VIRGINIA BEACH — City Council abruptly paused its search for a tenant to repurpose the former Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art property after reviewing multiple proposals that didn’t address a key concern.

The ongoing cost to keep the 37-year-old building up and running has become a tipping point in its future. None of the nine proposals addressed covering those expenses as the city hoped they would, said Councilman Worth Remick, who represents the district.

“No one said they’ll pay utilities or take care of maintenance,” Remick said. “No one came forward and convinced council that that particular proposal made sense.”

The council is now cautiously considering its options and what comes next.

The museum recently closed and is in the process of relocating to the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University.

Community members are afraid the building will sit vacant, could fall into disrepair and attract “undesirable activity,” wrote Resort Advisory Commission Chair Chuck Cayton in a Jan. 8 letter to the City Council and city officials.

“What was presented as an initial step toward determining the future use of the MOCA facility appears, at this time, to have stalled without explanation regarding how or why decisions were made,” Cayton wrote. “RAC members are increasingly concerned that the building and property at 2200 Parks Avenue may be left vacant and insufficiently managed, placing this $7 million cultural asset at risk.”

The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Feb. 4, 2025. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

Maintenance costs

Keep the building in working order costs $250,000 a year, according to the city. Current capital maintenance expenses, including window and door replacement as well as a new roof warranty, will cost nearly $1 million.

The city issued a “request for interest” in the lease of 2200 Parks Ave. last April, which laid out the desire to unload some of that burden on a tenant.

“The City anticipates that any new user(s) would be responsible for these ongoing costs,” the request said.

In September, after reviewing nine proposals in a closed meeting, council members decided to cancel the solicitation, according to a city spokesperson. No public explanation was provided.

Remick said the council plans to convene a panel soon to advise the council on next steps.

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“We don’t want to make a mistake,” Remick said. “We want to proceed cautiously.”

The proposals

The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of each of the proposals seeking to lease the property from the city through a Freedom of Information Act request.

They included a wide range of cultural art concepts from local entities, with many focused on community classes and special events.

Among them, a cultural co-op, dubbed The Virginia Beach Arts & Environmental Center, with Little Theatre of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach Art Center, ViBe Creative District and Lynnhaven River NOW sharing the space.

Other submissions included “VB Imaginarium,” a Virginia Beach Public Library children’s art and literacy learning lab; new studios for Ballet Virginia; and a naval museum proposed by The Navy League of the United States, Hampton Roads.

A cultural center, wellness and art therapy space, a co-working space, a performing arts venue, and an educational center were among the other proposals.

In a recent interview, Mayor Bobby Dyer didn’t completely rule out any of them.

“We’re weighing each one because it’s very valuable property, and we want to get it right,” Dyer said.

A cultural asset

For more than three decades, 2200 Parks Ave. has been home to a vibrant art museum, providing the community with a space for exhibits, events, classes and more.

“It has been one of the resort area’s few major cultural venues and remains an important anchor within the ViBe Creative District,” Cayton wrote. “Allowing this facility to sit dark would be a significant loss to our citizens, our growing creative community of artists, musicians and entrepreneurs, and our tourism economy.”

The land and building is assessed by the city at $7.1 million. But the property has its limitations in terms of zoning and environmental factors.

The land comprises roughly 9 acres and is zoned for preservation. Residential, commercial, lodging or office uses are not allowed in a preservation area. If the city rezoned the land, residential and assembly use would not be permitted because it sits in a high noise area from Naval Air Station Oceana.

Nearly the entire property is within a flood hazard zone, roughly 3 acres contains wetlands and another 3½ acres are within 100 feet of the Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area.

The condition of the building will be reassessed after the museum vacates the property, Dyer said.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com

https://www.dailypress.com/2026/01/25/whats-next-for-moca-property/