Developer Robert L. "Bobby" Freeman Jr. is seeking zoning approval to build a 70,000-square-foot e-commerce center in Hampton, Va., that will include self-storage as well as office and retail space. The proposed site at Aberdeen Road and Todds Lane currently has a gas station, which is owned by the Freeman family. The development will be privately financed, according to the source.

May 6, 2015

2 Min Read
Self-Storage Proposed as Part of E-Commerce Center in Hampton, VA

Developer Robert L. "Bobby" Freeman Jr. is seeking zoning approval to build a 70,000-square-foot e-commerce center in Hampton, Va., that will include self-storage as well as office and retail space. The proposed site at Aberdeen Road and Todds Lane currently has a gas station, which is owned by the Freeman family. The development will be privately financed, according to the source.

The three-story building will provide small online retailers a place to work, store their goods and have access to a shipping company, Freeman told the “Daily Press” during a 30-minute presentation last week. It will feature 50,000 square feet of self-storage, 15,000 square feet of office space and 3,000 square feet of retail, he said. The offices on the third floor will be 400 to 600 square feet each.

"The Internet is transforming the way we buy goods and services, so that those old shopping centers are becoming dinosaurs," said Freeman, who developed Port Warwick, a mixed-use community in Newport News, Va.

Freeman chose the location because of its close access to the highway and centralized location on the Peninsula. The proposed development falls within the Coliseum Central Business Improvement District (BID), a special service-taxing district authorized under Virginia Commonwealth Law. It encompasses more than 1,900 commercial acres and represents more than 700 property owners and businesses.

The proposal for the e-commerce center was well-received by board members of the Coliseum Central BID, Freeman told the source.

The storage facility is the second one proposed for the Coliseum Central. The city council approved the development of a three-story self-storage facility along Cunningham Drive in February. Developed by Michael D. Sifen Inc., the property will encompass 135,000 square feet of storage space and 900 units. It will have 27 parking spaces as well as 1,000 square feet of retail space. Construction has yet to begin.

Sources:

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