Air Station Storage to Expand and Build a 71,400-Square-Foot Storage Facility in Virginia Beach

April 15, 2014

Air Station Storage will expand and build its second storage facility at 1889 Virginia Beach Blvd., near Naval Air Station Oceana, with access to Interstate 264 and Laskin Road.

The new 71,400-square-foot facility is owned by Davenport Group Real Estate, Inc. and Lefcoe Development Company. The site was purchased from the city through a Request for Proposals process.

“This project represents a substantial investment along this corridor of Virginia Beach Boulevard,” said Warren D. Harris, director of Virginia Beach Economic Development. “It is part of the YesOceana program that takes non-conforming properties surrounding Oceana and replaces them with conforming uses.”

The development replaces a former nightclub. This project and several other newly constructed and rehabilitated buildings have aided in the redevelopment of this area. The Air Station Storage expansion will complement neighboring businesses such as Cataldo Builders Inc. and London Bridge Auto Service.

The Virginia Beach Development Authority approved an Economic Development Investment Program grant in the amount of $80,000, based on the capital investment. Air Station Storage will invest more than $4 million in site improvements and construction costs.

Air Station Storage offers storage services to corporations and individuals in Virginia Beach for general, personal, military, student, automobile, boat or business use.

The YesOceana program was established in response to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s recommendation to close NAS Oceana in 2005. The innovative program moves nonconforming businesses out of Accident Potential Zone-1 and recruits businesses that meet zoning and conformity specifications into the area. It is the only program of its kind in the country, and YesOceana now serves as a model for other localities facing problems with encroachment around air installations. The program recently received its second national award in three years, as Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. was named the 2012 Elected Official of the Year by the Association of Defense Communities. Virginia Beach was previously named Active Base Community of the Year by the association in 2010.

The mission of the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development is to attract and retain national and international businesses to stimulate capital investment and create jobs. Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia with a population of 440,000, and it is the 37th largest in the United States. It is recognized as one of the Best Run Cities in America by 24/7 Wall St. The Department of Economic Development received re-accreditation through the International Economic Development Council in 2012 and is one of only 29 economic development organizations in the world to have this recognition. Virginia Beach has been recognized as the Top 7 Big City Leading the U.S. Manufacturing Revival by Forbes. It is listed among the Top Five Overall Mid-sized American Cities of the Future, Top 10 for Economic Potential and Top Five for Infrastructure by fDi Magazine. CNNMoney.com ranked Virginia Beach as the Easiest Place to Start a Business and the 2nd Most Business-Friendly City in the country. For more information, visit www.yesvirginiabeach.com.