Planner urges action on long-vacant Armistead Avenue property and Mercury Boulevard redevelopment timeline

Aaron Weaver told the council that the long-vacant property at 101 North Armistead Avenue has become a site for public-safety and quality-of-life concerns, including sheltering and public activity, and urged coordinated action with the Old Hampton community.

"This property has been vacant for a long time and has been listed for sale for quite a while... This property has become a place where the homeless population seeks shelter, uses the restroom, and engages in activity that should not be done in public," Weaver said. He said successful revitalization of nearby neighborhoods will require addressing safety and core community issues and called for more communication and partnership in deciding an appropriate reuse.

Weaver also asked about the city-owned parcel at 1809 West Mercury Boulevard (behind a commercial site known locally as the Hooters lot), seeking clarity on the timeline for larger-scale redevelopment. City Manager Mary Bunton responded later in the meeting that the Mercury property is part of the Coliseum Central Master Plan, that active plans exist and that an unsolicited proposal process is being used to recruit potential developers; she cautioned that specifics are limited while competitive processes remain in play.

Council did not vote on action tied to either property during the meeting.