Former Petersburg hospital site emerges as frontrunner for center-city supermarket
PETERSBURG — The long-wanted grocery store in the center of the city could be going up on the site of the former Southside Regional Medical Center if a northern Virginia development group has its say.
City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to authorize an agreement with Virginia Development Corp. LLC for a blueprint that would create a master plan for economic growth in downtown Petersburg and its immediate surroundings. That plan will be a big cog in the Partnership for Petersburg initiative's business pillar.
There has not been a brand-name grocery store in downtown or central Petersburg since IGA closed its South Adams Street store in 2020. That has been a contributing factor to Petersburg being rated as a "food desert" for its lack of access to major grocer chains, as well as the city consistently being ranked as the unhealthiest city in Virginia.
Ever since the PFP was announced last August, proponents have pushed for a downtown-area supermarket that would join three others in southern Petersburg as the city's only major-name grocers.
According to the resolution adopted by council Tuesday night, VDC identified the former SRMC site at 801 S. Adams St. as an ideal spot for a grocery store to anchor a mixed-use business and residential development. The 24-acre site has been unoccupied since 2003 when the hospital moved to its current campus off Wagner Road. The building the hospital left behind was knocked down in 2009, and the property has been vacant since then.
More:Old Petersburg hospital site among 15 that could benefit from new $1.6M grant from state
Other potential projects identified by VDC in the resolution are the construction of a new police station and courthouse complex downtown, and "scattered sites" across town where affordable housing could be placed.
The city is planning to convert the former Social Services building on Farmer Street into a new headquarters for Petersburg Police, replacing its current location at the corner of Tabb and Adams streets. Petersburg bought vacant property behind the current police headquarters to expand its courtroom facilities and build a precinct station for the police department.
Petersburg spokesperson Joanne Williams told The Progress-Index that the partnership is not costing the city any money up front.
VDC is a limited liability corporation set up by Cober, Johnson & Romney, a Washington, D.C.-based public-private partnership development firm. According to its website, CJR has managed public-private partnerships in Washington, Maryland and West Virginia.
According to its State Corporation Commission online profile, VDC was formally established in the state March 5. The registered agent is Harold Johnson II, a managing partner at CJR. A message left with him seeking comment on the partnership was not immediately returned.
Even though the former hospital site was mentioned as a possible landing spot for the grocery store, Williams said other proposed locations remain viable. That includes the vacant property at the corner of West Washington and North Union streets across from the Petersburg Multi-Modal Transportation Center.
"The city will continue to consider proposals submitted by qualified developers for a grocery or other uses on the site across the street from Transit," she said.
Late last month, City Council adopted a resolution encouraging Gov. Glenn Youngkin to introduce a 2022-24 budget amendment that would call for a downtown Petersburg grocery store.
More:Petersburg asks Youngkin for assistance with getting a center-city supermarket
More:Governor's advisor reiterates progress in Partnership for Petersburg during address to city GOP
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg announces partnerhip with developer for grocery store plan
