To launch the “Transforming Denbigh” initiative, citizens were invited to tag or paint the exterior walls of the former Kmart at Warwick Boulevard and Oriana Road before a demolition ceremony. Mayor McKinley L. Price operated an excavator to take the first “bite” out of the building, and local food trucks added to the festivities. Free activities included a “touch-a-truck” with City vehicles, construction-themed inflatable games, chalk art, giveaways and a DJ.
The building had been vacant since 2014 and was purchased by the Newport News Economic Development Authority in 2019. There are no
definitive plans for the 22-acre site at this point, but the recently adopted Denbigh-Warwick Area Plan suggests a potential redevelopment option that includes a town green for festivals, concerts, and farmers markets, surrounded by shops, homes and businesses.