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By Daniel Evans

On Jan. 15, the Suffolk City Council approved an additional $500,000 in funding for The Point at Harbour View project, hoping to entice a developer to build on 10 undeveloped acres by extending Ironside Drive.

The item was discussed during a work session and passed as part of the council’s consent agenda during the meeting.

The vote centered on the 10 acres and the Ironside Drive extension, but the overall project also has a significant residential component. This includes Attain at Harbour View, featuring 300 rental units, Harbour View Townhomes with 100 units for sale, and mixed-use condos with 99 units available for purchase.

Deputy City Manager Kevin Hughes informed the city council that construction of retail and commercial businesses is underway on other parcels, with at least three businesses set to open by early summer. Hughes specifically mentioned a salon and Gianna’s Seafood Chop House as two of these businesses during his presentation. Additionally, the owner of Gianna’s is building a speculative retail building.

“We are currently talking to a brewery, coffee shops, and good, I think, uses that folks will find of interest,” Hughes said, also mentioning a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant. 

A Home 2 Suites Hotel will also be built off Point Place, and another hotel is planned where “due diligence” is still being completed before a deal can be announced. 

However, a 10-acre plot of land remains available for development as part of the overall project. According to Hughes, developers are waiting for Ironside Drive to be extended before they seriously consider their options.

“The reason we are here today and excited about where we’ve been and where we are heading is to lead to this opportunity because the visibility is so significant,” Hughes said, referring to the residual property’s location near Interstate 664. “We’ve been showing this residual parcel to a lot of folks in the retail industry … and the feedback is ‘OK, great, let us know when you’re there.’”

In the original capital improvement plan, $700,000 from the Route 17 Taxing District was slated to be used toward the Ironside Drive extension. However, bids for the project came in at $1.1 million, leading to the request for an additional $500,000.

“We think it’s an opportunity, whether it’s a potential office use or to win an economic development project, or maybe something from an entertainment concept,” Hughes said. “The [Economic Development Authority] will have the ability to make decisions in using that land, potentially as an incentive to bring something very interesting that we think will benefit the city. Having the road in place really answers a lot of questions and helps in the marketing component.”

Hughes said he’s basically heard, “Call us when you’re serious.”

“And you aren’t serious until you can see it, you touch it, you can visualize it and so, it’ll give us the opportunity once we have the road in place to go much harder toward some of these interesting types of uses,” Hughes said. “We want to have a positive impact on the residents and be an economic development driver.”

Hughes said the residual parcel is slated to be used as a retail, commercial or entertainment space, not for residential use. 

“We’ve got to do as much work as we can, making good decisions and working with interested parties to figure it out and see what that deal looks like,” Hughes said.