The sprawling Frank Williams Farm in Chesapeake, Virginia, has long been eyed as a development prize, but the project now known as Praetorian Park is taking a major step forward with the selection of a lead engineering and planning firm. Praetorian Fund announced today that Kimley-Horn will guide the design, infrastructure coordination, and entitlement strategy for the proposed 4,000-plus-acre innovation hub, and released the first conceptual renderings shaped by feedback from Virginia residents.
Situated in the southernmost tip of Chesapeake near the North Carolina border, the property—already referred to by the city and state as the Virginia Coastal Commerce Park—comes with existing development entitlements that make it one of the most compelling large-scale opportunities in the Commonwealth. Kimley-Horn, which has years of prior familiarity with the land, will help establish a framework for land uses, parcel configurations, and connections between development zones.
“I have worked on this property for many years, well before Praetorian became involved, and it is exciting to see this next chapter take shape,” said Randy Royal, P.E., Principal at Kimley-Horn. “Our work will focus on translating the final vision into a practical planning framework by understanding the land, evaluating infrastructure needs, and organizing complementary uses in a way that supports the property’s long-term potential.”
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Beyond the initial development phases, Praetorian Park is being planned as a magnet for complementary industries and destinations that can fuel sustained regional economic growth. The vision spans technology, sports, entertainment, advanced manufacturing, and defense. Roughly 1,400 acres are already covered by a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that allows for advanced manufacturing and digital infrastructure, but the overall concept reaches far beyond those boundaries.
“One of our primary focuses while pursuing this opportunity was to ensure that local influence would help shape the vision and planning,” said Jack Fulton, Founder and Chairman of Praetorian Fund. “My hope is that the community appreciates local involvement and how much care is going into the planning. Many communities around the country are not as fortunate. Had we not stepped in and committed when we did, the community would likely have seen a technology giant bring its own vision without local input. Kimley-Horn brings exactly what we were looking for: familiarity with the City of Chesapeake and its citizens. Its local understanding, combined with its broad engineering and planning capabilities, is exactly what we need to make Praetorian Park a reality. We expect to announce additional partners as our plans progress.”
To keep the public looped in, Praetorian has set up an online public feedback portal where community members can submit ideas that will inform the project’s evolving design. Conceptual renderings and further details are available at www.praetorianpark.com.
Why it matters: This project represents one of the largest undeveloped tracts in coastal Virginia being shaped by deliberate local input rather than a single corporate agenda. If realized, Praetorian Park could redefine economic development in the Hampton Roads region by creating a self-reinforcing ecosystem of industries, entertainment, and advanced manufacturing that generates jobs and tax revenue for decades.
Praetorian Fund
Praetorian Fund LLC
757-919-4027
media@thepraetorianfund.com
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