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Hampton Planning Commission approves 'e-commerce' center
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A developer who plans to build an "e-commerce center" aimed at servicing online retailers received an initial approval from the city's Planning Commission on Thursday.
Robert L. "Bobby" Freeman Jr. plans to build the 94,000-square-foot center, designed to attract Internet retailers looking for office and storage space in the same location. The building will also include a showroom, giving tenants a place to display their products.
"Internet sales are growing at a higher and higher percentage every year," said Freeman, who exclusively announced his plans to the Daily Press in May. "The old dynamic of buying goods from bricks and mortar is dramatically changing."
He will now need to shop his plan to the City Council – likely at its Aug. 12 meeting — to receive the rezoning needed for the project. He now has the backing of both city planners and the Planning Commission.
"When you're a seller on the other end of a click, you can walk downstairs, get your inventory then take it right over to our shipping space," Freeman said.
Freeman, who developed Port Warwick in Newport News, said his proposed project at Aberdeen Road and Todds Lane will also become a space where people can sell their excess and unwanted items online through auction websites such as Ebay.
The building will include about 71,000 square feet of storage, 19,000 square feet of office space and 4,650 square feet of retail space, although those figures are fluid, Freeman said.
"The office space would attract more small businesses and workers to the Coliseum Central District, which is a policy that is detailed in the Community Plan," city planners wrote in their recommendation to the Planning Commission.
Coliseum Central business improvement district president Bradford Brown said the board believes the proposal would improve the site.
"Coliseum Central is particularly impressed with the quality, services, and amenities which have been incorporated with this new prototype commercial building," Brown wrote in a letter to city planners. "This project could also serve as an incubator for small Internet businesses by offering affordable office and much needed quality storage facility."
Freeman has said the Coliseum Central location is ideal because of its close access to the highway and its centralized location on the Peninsula.
If he receives final approval, it could take about 16 to 18 months to finalize plans and construction, Freeman said.
Source:http://www.dailypress.com/
Robert L. "Bobby" Freeman Jr. plans to build the 94,000-square-foot center, designed to attract Internet retailers looking for office and storage space in the same location. The building will also include a showroom, giving tenants a place to display their products.
"Internet sales are growing at a higher and higher percentage every year," said Freeman, who exclusively announced his plans to the Daily Press in May. "The old dynamic of buying goods from bricks and mortar is dramatically changing."
He will now need to shop his plan to the City Council – likely at its Aug. 12 meeting — to receive the rezoning needed for the project. He now has the backing of both city planners and the Planning Commission.
"When you're a seller on the other end of a click, you can walk downstairs, get your inventory then take it right over to our shipping space," Freeman said.
Freeman, who developed Port Warwick in Newport News, said his proposed project at Aberdeen Road and Todds Lane will also become a space where people can sell their excess and unwanted items online through auction websites such as Ebay.
The building will include about 71,000 square feet of storage, 19,000 square feet of office space and 4,650 square feet of retail space, although those figures are fluid, Freeman said.
"The office space would attract more small businesses and workers to the Coliseum Central District, which is a policy that is detailed in the Community Plan," city planners wrote in their recommendation to the Planning Commission.
Coliseum Central business improvement district president Bradford Brown said the board believes the proposal would improve the site.
"Coliseum Central is particularly impressed with the quality, services, and amenities which have been incorporated with this new prototype commercial building," Brown wrote in a letter to city planners. "This project could also serve as an incubator for small Internet businesses by offering affordable office and much needed quality storage facility."
Freeman has said the Coliseum Central location is ideal because of its close access to the highway and its centralized location on the Peninsula.
If he receives final approval, it could take about 16 to 18 months to finalize plans and construction, Freeman said.
Source:http://www.dailypress.com/