Vacant Nordstorm In Norfolk Could Be Filled With City Offices

The city of Norfolk is reportedly planning to fill the vacant Nordstrom department store it currently has ownership of with its own offices.

A proposal for city staff to begin exploring how to convert the former three-floor, 130,000-square foot department store into an office for several Norfolk city departments that currently lease space at the property was approved by the city council on Tuesday, WAVY.com reports.

The city had initially hoped another retailer would purchase the MacArthur Center property, which closed last year after two decades. However, realtors told WAVY that it would be difficult to find a buyer given the decrease in popularity of mall department stores.

Chief Deputy City Manager Wynter Benda said the city began taking a serious look at Nordstrom as a government office building option after COVID-19 put a strain on city budgets. Benda said the building provided an alternative that would save more than $700,000 in real estate leases and house more than 300 employees, WAVY reports.

The former Nordstrom building may be used for IT, utilities, economic development and neighborhood development departments.

“It was very real for us to look at the 130,000 square feet,” Benda said via WAVY.

Benda confirmed it would cost the city $14.85 million to retrofit the former Nordstrom store, which would be the first time Norfolk turned a mall department store into office space.

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