VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: Gerald Divaris, chairman/ceo of Divaris Real Estate, is continuing the process of building Virginia Beach's Central Business District in Pembroke. Columbus Village East, a $10 million dollar shopping promenade on approximately six acres of land, will be the latest development in Virginia Beach's Central Business District. 

Divaris has promoted the Pembroke area as Virginia Beach's Central Business District for over 15 years and has an office full of renderings of high-rise office buildings, shopping centers and luxury hotels to prove it. Always determined, Divaris keeps moving forward. Now, Interface Properties, Inc., a Florida-based company responsible for the development of Jefferson Plaza in Newport News, announced their plans to develop Columbus Village East. Construction is due to begin in September,1999 for a late spring, early summer, 2000 opening.

Columbus Village East will sit on Virginia Beach Boulevard, at the corner of Beasley Drive. This site is just east of the Divaris leased and managed One Columbus Center, the only Class A, 11-story high rise building in Virginia Beach. Directly to the west of the site is the Columbus Village Entertainment Center, a 15-acre development created by Divaris which houses Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Planet Music, Bed Bath and Beyond, a 12-screen Regal Cinemas complex, LensCrafters, Chesapeake Bagel Bakery and Schlotsky's Deli.

Columbus Village East will not be your average strip center. Designed by Mike Ashe of Ballou Justice Upton & Associates, the former Chrysler Plymouth Auto dealership will become a 63,000 square foot, pedestrian-friendly, shopping precinct. Crosswalks will be paved with bricks or a similar surface, parking spaces will be easily accessible to the shops, and lighting and landscaping will border the center. The center is being leased and will be managed by Divaris Real Estate and Divaris Property Management Corp.

The property has been purchased by an affiliate of Interface Properties of Boca Raton, Florida for $3,300,000. In addition to the Chrysler dealership, Divaris arranged for a ground lease of an out parcel site immediately adjacent to the former Chrysler dealership. This out parcel property will be combined with the dealership property in order to provide access to the traffic light at Silverbrook Lane.

Several national and specialty retailers, including Giuliano's Fresh Market and Restaurante, Noodle Kidoodle and Silver Diner have signed leases for space in Columbus Village East. They will be joined by other tenants whose leases are in the course of being finalized.

Giuliano's Fresh Market and Restaurante, will open its first prototype store in Columbus Village East. The 21,600 square foot, gourmet food store will anchor the shopping center. It will feature a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, imported prepackaged foods and dairy products as well as a multitude of specialty grocery items. Giuliano's will also include an in-store delicatessen, bakery, butcher and fish shop as well as an extensive wine and cheese section featuring only the best local and imported products. Patrons of Giuliano's also will be able to dine in the sit-down restaurant and enjoy fine cuisine prepared by gourmet chefs. For those who wish to eat at home, Giuliano's will also offer take-out and catering services.

Noodle Kidoodle, a specialty retailer of children's educational and creative products, will take 10,600 square feet of space in Columbus Village East. The store offers over 25,000 educational items designed to stimulate a child's imagination, while contributing to his or her growth and development. The first Noodle Kidoodle store opened in November of 1993 in Greenvale, New York, and today the company operates over 46 stores nationwide. Each store features designated play areas, computer centers and electronic learning areas, plus a Kidoodle Theater where you will find groups of children gathered around a giant video screen. Noodle Kidoodle's policy is strictly "please touch."

Silver Diner, a 5,000 square foot, diner-style restaurant, plans to make Columbus Village East its newest and first location outside the Washington D.C. market. The Mid-Atlantic based restaurant features a broad menu which emphasizes the way people eat today: low salt, fresh ingredients and cholesterol-free oil. Customers can order anything from a plain bagel to a half-pound burger and fries, to an herb grilled chicken breast dinner, each of which is made to order. The Silver Diner is open from 7:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, and 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on weekends. Each 1950's style restaurant is designed in gleaming stainless steel, glass block and tile, and features roomy booths, soda fountains, and can seat up to 240 patrons.

"Pembroke will continue to be a destination for local and visiting shoppers," said Gerald Divaris. "Columbus Village East is expected to enjoy the same unparalleled success as Columbus Village Entertainment Center has consistently seen."