A Ferris wheel. Green space. Live music. A hotel. Those were some of the ideas people scribbled onto Post-it notes at a feedback session at the Bide-A-Wee golf course pavilion Thursday.
Crawford Bay was the site of the old Holiday Inn and a former visitor center, but it’s been vacant since 2008. Portsmouth has wanted to redevelop it for decades, but attempts failed, said Brian Donahue, the city’s director of economic development.
“It's really the premier waterfront development site, not just in the city of Portsmouth, I would say in Hampton Roads, in the state of Virginia,” Donahue said. “It's got really amazing views of the Elizabeth River, Norfolk skyline and our working waterway.”
Redeveloping the 6-acre property with a mix of housing, office space and retail shops is a city priority, he said.
The project is part of a plan to transform Portsmouth’s downtown and make its waterfront an attraction that will also bring in tax revenue. After Crawford Bay, the city will focus on the former civic center and city hall building, Donahue said. He described the Crawford Bay and the city hall properties as the “bookends” of the city’s waterfront.
Mayor Shannon Glover said he wants downtown to be “everybody’s neighborhood.”
“The goal is to be the best downtown in America,” Glover said. “Portsmouth has so much potential.”
People at the session shared their visions for how the city could reach that potential, starting with Crawford Bay. They mentioned the importance of waterfront access, restaurants, easy parking, regular events and safety.
Pamela Wilkins said she’d like to see the space come to life again and appeal to multiple generations. Matthew Diggs said he hopes the city considers culture and arts when designing the project.
“We are a port city and we should lean into our culture using storage containers for the build out of different areas for dining and stuff like that,” Diggs said.
Del Holloman said he wants the project to lead to economic growth.
“I would love something like a hotel there,” he said. “But shoot, it has to bring the economy back. We lost a lot of business when they brought the tolls to this area.”
Matthew James has lived in Portsmouth for 30 years and has wanted to see the waterfront become a gathering space. He wants the project to tie in with Norfolk’s revitalization across the river.
“I look at this as almost like a regional project,” James said. “We have the best view of Norfolk and they got the best view of us.”
The city will start accepting solicitations from developers in early March and have a shortlist of developers around May.
