50 retail shops.