NORFOLK, Va. - The blue ‘arriving 2017’ banners and scaffolding along the Waterside District construction site will be gone in just a few short weeks.
In its place, a string of restaurants and bars, including the recently announced Professional Bull Riders country bar and the Bluemoon Tap House.
For some people, it’s a long time coming.
“Everything was run down,” Alex Gikakis, who lives near ODU, described. “It was a Hooters and everything was out of businesses and it was in bad shape.”
But others are worried the new businesses are much like what was here before - when the property shut down a few year ago.
Charlene Wallace doesn’t believe that’s a major concern.
“I think the type of restaurants that are coming in are a lot different from the restaurants we had there before,” Wallace said. “Their waterside districts in different cities – they seem to do well.”
With more dining possibly coming, some people hope their favorite spots will soon arrive downtown.
“There’s a place called Cava. It’s like a Mediterranean Chipotle. "It's in the D.C area,” Gikakas said.
Sitting on the Elizabeth River, Waterside just one of several new developments underway in the city.
“They’re really refurbishing everything. I think with the Main opening and Waterside opening – it’s gonna be a whole new city, a lot of economic growth,” Wallace said.
Waterside is expected to open late next month and will bring in nearly 1,000 jobs.
Click here for a full list of job openings and to apply.
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