For nearly four decades, the low-slung strip center known as Island Warf Center has sat along the Elizabeth River near the Great Bridge Bridge, its exclusive water views outlasting a long parade of tenants. Now the building is emptying out, with business owners describing roof leaks, broken air conditioning and plywood patches over soft spots in the floor as the property's owners move toward tearing it down for redevelopment.
Denise Powers, who ran When Skies Are Grey Photography Media & Designs Studio out of Suite E for five years, told The Virginian-Pilot that she went more than two years without working air conditioning, a problem she said shut her business down for two summers. Powers relocated her studio in April to a space on Battlefield Boulevard South about three minutes away, telling the outlet she did not want to move after investing more than $40,000 in her old suite and that she and other tenants had been told renovations were coming.
According to the lease, tenants at Island Warf Center are responsible for fixing issues within their own suites, including heating and air conditioning — a provision owner Jennifer Carpinelli cited in the dispute over Powers' unit. Carpinelli said she cut Powers' rent in half for several months and that Powers was asked to install a mini-split air conditioner in her space. Powers said she was unwilling to spend $14,000 on a unit she could not take with her if she left, but Carpinelli said that specific solution was never presented to her and that she would have allowed Powers to take the mini-split units when she moved.
A Lease Structure That Leaves Repairs to Tenants
The standoff reflects a broader legal reality for commercial tenants in Virginia. Unlike residential renters, commercial tenants operate strictly under contract law with no implied warranty of habitability, meaning repair-cost responsibility for systems such as HVAC and roofing is determined by the lease, alongside applicable maintenance-code duties and a statutory rent-reduction provision, according to Landager. That framework helps explain why building deterioration and tenant friction can build for years without a clear path to resolution while leases run their course.
Other tenants described similar struggles. Tina Hill, who opened Xpressions Hair Salon in Suite C in February 2020, said the new landlords declined her remodeling request because they were not looking to renew leases, even though she said several roof leaks had been fixed in a timely manner. Hill moved out after her air conditioning stopped working, giving 30 days' notice in October 2025 and relocating her salon to 927 Battlefield Blvd. North before her former suite later flooded.
Daphanie Carr, who bought Posh Pooch Pet Spa in 2009 and relocated it from Greenbrier Shoppes on Kempsville Road to Island Warf Center in 2016, said the building was run down and that she had needed to move for a long time. Carr said a soft spot in her suite's floor was covered with plywood to prevent falls, and that calls and emails to TCI Realty went unanswered. She is now looking for a new, affordable space. Carpinelli said Posh Pooch, which occupies Suite D on a month-to-month lease, was notified of a 2027 end date.
Not Everyone Left on Bad Terms
The picture isn't uniformly bleak. Jeff LeRoy said his experience with the current landlords was positive, describing them as responsive and willing to work with him, and said he would not have signed another lease without confidence in the Carpinellis. Jennifer Carpinelli also said the owners offered to relocate other tenants into space in their other buildings, but that those tenants declined.
Steve Watson, who ran The Yard Sale Store & More out of the center's corner unit for almost a decade and said he built the business from $265 of his own rent money into one of the city's largest resale shops, left 45 days after his 2023 lease expired, according to Carpinelli. Watson said he felt forced out and that he lost a tremendous amount of foot traffic, calling the departure bittersweet as he relocated Legacy Estate Liquidations to 300 Battlefield Blvd. North.
Two businesses remain active at the center: Woody's Raw Bar & Grill, which maintains an office in Suite F, and Posh Pooch Pet Spa in Suite D. Past tenants have included the Chesapeake Humane Society, a scuba shop, a yoga studio and, during a previous presidential election cycle, a Barack Obama campaign headquarters.
From Mair Family Ownership to the Carpinellis
Island Warf Center — originally spelled Island Wharf Center — was built in 1986 and was owned and managed starting in 1993 by John Mair and Mair Development Corp. Madeline Mair took over ownership after her husband's death in May 2021 and said he had faced leasing challenges that led to lower rental rates over the years. Tenants reported that maintenance issues, primarily roof leaks and inadequate HVAC systems, were addressed during Madeline Mair's ownership up until the September 2022 sale, which she called a mixed blessing in an email to tenants.
The Carpinellis bought the 1.24-acre property through GH Wharf LLC for $2 million in September 2022, according to online city property records cited by the paper. They inherited the existing tenant leases at the time of purchase, and Jennifer Carpinelli said tenants whose leases expired were allowed to remain month-to-month if they chose. She said the owners never kept tenants in the dark about their plans, and that the property management company had always said the center would eventually be redeveloped.
Redevelopment Plans Remain Preliminary
The Carpinellis also own the Great Bridge Village shopping center and the former Vino Italian Bistro building at 138 Battlefield Blvd. South, which Jennifer Carpinelli said will be torn down to make way for new construction. City spokesperson Kristin Mauer said a site plan is under review to demolish the Vino's building and construct a new building and parking lot, though as of September 30, no demolition or other permits had been filed for the Island Warf parcel itself.
Jennifer Carpinelli said the intent from day one was to build a new building at 123 Battlefield, and that the family hopes to substantially update the entrance to Great Bridge. She emphasized, however, that the plans remain preliminary and depend on planning, engineering, permitting, financing and market conditions, saying it would be premature to announce a specific development plan or timetable before the process advances further. She said the Carpinellis support Chesapeake's village plan and hope to help realize it, and plan to continue investing to attract more businesses to the area.
How the Project Fits Chesapeake's Decades-Old Vision
Any redevelopment would have to answer to a municipal planning framework that predates the Carpinellis' ownership by more than a decade. The City of Chesapeake traces its vision for the corridor to the December 2008 Great Bridge Village Design Guidelines, which set a long-term goal of creating a waterfront destination. The city formalized that vision in June 2020 when the City Council adopted the Great Bridge Historic Gateway Overlay District, establishing special architectural and land-use standards for commercial properties along the South Battlefield Boulevard corridor.
The overlay district establishes architectural and land-use standards for commercial properties along the South Battlefield Boulevard corridor. It divides the corridor into four character areas, including Causeway and Historic Battlefield.
The city has also backed public improvements through its Capital Improvement Program, and it runs a competitive Great Bridge Façade Improvement Grant program offering 1:1 matching funds for exterior upgrades, landscaping and pedestrian improvements within the overlay district. The Great Bridge village plan more broadly calls for enhanced walkability, new sidewalks and new buildings, and the Carpinellis say their plans for Island Warf Center and nearby property are meant to support that vision.
