VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — While it's been quite some time since the old Circuit City building in Virginia Beach's Town Center had a Black Friday sale, the building area it sits on could soon be up for sale itself.
On Friday, the Virginia Beach Development Authority gave the green light for staff to solicit bids to demolish the property.
Built in 1982, those living in Hampton Roads before the end of the 2000s can remember what filled the more than 37,000-square-foot building off of South Independence Boulevard.
"Circuit City is appliances, electronics, TVs, radios, cell phones, and things like that," Harvey Nash, who was parked in the parking lot while delivering DoorDash, said.
In 2009 when Circuit City went bankrupt the building closed up and was empty until the Virginia Beach Development Authority (VBDA) acquired the it in August of 2009 for $5 million.
Over the years other appliance stores, and even a car dealership, filled the space but nothing long-term.
There were talks to make the building a substation for the expansion of Norfolk's light rail but it never moved forward.
News
Virginia Beach moves forward with development of Rudee Loop
At one point the city was using the building for storage, but with ongoing expenses, the city is looking to demolish it.
"We recently received a water bill for $500 and had to go investigate that, and not just the utilities, but there's ongoing staff time to deal with graffiti removal, debris removal, and landscape maintenance," Emily Archer, project development administrator, for the department of economic development, said.
The cost for demolition is expected to be around $300,000 to $400,000.
City staff believe removing the building but leaving the slab it sits on would make requests for development attractive.
It's something those living in Hampton Roads is a way Town Center can expand.
"I think it's a good idea if the city is not doing anything, and they want to make it do something, I think that's fine," Nash said.
City officials said any movement on demolition won't likely happen until the start of next year.
