The City of Newport News is developing a year-round Seafood Market and Commercial Kitchen in the Marshall-Ridley Choice Neighborhood. A Seafood Market was identified as a priority for the community through the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) planning grant process and is one of the Critical Community Improvements being supported by the CNI funds.
The Market will be located at the beginning of the city’s existing Seafood Industrial Park. It is anticipated that the market will include fresh raw seafood and produce as well as other food and beverage products for on-site dining or take-out. Plans also may include events and entertainment, and an anticipated commercial kitchen component could provide an opportunity for culinary training, community classes and demonstrations in nutrition, food handling, culinary skills and more.
Community input is playing a large role in the development of the operating plan for the Seafood Market, and we want to hear from you. Please complete an online survey by Friday, April 30. The Fall 2019 cohort of the Neighborhood Leadership Series II (NLS II) took a leadership role in researching and evaluating the market’s feasibility and worked to define the concept for the market further as part of its class project. This diligent work is serving as a foundation for developing the operating plan and the design and function of the seafood market. The city has contracted with Hill Studio PC to create an operating model for the market. The Hill Studio PC team includes: Virginia Tech’s Office of Economic Development; Richmond-based CarverCo, a real estate development and advisory company; Sterling Solutions, a national leader in seafood handling solutions; and, Patrick Arnold, owner of the New England Seafood Cluster and Icelandic Seafood Cluster. To learn more about CNI and the city’s Transformation Plan, visit www.newportnewschoice.com
