Newport News joins forces with Armada Hoffler Properties on new office building

The Brooks Crossing development in Newport News is getting a new 95,000-square-foot office building.

The city has announced that its Economic Development Authority, Newport News Shipbuilding and Southeast Commerce Center Associates SECCA, (an entity formed between former Newport News Southeast Community native Aaron Brooks and Armada Hoffler Properties), have agreed to a collaborative partnership to construct the building in the city’s Southeast Community.

Armada Hoffler Properties, a Virginia Beach-based REIT, will develop, construct and own the building.  Newport News Shipbuilding plans to occupy 80,000 square feet of the space, where it will locate nearly 600 engineering and design employees.

“Brooks Crossing is a powerful example of community stakeholders coming together to make a meaningful impact on the Southeast Community by creating employment and fostering economic prosperity, which will hopefully produce a ripple effect that will be felt throughout the city and beyond,” Louis S. Haddad, CEO of Armada Hoffler Properties, said in a statement.

The Newport News Economic Development Authority plans to lease the remaining 15,000 square feet for new ventures, including STEM education and entrepreneurial initiatives.
“The presence of community space will also provide us with creative opportunities to expand our already strong STEM outreach efforts,” said Bill Bell, Newport News Shipbuilding’s vice president of human resources and administration.

Armada Hoffler Properties plans to break ground on the project next summer, with an expected occupancy in late 2018.
Located in the 3000 block of Jefferson Avenue, Brooks Crossing is a mixed-use development begun in 2015. Anchors include Jim’s Local Market, an independent, full-service grocery store, and the Newport News South Police Precinct. Other tenants include Eagles Nest Learning Center and Virginia ABC.