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■ Community Profile: NORFOLK


‘A new chapter’ T


Flurry of projects are changing Norfolk by Beth Cooper


ara Saunders knew her son, Nicho- las, did not plan to return home to Norfolk after graduating from James


Madison University in 2015. “He wanted to live in Richmond,” says


Saunders, a Norfolk native and executive director of the Old Dominion University Real Estate Foundation. “He said Richmond had a really great vibe for millennials.” Now it appears that vibe has migrated


e ast to Norfolk. An influx of jobs, a new downtown luxury hotel, the revitalized Waterfront District, one of the state’s largest outlet malls and a rekindled emphasis on the arts have infused Norfolk with a fresh vital- ity. Touting those developments, city leaders are hoping millennials will take another look at Virginia’s second-largest city. The efforts seem to be paying off. A


study by the Urban Land Institute found that millenials are moving to South Hamp- ton Roads at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country. “He was here a couple weeks ago and went to Grain at The [Hilton Nor- folk] Main and the Chrysler Museum [of Art],” Tara Saunders says. “When he left, he said ‘Mom, I’m going to start bringing more friends back here.’ He’s seeing that Norfolk is getting more of a vibe for millennials.” Established in 1682 as the Towne of


Lower Norfolk County, the city has stepped firmly into the 21st


century. “It’s a new day,


and we’re beginning to write a new chapter in our history,” Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander said during his first State of the City remarks in May. “Our city is bursting with new energy, new opportunities, new hope, new promise for tomorrow.” A former state senator and delegate, Alexander became the first African-Ameri- can elected to the city’s top post, succeeding Paul D. Fraim, who had served as mayor since 1994.


Photo by Mark Rhodes


Tara Saunders says her son, Nicholas, plans to show off Norfolk to his friends.


Up next is a potential overhaul of Nor-


folk’s downtown arena, Scope. The city is working with Los Angeles-based Oak View Group to explore options for renovating the 46-year-old facility in hopes of drawing larger entertainment and sporting events. Scope is the city’s jewel that begs to


be polished, says Chuck Rigney, Norfolk’s development director. And, he adds, the new mayor and City Council are ready to lead that effort. “They’re young and energetic and want to take us even further forward.” That energy factors into Norfolk’s


drive to attract and retain millennials. City officials are banking on the approximately 6,000 new jobs slated to sprout up through- out the city by the end of the year to help convince young adults that Norfolk is an


www.VirginiaBusiness.com


up and coming metropolis. “Norfolk has such a vibe,” Rigney asserts. “When business consultants come and see Norfolk, they are really impressed.” New Jersey-based human resources


firm ADP was so impressed with Norfolk that it invested $32.5 million to open a customer service center in the downtown financial district late last year. The center will eventually house 1,800 associates, the largest number of jobs coming to the region in a generation. Many of the want ads will target millennials. “This is their first urban campus to attract millennials,” says Rigney. “That workforce needs an environment where they can live, work and play.” More than 700 employees already have been hired, with most of the positions paying annual


VIRGINIA BUSINESS 59


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