A vacant lot on High Street in Olde Towne Portsmouth that has sat empty since a church fire nearly two decades ago is set to become a food truck stop by spring 2027, as the Portsmouth Partnership seeks to increase activity in the district. The Portsmouth Partnership is using a $15,000 state grant to fund improvements to the site, including electrical hookups for trucks and lighting, with a small stage and amplified sound also under consideration.
The grant was officially announced on October 8 by Governor Abigail Spanberger as part of $615,000 in Virginia Main Street funding spread across 22 community revitalization projects statewide, according to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. As reported by WTKR, the Portsmouth Partnership plans to turn the lot into a semi-permanent food truck stop that supports emerging food businesses and increases economic activity in the district.
Liz Pasqualini, director of Portsmouth's Main Street initiative, told the station the site will let emerging food entrepreneurs test concepts, attract customers and build businesses. The temporary setup is meant to create activity along High Street while the partnership figures out the property's long-term future, the station's report notes.
A Lot With a Painful History
The site was previously home to Zion Baptist Church, a historically significant African American congregation founded in 1865 following the Emancipation Proclamation, according to Zion Baptist Church's own history. A severe fire on December 20, 2007, led to the building's demolition, and the lot has remained vacant ever since, per the same account.
The state grant listing identifies the project as the Olde Towne Portsmouth Restaurant Incubation & Business Placement Initiative. WTKR reports that the Portsmouth Partnership is consulting with its Small Business Development Center partners about what support vendors might need.
Filling a Gap in Restaurant Options
A study conducted by Portsmouth's Main Street initiative, the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority and the Retail Alliance found unmet demand for about 14 additional restaurants in the district, per WTKR. Officials hope the food truck stop can help vendors transition from farmers markets and pop-up events into permanent restaurants, filling that gap while also activating a long-dormant lot.
The Portsmouth Partnership has not yet finalized vendor selection or program operations and is working with Small Business Development Center partners to determine what additional support vendors might need, WTKR reports.
Financing the Jump to a Storefront
For vendors ready to graduate from a truck to a lease, the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority maintains a Small Business Revolving Loan Fund offering $10,000 to $50,000 low-interest loans in partnership with Bridging Virginia, along with matching Business Investment Grants, according to Portsmouth Economic Development. The agency also runs six-week Business Plan Prep courses for applicants navigating the jump.
That transition could pay off. Food trucks operating in Virginia generate a median annual revenue of approximately $380,163, according to a nationwide survey of food truck owners cited by 7shifts.
Part of a Bigger Redevelopment Plan
The food truck stop is just the first phase of a much larger plan. The Portsmouth Partnership separately received a $110,000 award for pre-development services covering the site and seven connected parcels, WTKR reports. Pasqualini said the long-term vision likely includes commercial space along High Street, potentially combined with residential development, and that the food truck stop's infrastructure could eventually be moved to another location in Portsmouth once that larger project breaks ground.
Pasqualini added that the improvements and investment could be redirected to other areas of the city after groundbreaking on the eventual redevelopment, according to the station's report. Statewide, Virginia Main Street communities generated more than $41 million in private investment and $10 million in public improvements in 2025, creating or retaining over 1,200 local jobs, according to the state housing department.
The push for more food trucks on High Street follows demonstrated demand: more than 50 food trucks were expected at the second annual High Street Fest earlier this month, co-presented by PortsEvents and the City of Portsmouth. The Portsmouth Partnership has not released a specific vendor selection process, exact spring 2027 operating schedule, or timeline for the broader multi-parcel redevelopment.
