NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The old Greyhound station in Norfolk has a new owner.
The city of Norfolk agreed to sell the property to the Virginia Beach-based Breeden Investment Properties Inc., who plan to build a roughly 220-unit apartment complex, joining next door development plans from the same company.
The building is called “Houndstooth,” seemingly reflecting its roots. When the Greyhound station closed in 2019, the city originally wanted this to be a center for visual and culinary arts, but those plans fell through. It was then briefly used as a homeless shelter.
The new project has some neighbors worrying for Norfolk’s low income population.
“I would prefer that they have resources for the homeless,” Shakara Lawrence said. “If they’re going to make more apartments, have them be mixed income because we need more affordable housing in the downtown area.”
Others feel hopeful about this new addition to the Neon District. Much of its storefronts and land are vacant, leaving lots of unused potential for this part of downtown Norfolk.
Michael J. Benton, who owns Stark and Legum across the street, said he is excited to see signs of growth.
“We need more places because it’s like we’re down here on an island by itself,” Benton said. “And then we bring in somebody new … and that’s going to be great for business.”
Stark and Legum is coming up on its 100th year in business. Benton said most of the shops in the Neon District are also small businesses.
“We’ve got to have traffic,” he said.
The city is also thinking about offsetting the price of an adjacent property bought by the same company. That decision comes at a later time.
