If you live in Ghent, West Ghent, Larchmont, or Lambert’s Point, you have watched this stretch of Hampton Boulevard turn from warehouse skin into something you can actually walk into. The temptation is to call it a new destination. That framing misses what changed.
The Railyard at Lambert’s Point is a shortcut. Six errands that used to send you across three ZIP codes now sit inside three blocks between W. 24th and W. 26th Streets. That is the story worth telling your neighbors, because it changes how a Norfolk weekend gets scheduled.
The Three-Block Map, Oriented
Before you file this under “another mixed-use project,” look at the footprint. The Railyard now spans 109,200 square feet of new and revitalized space, supporting an estimated 350 jobs, on a $30–$40 million investment. Meredith Construction has long owned four of the five historic buildings on the site, constructed between 1920 and 1940; those structures have been repurposed alongside five newly constructed buildings between W. 24th and W. 26th Streets.
Location does the heavy lifting here. The site sits between ODU, CHKD, EVMS, Sentara, and Naval Station Norfolk, with 100,000+ square feet of entertainment, restaurants, office and retail space. That means the crowd at 11:45 a.m. on a Tuesday is not the crowd at 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday. Residents who learn that rhythm get the best seats twice.
Design decision worth understanding: since Hampton Boulevard does not provide a comfortable pedestrian entryway, storefronts have been oriented toward the new courtyard and green space. Translation for anyone approaching from the street: do not judge the place from the sidewalk. Walk in.
What’s Actually Open, By Address
The tenant list has been reported in pieces. Here it is in one place, with the addresses that matter when you are trying to meet a friend.
- Afterglow Brewery — the anchor beer program. Owner Josh Evans opened his first and only location here after seeing potential in an empty warehouse with a dirt backyard.
- Biscuit Belly — brunch, at 2401 Hampton Blvd. The regional chain opened in the Railyard at Lambert’s Point with a “brunch menu filled with bold new twists on Southern favorites.”
- Just Birdies — the Friday-night play. A new entertainment venue with seven multi-sport game simulators, accommodating everything from golf lessons to softball to zombie dodgeball, with a restaurant, bar, and live music.
- Chicken Salad Chick — a dozen chicken salad options at 1200 W. 26th St.
- StretchLab — one-on-one, customized assisted stretching sessions on custom benches with Flexologists, at 1225 W. 25th St.
- Nothing Bundt Cakes, CycleBar, Jimmy Johns, and Vogue Lashes & Spa — all confirmed as open by the developer.
- Sanctuary — the tacos. The restaurant has a second location in the Neon District, but the Railyard build seats 150 versus the Neon District’s 58.
Two more that are technically not inside the Railyard but sit close enough to plan around: Momo Kitchen brings Nepali dumplings to the Railyard District off Hampton Blvd., and Ten10, the Mediterranean-American diner, recently added a location on Hampton Blvd. near the Naval base.
The Lidl Question Changes The Math
Here is the update most residents have not caught. The anchor grocery store was the reason a lot of Larchmont and West Ghent neighbors treated this project as a lifestyle upgrade rather than an entertainment cluster. A planned Lidl grocery store that would have been the anchor of the newly redeveloped Railyard at Lambert’s Point along Hampton Boulevard is likely not happening, according to the city.
That matters because a brewery, a taco spot, a bundt cake counter, and a stretching studio are all discretionary trips. A grocery store would have been the one errand you could not skip. Without it, the Railyard stays a place you choose to go, not a place your Thursday routine drags you through. If you were factoring “walk to Lidl” into your neighborhood math, redraw the map.
Read the physical footprint with that in mind. The courtyard features a stage for live events, space for a farmers market, and a historic train engine, serving as the backdrop for “The Railyard at Lambert’s Point” sign at the north end of the project. A farmers market slot in the courtyard is now the closest thing to fresh-groceries programming on the site. Watch that calendar.
The Left-Turn Rule Nobody Warned You About
If you drive here from Larchmont or from anywhere north on Hampton Boulevard, this is the one operational detail worth memorizing. Heading north on Hampton Blvd., toward the naval base, you cannot make a left-hand turn onto 24th and 25th Street. Instead, you go up to the light on 26th Street. The city didn’t want traffic backing up under the bridge and causing an accident.
Practical consequence: build an extra ninety seconds into any northbound arrival, and if you are meeting someone at Biscuit Belly, tell them to plan the loop. First-timers who miss the do-not-enter signs end up in the Naval Station approach lanes, which is not a lane you want to be in when you are running late for brunch.
The Elizabeth River Trail Is The Real Front Door
The car story is the boring story. The reason this project belongs on a Ghent resident’s mental map is the trail. The Elizabeth River Trail runs adjacent to the Railyard and provides direct access to the project to pedestrians and cyclists.
That is the sentence to sit with. If you live near the trail, you now have a car-optional Saturday: bike in, drop into Afterglow, walk to Sanctuary if the wait is under thirty minutes, cut back through the courtyard, and ride home. The heat on Hampton Boulevard in August is real. The trail bypasses it.
How The Courtyard Programs Itself
The developer’s design brief made one bet that most Norfolk retail centers do not make. Plenty of parking and space for outdoor events, such as concerts, farmers markets, outdoor exercise and seating, round out this center. Outdoor programming is the difference between a strip that empties at 9 p.m. and a courtyard that keeps people around for a second drink.
Two things follow. First, the Railyard’s calendar is going to matter more than the tenant list once the initial novelty wears off. Second, existing Norfolk food events tie in cleanly. Restaurant Week in Downtown Norfolk runs July 20–26, 2026, which is a natural weekend to bracket a courtyard visit with a downtown reservation.
Working It Into A Week You Already Have
Here is how a Ghent or Larchmont resident actually uses this. Not as a night out. As a substitution.
- Tuesday lunch. You had a Panera habit. Swap in Chicken Salad Chick at 1200 W. 26th St. once a week and you will run into three neighbors you meant to text back.
- Wednesday, 7 a.m. StretchLab at 1225 W. 25th St. before work. The proximity to CHKD and Sentara means the class fills with clinicians. Book ahead.
- Thursday evening. CycleBar, then a beer at Afterglow. This is the pairing the developer clearly designed for, and it works.
- Saturday morning. Biscuit Belly at 2401 Hampton Blvd. If the wait is long, walk the courtyard until your table pings. Detour to Momo Kitchen if the biscuit line is out the door.
- Saturday night. Just Birdies with a group. Simulators plus a restaurant, bar, and live music — a couple of hours to kill on a Friday night with drinks and food.
- Sunday. Bike in on the Elizabeth River Trail. Coffee, a bundt cake for whoever’s birthday is next, home before noon.
That is six touches a week without leaving a three-block radius. That is the shortcut.
What This Means If You Own A Home Near Here
Not investment advice, just observation. A courtyard that is programmed, walkable from the Elizabeth River Trail, and stitched between three of the largest employers in the region tends to change how buyers describe the surrounding blocks. West Ghent, Larchmont, Lambert’s Point, and Colonial Place all now sit inside a fifteen-minute walk or five-minute bike ride of the Railyard’s front door. Your listing description has three sentences it did not have two years ago. The Lidl reversal does trim one of them.
If you have been holding off on a conversation about what your current home would list for now that Hampton Boulevard reads differently, that is exactly the kind of local read Darlene Gaines and the Hollywood team are built for. Schedule Your Red Carpet Consultation and let’s map your block against what the corridor is doing this year.
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