Developers of the highly anticipated project at the Dome site have just revealed that construction of their new entertainment district could begin as early as fall of this year, after nearly three decades of serving as a parking lot.

The city demolished the landmark Dome venue at the corner of 19th Street and Pacific Avenue in 1994 and has long wanted a replacement. At the same time they’ve also been seeking ways to make the oceanfront more of a year-round draw than it presently is.

Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams answered the call with his concept for a ten acre entertainment complex that would include a 5,000 seat concert venue and a man-made wave park, the first on the East Coast. Virginia Beach City Council approved the plan in 2019, and we’ve finally got an idea of when groundbreaking will take place, as Venture Realty Group have indicated that it could happen in October or November this year.

The intentions of the developers are made clear at the project’s website, where the featured image of a surfer in clear water has the words “where the summer never ends” overlaying it. The wave park will be capable of 1,000 waves per hour, and will be heated, meaning wetsuits won’t be needed except on chillier winter days. The concert venue is expected to be used up to 200 days each year, and will have indoor/outdoor capabilities thanks to a large “hangar style” convertible door.

It will be a true mixed-use development, with plans showing 120,000 square feet of retail space for boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and personal services. There will also be 310 apartments on the site and 15,000 square feet of office space.

If construction does indeed go ahead this fall, completion of the $350 million Atlantic Park is expected in the summer of 2024.