Roses Coming to Portsmouth
Roses is joining the mix of retailers in Portsmouth. The new store will open in 50,000 square feet of commercial space at 3100 Airline Boulevard in the Airline Plaza Shopping Center. Tenant improvements are currently under construction and the discount retailer expects to open in mid-August and employ 30 to 40 people.
The new Roses store will offer a combination of “value-priced” merchandise that includes clothing and shoes for the entire family, home furnishings, housewares, toys, food, health and beauty products, and seasonal products such as, lawn and garden and Christmas decor, all at “value driven prices”!
Roses is owned by a subsidiary of Variety Wholesalers, Inc. Variety Wholesalers is a family owned business that has been operating since 1922, and has been listed in Fortune 500 magazine as one of the largest, privately owned companies in the United States. Its retail stores include Roses, Maxway and Super 10. The corporation operates over 425 stores across the Southeast. For more information on Variety Wholesalers, Inc, visit their website at www.vwstores.com.
back to top Meet our staff: Douglas Smith
Douglas Smith is the Building Official and Director of Permits and Inspections for the City of Portsmouth. After 20 years in building code enforcement for the City of Virginia Beach he served as the Code Official
for the Town of Cape Charles. During his tenure with Cape Charles he was responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, Property Maintenance Code, Statewide Fire Prevention Code, Zoning Ordinance, Floodplain Ordinance, and Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance. Mr. Smith earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Old Dominion University and was the 30th person to earn the prestigious Master Code Official certification from Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) International
. Along with state and national credentials as a Building Official, Fire Official, Property Maintenance Official, Floodplain Manager, Zoning Administrator, Erosion and Sedimentation Control Combination Administrator he is certified in all inspection and plan review disciplines. He has also earned certification from FEMA in Incident Command Systems 100, 200, 300, IS 700, and IS 800.
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We Want to Help You Jump Start Your Business
The City of Portsmouth is always open for business and we want to make doing business here very easy for you. Here are a few of the changes that we have made to show you that we mean business:
- No more bond required for DPOR licensed contractors - The City of Portsmouth has required all contractors to be bonded for many years. The recently amended code removes the requirement for bonding by contractors that are otherwise properly licensed by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). It is unnecessary to require a bond from properly licensed contractors because state laws already regulate contractor activity, including providing a recovery fund for faulty contractor work. Elimination of the unnecessary surety (bond) requirement is an attempt to create a more business friendly environment.
- Temp C. O. Policy - The formalization of a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy policy is an effort to create a vehicle for developers to occupy structures prior to formal completion of a project in instances where unforeseen delays occur. In this way, a developer can begin realizing a return on investment and the city can ensure the required life safety systems are in place while other issues are accounted for and completed in an appropriate manner.
- Early electrical release - This initiative responds to the contractor’s request for flexibility to use the electric power as necessary during the construction process and eliminates duplication of efforts by both the contractor and City staff. This effort allows electrical service to a project much earlier than historically allowed while maintaining a safe construction environment.
Should you have any questions about this process, please contact the Department of Permits and Inspections at (757) 393-8531.
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