Norfolk Plans Military Circle Mall Demolition

Norfolk says it is preparing to tear down most of Military Circle mall, with demolition work targeted to start in early fall. (wtkr.com) Sean Washington, Norfolk’s director of economic development, told WTKR the city is getting bid documents ready now. The demolition would leave two pieces standing for now: a Ross Dress for Less store and a Sentara-owned building. (wtkr.com) Ross has been the main obstacle for more than a year. WAVY reported in February 2025 that Ross held veto power under an older operating agreement, while Sentara owned its former JCPenney box separately from the mall property. (wavy.com) That delay has kept the vacant complex on the books even after the mall shut down to shoppers in early 2023. Norfolk officials have said the standing buildings still require electricity, water, security and insurance while redevelopment plans keep shifting. (13newsnow.com; wavy.com) The site has been in play since 2020, when the Norfolk Economic Development Authority bought most of the mall property for redevelopment. The city’s redevelopment page says the authority bought the area to turn it into a walkable mixed-use district after a public selection process that drew three proposals in 2021. (norfolkdevelopment.com) Those earlier pitches included arenas, housing and office space, but Norfolk did not choose any of them after developers sought public funding. WHRO reported that Mayor Kenny Alexander said in April 2025 that the city still did not want to rely on major city subsidies to get the project moving. (whro.org) The current concept is narrower and more public-facing. Alexander announced in April 2025 that Norfolk wants a fitness and wellness center plus a library on the site, with the complex serving as an anchor for a larger mixed-use project. (virginiabusiness.com; whro.org) City officials have also studied a sports-tourism angle. Virginia Business reported in 2024 that Norfolk hired Gensler for a $200,000 feasibility study on a family sports complex with retail, lodging and residential uses, and Washington later said an ice-rink-centered concept was among the options still being evaluated. (virginiabusiness.com; virginiabusiness.com) The politics around the property have not gone away. The Virginian-Pilot reported this month that east-side residents criticized Norfolk’s proposed capital plan for omitting funding for the promised Military Circle recreation center and library, even as the city kept talking about the site’s future. (aol.com) For now, the next concrete step is simpler than the plans that have come and gone since 2021: get the bids out, bring down most of the mall, and clear the land Norfolk has been trying to remake for six years. (wtkr.com; norfolkdevelopment.com)