ODU plan would replace local business with seven-story mixed-use building on Hampton Boulevard
Norfolk — Old Dominion University is advancing a proposal to redevelop a lot on Hampton Boulevard into a seven-story building combining ground-floor retail and 117 apartment units, a project its backers say would help chip away at Norfolk’s housing shortfall.
The property site, between 37th and 38th streets and currently occupied by a local business, is owned by ODU and the rezoning push is being driven by the university’s Real Estate Foundation. The Norfolk Planning Commission gave unanimous support to the concept. The next step is a rezoning decision from Norfolk City Council, following a public hearing held on Tuesday.
- Project size: seven stories
- Housing: 117 units
- Uses: ground-floor retail with residential above
Councilman Carlos Clanton, whose district includes the site, told the public hearing he favors the development in part because of Norfolk’s documented shortage of lower-income rental housing. He referenced the Mayor’s Housing Commission interim report that found the city is short about 12,000 rental units for households earning under $35,000 a year.
"For an immediate need right now, this particular project would help fill the gap. It's not just for Old Dominion University students, it's for the entire public," Clanton said.
Clanton described the proposed apartment mix as roughly divided into thirds across different affordability levels, a structure he said would create options in the “sweet spot” of affordability while still including market-rate units. That breakdown was cited at the hearing but has not been specified in ordinance language before council.
The ODU Real Estate Foundation framed the rezoning request in campus-planning terms, saying the location sits along a primary entry corridor into the university and that rezoning to the established Monarch Way zoning district would produce architectural uniformity with the campus region. In a statement, the foundation said the project aligns with the city’s Comprehensive Plan (NFK2050) and “is uniquely positioned to provide additional market-rate housing of 117 units with retail space.”
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Stories | 7 |
| Residential units | 117 |
| Current occupant | Muddy Paws (business) |
The proposal sits at the intersection of two priorities for city leaders: expanding housing supply and shaping development along corridors that feed the university and downtown. If council approves the rezoning, the project would move from concept to entitlement steps and then to design and permitting. Opponents or supporters from the neighborhood could still influence details such as unit mix, ground-floor uses, parking and public realm improvements as the process continues.
For residents, the central questions are immediate and practical: who can afford the new units, whether ground-floor retail will serve neighborhood needs, and how construction and increased density will affect traffic and street life along Hampton Boulevard. The development also ties into a larger pattern across the region: universities and institutional landowners increasingly look to mixed-use housing to both serve students and address broader municipal housing gaps.
With Planning Commission support secured, attention now turns to city councilmembers who will weigh the rezoning against neighborhood input and the city’s long-range goals. The decision will be closely watched by housing advocates and property owners as Norfolk pursues strategies to meet its pronounced rental shortfall.
