Jobs on the way to Hampton Roads

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) - Fifty new stores and thousands of jobs are headed to Hampton Roads.  That announcement was made Tuesday afternoon at the new Peninsula Town Center .

"It's like a phoenix rising out from the ashes from what used to be here," says Vanessa from Virginia Beach.

Three years ago, Vanessa refused to shop at the Hampton Coliseum Mall.  Fast forward to Tuesday, and where the mall once stood is now the Peninsula Town Center.  It's a new, multi-million-dollar project, boasting apartments, shopping, dining and more.

"I heard there's going to be a Chico's and there's also going to be some great restaurants I've never heard of before, so I'm looking forward to that," says Vanessa.

Restaurants like Cinebistro, a movie theater and bowling alley--it's the first of its kind in the Commonwealth.

"Full service inside the movie theatre, inside of each of our auditoriums. There's eight in total," says Fred Meyers of Cinebistro. "We'll offer the same service you've come to know and love at some of the finer restaurants you've gone to, but again, in a little bit more of a relaxed atmosphere."

Meyers tells WAVY.com he plans to hire between 80 and 90 employees when the theater opens in July. Tack that on to the number of jobs expected when all stores open near the end of the year, and management says expect upwards of 3,000 new job opportunities.

"We are going to generate probably sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars range, so those jobs we're going to create are going to present payrolls in the 50, 60, 70-million dollar range and then those people will spend their money in the economy," says Yaromir Steiner, developer of the Peninsula Town Center.

Jobs and revenue generation is great news for local businesses.

"Me being a chef in the area, it is really going to bring a lot of people to work out here and that's a plus for me," says Roland Weldon of Hampton.

For Roland the chef, the new development leaves a good taste in his mouth.

"I'm really pleased with Hampton for what they did here," he said.

More information:
If you'd like to apply for jobs at the Peninsula Town Center, click here.

For a list of the new stores, click here.

The Peninsula Town Center's grand opening is scheduled for March 11, 2010.