Kimley-Horn tapped for Praetorian Park planning work in Chesapeake

Praetorian Fund has chosen Kimley-Horn to help guide planning and development strategy for Praetorian Park, a proposed 4,000-plus-acre innovation hub in Chesapeake, Virginia. The project aims to mix technology, sports, entertainment, advanced manufacturing and defense uses, with community feedback shaping the vision.

Why it matters: - Praetorian Park could become one of the Commonwealth’s largest development efforts, with more than 4,000 acres positioned for long-term economic growth. - The project is being planned as a multiuse hub, not a single-purpose site, which could broaden its economic and infrastructure impact in Chesapeake and the region.

What happened: - Praetorian Fund announced Kimley-Horn will support the planning and development strategy for Praetorian Park. - Praetorian Fund also released the first conceptual renderings after gathering feedback from citizens of the Commonwealth. - Praetorian Park is a proposed innovation hub in Chesapeake, Virginia, in the southernmost part of the city near the North Carolina border. - The property is known as Frank Williams Farm and has also been referred to by the city and state as the Virginia Coastal Commerce Park.

The details: - Kimley-Horn will support design, infrastructure coordination, entitlement work and planning. - The firm’s work will help set a framework for land uses, parcel configurations and connections between development areas. - Randy Royal, P.E., a principal at Kimley-Horn, said he has worked on the property for many years and will focus on translating the final vision into a practical planning framework. - Royal said the effort will center on understanding the land, evaluating infrastructure needs and organizing complementary uses that support the property’s long-term potential. - About 1,400 acres are already included in an existing Planned Unit Development, creating opportunities for advanced manufacturing and digital infrastructure. - Praetorian’s broader vision includes technology, sports, entertainment, advanced manufacturing and defense. - Praetorian has set up an online public feedback portal for community members to submit ideas, and that input is helping shape the project’s evolving vision. - Praetorian Fund said the property’s scale, location and existing development entitlements make it a compelling opportunity for large-scale development. - Praetorian Fund said the project is planned to accommodate complementary industries and destinations that can support one another.

Between the lines: - The selection of Kimley-Horn signals an effort to anchor the project with local familiarity and established planning experience rather than rely on a fully outside team. - Jack Fulton, founder and chairman of Praetorian Fund, said local influence was a key priority and that the firm wanted a partner familiar with Chesapeake and its residents. - Fulton said Praetorian expects to announce additional partners as plans progress. - The emphasis on public feedback suggests Praetorian Fund is trying to build local buy-in early as the project develops. - The project’s mix of uses points to a broader economic strategy that could attract multiple sectors over time instead of a single major tenant.

What's next: - Praetorian Fund said additional partners are expected as the project moves forward. - Community members can continue sharing ideas through the online public feedback portal. - More information and conceptual renderings are available at the project website.

The bottom line: - Praetorian Park is moving from concept to planning, with Kimley-Horn now helping shape a potentially major mixed-use development in Chesapeake.