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Norfolk City Council approves plan to buy Greenies, Ocean View Diner

Posted at 12:24 PM, Mar 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-14 07:26:38-04

NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk City Council members unanimously voted on Tuesday to spend over $2 million to purchase the Ocean View bar Greenie's and the Ocean View Diner.

Mayor Kenny Alexander announced the city would purchase the properties during his state of the city address on Friday afternoon, saying the city wants to improve beach access. "That's our beach," Alexander said.

The news of the proposed purchases has generated a lot of reaction in Ocean View. "I know Greenie's is an icon in Ocean View, but it's time to move on," Councilman Tommy Smigiel wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend. "The city did not strong arm anyone into selling."

The bar is owned by Boone family, who declined to comment on Monday morning. Smigiel said the price is the appraised value of the property.

Smigiel said the city has many options on what to do with the property, but said it will likely be parking for Ocean View Beach Park and for people using the beach. He added that the city may be interested in seeing if a restaurant company would be interested in purchasing it. "I am looking forward to having additional conversations with the community on their vision for this waterfront property," he wrote.

The purchases could take up to 60 days to complete, according to a city spokesperson. There's no word right now on when the places would close.