Committee forms for development near TCC site

A committee is being formed to guide the preparation of a site owned by the Economic Development Authority for development.

City and economic development leaders have targeted the 55-acre site in North Suffolk, adjacent to the old Tidewater Community College campus, for long-range development, along with the college site. The two parcels were the subjects of an intensive study by the Urban Land Institute in February.

The panel of real estate and development experts recommended a mixed-use project for the TCC and city sites, including office, retail, residential and recreational uses.

“Our ultimate goal has been to make that parcel shovel-ready,” Economic Development Authority chairman Harold Faulk said during the authority’s Wednesday meeting.

Last month, the city provided money to pay off an outstanding $5.6 million loan on the property, one of the first moves toward accomplishing development on the site.

Art Collins and Stacy Lewis were chosen from the authority to stand on the committee. The site is in Collins’ borough, and he has significant experience in economic development in Hampton Roads.

“He has a vital interest in what goes on in the northern Suffolk area,” Faulk said.

Lewis has experience in site preparation as one of the heads of Lewis Construction of Virginia.

EDA member Jack Eure called Collins and Lewis “good selections” before the unanimous vote to place them on the committee.

The committee will serve to evaluate proposals for work on the site before putting them before the full authority, Faulk said.