In this quiet time between holidays, we are reflecting back on a year of rebuilding and reimagining the NEON District. Although some friends and businesses moved on, progress is still here, always incrementally building up. More than a decade after the formation of the District, we can see the payoff from years of community building and dedication to the arts. Here’s what we accomplished together this year:
- The City of Norfolk began the long-awaited construction project on Granby Street to upgrade badly aging utilities and overhaul the streetscape with new lighting, sidewalks and landscaping
- The Hurrah Players had a huge year, celebrating an impressive 40th anniversary, transitioning to a NEON District campus, and opening the first and only television and film academy in Hampton Roads, a $1.5 million investment
- Virginia Opera launched a gorgeous new brand and kicked off the 50th anniversary season, which will culminate this spring with the world premiere of Loving v. Virginia, a groundbreaking new opera centered on the landmark civil rights case
- After two years of development and a $40 million investment in the neighborhood, new apartments Fusion at NEON opened with capacity for more than 300 new residents
- Chrysler Museum of Art opened the expansion of the Perry Glass Studio, a transformative $55 million investment that further cements Norfolk as a worldwide glass center
- Houndstooth was announced in April–The Breeden Company’s plan to redevelop the former Greyhound Bus Station into a high-quality, mixed-use multifamily development
- Revamping the NEON Festival production paid off, with glowing reviews from the public, increased attendance and grants paid to 15 local event producers and curators
- The Plot, NEON’s central square, had more than 9,000 visits from folks stopping to by to shop local markets, attend a free show, participate in a fitness class, or take a mural tour
- 9 creative projects and one large-scale mural were completed, showcasing the talents of students, local artists of all calibers and even a community crochet club
- The NEON wayfinding signs, originally installed in 2017, received a complete refresh and a new set of locally sourced art prints
- Downtown Norfolk received a Retain Your Grant grant award to replant tree wells on Olney Road with salt-tolerant plants to aid in water retention in the flood-prone intersection