Pembroke Mall Transforms into Pembroke Square: A New Chapter for Virginia Beach

By HRCNN – Hampton Roads Construction News Network Managing Editor

The redevelopment of Pembroke Mall into Pembroke Square marks one of the most ambitious urban renewal projects Virginia Beach has seen in decades. Long known as a central retail hub, the site is now being reshaped into a mixed-use destination that combines housing, office, hospitality, and community amenities—all designed to meet the needs of a growing and evolving city.

At the heart of this transformation is Core 22 Design Build, the Virginia Beach–based firm entrusted with bringing the vision to life. Founded with a commitment to delivering high-quality, locally grounded projects, Core 22 has steadily built a reputation for combining innovative design with deep knowledge of regional development patterns. The firm’s role at Pembroke Square underscores its growing importance in shaping the urban fabric of Hampton Roads.

The project will introduce a blend of uses that go well beyond retail. Plans call for new residential units, modern office space, dining, and a hotel component—creating a 24/7 environment that supports both economic vitality and community engagement. For Virginia Beach, Pembroke Square is intended not only to replace the aging mall but also to anchor the broader Town Center district as the city’s signature urban core.

City leaders have framed the project as a model for future redevelopment efforts. By transitioning from single-purpose retail toward a mixed-use framework, Pembroke Square reflects national trends in commercial real estate while responding to local demand for housing, walkability, and sustainable infrastructure. The shift also signals how municipalities are rethinking suburban commercial corridors to meet 21st-century needs.

Core 22’s involvement ensures that the project is not simply about construction, but about long-term community integration. With a track record in residential and commercial development, the firm brings expertise in both vertical building and local site considerations—from zoning compliance to stormwater management. Their approach positions Pembroke Square as more than a redevelopment; it’s an investment in a resilient, livable future for Virginia Beach.

The economic impact of Pembroke Square is expected to be significant. Beyond the immediate construction jobs, the project will generate ongoing employment through retail, office, and hospitality operations. It also promises to expand the city’s tax base, contributing to infrastructure and services that benefit residents across Virginia Beach.

As Pembroke Square takes shape, it embodies a larger story unfolding in Hampton Roads: the reinvention of aging spaces into mixed-use anchors that support both growth and sustainability. With Core 22 Design Build at the helm, this redevelopment represents not just a new chapter for Town Center but a blueprint for how cities across Virginia can navigate the challenges—and seize the opportunities—of modern urban development.

About HRCNN The Hampton Roads Construction News Network (HRCNN) provides independent coverage of infrastructure, housing, zoning, and environmental policy across Virginia. By highlighting the intersection of local development and national trends, HRCNN delivers fact-driven reporting for industry professionals, policymakers, and the communities they serve.

Quarterra’s Arrival Could Reshape Virginia’s Housing Landscape

By HRCNN — Hampton Roads Construction News Network

In the Hampton Roads housing market, where inventory remains tight and prices continue to climb, the arrival of a national multifamily builder such as Quarterra carries consequences worth examining. While most headlines around housing tend to focus on interest rates or local rezonings, the deeper question is whether new players in the market can disrupt the longstanding supply-and-demand imbalance that keeps many entry-level buyers on the sidelines.

Quarterra, once part of Lennar and now a stand-alone multifamily powerhouse, has been steadily expanding its presence across Virginia. Its projects in Northern Virginia, such as the Lumen development at Tysons Corner, showcase a blend of scale, capital, and design that few local firms can match. And while Quarterra’s portfolio has traditionally been concentrated in larger metro areas, its national strategy and recent property management consolidation with Alfred’s RKW Residential signal an intent to broaden its footprint. For Hampton Roads, this could mean new development energy in cities like Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.

The significance is not only that new buildings would rise on local skylines, but that a company with Quarterra’s resources has the ability to deliver hundreds of units at once. In markets long dominated by a handful of builders, such capacity matters. Local firms often manage growth carefully, limiting inventory to maintain price strength. By contrast, a national multifamily developer is incentivized to build at scale, creating new supply that filters across price points. Even luxury apartments can relieve pressure on the overall market by drawing households upward and opening opportunities in more affordable segments.

This is particularly relevant in Hampton Roads, where buyers and renters alike face constrained options. For many young families, the price of new single-family homes has been pushed beyond reach, as builders hold pricing power in a market short on alternatives. The presence of a national builder with the ability to deliver volume may weaken that grip, easing scarcity and giving buyers relief from what has too often felt like a controlled market.

Still, the implications are complex. Local builders who have long set the terms of development may view Quarterra’s presence as unwelcome competition, especially if land values rise and project standards shift upward. Others may see opportunity in partnership, leveraging Quarterra’s capital and management infrastructure to pursue larger-scale developments together. Either way, the entry of a firm with national reach forces a recalibration of the region’s housing dynamics.

Quarterra’s recent financial moves underscore this potential. The company has engaged in multi-billion-dollar transactions, selling large portfolios to investors such as KKR and QuadReal, while reinvesting in select markets. With a management platform now overseeing more than 50,000 units nationwide, Quarterra has both the balance sheet and the operating infrastructure to scale quickly in regions where demand is strong. If Hampton Roads becomes a focus, local builders and policymakers will need to adapt to an environment where the pace of delivery is no longer set solely by local interests.

For buyers, that adaptation may be long overdue. Housing affordability in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and the broader region has become a persistent challenge. Introducing a new supply stream at scale could soften demand pressures, break through price locks, and open doors that have been closed for too many entry-level households. In the end, the presence of Quarterra in Virginia should be viewed less as a threat to established players and more as an opportunity for the market to reset — toward balance, toward competition, and, most importantly, toward relief for the families who simply need a place to call home.

About HRCNN The Hampton Roads Construction News Network (HRCNN) delivers independent, fact-based coverage of development, zoning, and infrastructure issues shaping Virginia. Our reporting provides residents, policymakers, and industry professionals with clear insight into how growth is managed across the region. By highlighting both local builders and national firms, HRCNN is committed to transparency, accountability, and advancing public understanding of the forces that are reshaping Hampton Roads.