NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A new mixed-use residential building called “Houndstooth” is expected to rise high above Brambleton Avenue at the site of the city’s former Greyhound bus station.
The project is planned for the corner of Brambleton and Granby Street in the Neon District. It was first announced last week at Norfolk’s State of the City.
The Breeden Company, a Virginia Beach-based developer, says the project will be “a high-quality, mixed-use multifamily development where Downtown’s emerging creative class can live, work, and play.”
There are few details from the city about the costs and any contributions on Norfolk’s end at this time. The property is currently owned by the city.
When contacted, the Breeden Company said it was still in the planning stages.
“And already, we are excited for the work ahead to revitalize a space important to the city of Norfolk,” said Jake H. Marshall, vice president of acquisitions and development for The Breeden Company. “This modernized building will serve as a community and gateway to the NEON District.”
Renderings from Norfolk’s Work Program Architects, which is partnering for the project with Breeden, show five levels of residential over a mixed-use ground level, “strategically incorporating amenity areas for socialization, outdoor gathering spaces and connections to the street.”
Designers say the new building will incorporate the historic bus station’s facade, built in 1942, into the design.
“Built in the height of World War II, the first station was an art deco marvel with air conditioning and modern amenities in service of the thousands of sailors traveling to and from Norfolk’s busy port,” a post on the Neon District reads. “It was razed in the early 1960’s to widen Brambleton Avenue and a new station was built to complement the new jetset-era Golden Triangle Hotel.”
The greyhound station operated until just a few years ago. The site was supposed to be a Tidewater Community College visual and culinary arts school, but the project fell through. City leaders are hoping this new project will take the Neon District, the city’s first official arts district, up a notch with an increased community feel and foot traffic to local businesses.
The owners of La Brioche, a popular French bakery in the Neon District, talked about the development in a recent story with WAVY on their planned move to Colley Avenue. They said the project will hopefully be great for their current neighbors in the Neon, but they couldn’t bank on the project from a business perspective.
“It’s just a business decision we had to make,” said co-owner Jacqueline Devulder. “We cannot wait. … They are building [residential] but it takes so much time,” adding, “everything gets more expensive, takes more time, and we don’t have time.”
You can read more about the Houndstooth here.
