Anderson’s Home and Garden Showplace to open 35,000 SF center in Virginia Beach and create 48 jobs

July 15, 2014

Anderson’s Home and Garden Showplace has announced plans to build a 35,000-square-foot retail center on the corner of Sandbridge Road and Fisher Arch in Virginia Beach. The company has purchased the 6.7-acre site for $1.5 million. Construction costs are estimated to be $5 million, and completion is currently scheduled for March 2015.

Anderson’s Home & Garden Showplace opened in Newport News in 1954 and is a third-generation, family-owned business. The Virginia Beach location will be modeled after the Newport News location with a complete garden center, upscale café, full-service women’s boutique featuring fashion, handbags, shoes, and fragrances, design/build landscaping services and an extensive collection of seasonal, gift and home-décor items.

The Virginia Beach site is located within the Transition Area, which has unique land-use design guidelines to promote open space and rural-style architecture. Anderson’s team worked extensively with the city’s planning staff and the Citizen Design Review Committee, established by Councilwoman Barbara Henley, to create a layout consistent with the design principles for the area.

The company will add 48 new jobs with a projected annual payroll of $800,000.

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of our first store on the south side,” said Jason Blanchette, vice president of Anderson’s Home and Garden Showplace. “The Red Mill area of Virginia Beach is among the largest and most successful shopping districts in the region, and we believe that our store and gardens will serve as a complement to the thriving Red Mill shopping area and the serenity of Sandbridge.”

“This new addition to Virginia Beach will transform the area,” said Warren D. Harris, director of Economic Development. “The development plan combines a hybrid of land uses that creatively preserves open space and complements existing businesses in the area. Anderson’s Home and Garden Showplace has demonstrated its position as a super-regional retailer along the lines of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. It will have a wide appeal for local shoppers.”

The Virginia Beach Development Authority approved an Economic Development Investment Program grant in the amount of $75,000 based on the total capital investment for real estate, construction, furniture, equipment and fixtures. The award is subject to City Council approving the rezoning application at their August 19 meeting.

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.

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