Norfolk, Va. (WTKR) - There's a boom of new restaurants under construction or opening in Downtown Norfolk right now.
A slew of new restaurants, including Tap It, Brick Anchor Brew House, Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint, Grace O'Malley's Irish Pub, a new Starbucks location, Smoothie King and Leone's among others have all opened or are under construction.
"We are seeing a lot of development activity. There's been an influx of residential units completed on Granby Street and following behind that, we are seeing a really strong interest in new businesses at street level particularly restaurants," Mary Miller, President and CEO of Downtown Norfolk Council told NewsChannel 3's Todd Corillo Thursday.
Part of the growth around Granby can be attributed to the opening of the Slover Library and the construction on The Main, a new hotel and conference center.
"When you have new properties open, it's almost like geographically Downtown starts re-positioning itself. So on Plume Street with the Slover opening we have so much more foot traffic than we did ten months ago," Miller commented.
"The Main under construction, I mean people are going to want to locate near that property because they know it's going to be a draw for certainly out of town visitors," she continued.
While the residential and restaurant growth is expanding along Granby Street, Downtown Norfolk Council is working to draw in more locally-owned retail establishments.
"We have certainly seen the independently owned and operated restaurants, we would love to get more of those independently owned and operated retail businesses," Miller commented.
The group is currently seeking ways to attract small businesses and adapt spaces that may be too large for them as they currently stand.
