3 days ago
Three developers compete to redevelop two public housing complexes in Norfolk
A trio of developers showed off their portfolios to Norfolk residents and city officials Wednesday, hoping to land the chance to redevelop two of the city's deteriorating public housing projects.
Earlier this year, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority announced a timeline to submit redevelopment plans to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by the end of 2025.
The process would tear down and replace the public housing complexes, which contain 1,056 units on 55 acres and were built in the 1950s. Construction could begin in 2027, according to a presentation from the housing authority.
On Wednesday, three developers — Rhode Island-based Gilbane Development Co., New York's The NHP Foundation, and Georgia-based Paces Preservation Partners — presented their portfolios to the city in hopes of becoming the lead developer for Young and Calvert.
The three firms boasted similar qualifications. All have experience redeveloping former public housing into mixed-income and affordable housing developments. All have experience with several types of financing structures.
And both potential developers and and housing officials said they advocated for a build-first approach, where vacant units would be redeveloped first so current public housing residents could stay in their units and avoid displacement.
Officials hope to avoid a repeat of the redevelopment of nearby Tidewater Gardens, where many residents were displaced and relied on Housing Choice Vouchers to find replacement housing in the region.
Those residents and community groups later sued the city and the housing authority, arguing the entities failed to find adequate replacement housing. A 2021 settlement gave displaced residents more opportunities to move back to the redeveloped area. As new buildings opened, some residents moved back but others opted not to.
Gilbane officials, who presented first, compared the redevelopment opportunity to Madison Yards, a huge mixed-use development in Madison, Wisconsin, that turned a government building into 270 apartment units, 608,000 square feet of office space, a hotel and more.
'We're very fortunate to be shortlisted for this amazing opportunity,' said Bobvala Tengen, a senior development manager with Gilbane.
The NHP Foundation presented its work on the Park Heights master plan, a redevelopment plan for 17 acres of the Park Heights neighborhood in Baltimore. The NHP Foundation Senior Vice Present of Development Mansur Abdul-Malik said the redevelopment was a story of how the neighborhood was rising above disinvestment and a declining reputation.
The community will include green buildings with solar panels, public art honoring figures from the nearby Preakness Stakes horse race and opportunities for home ownership, he said.
'We're building a place, a community,' Abdul-Malik said. 'Not just property.'
Paces Preservation Partners officials said they would work with residents to help bring their needs to the new development. They showed off another Milwalkee redevelopment, Westlawn Gardens, that brought 958 housing units, a 10,000-sqaure-foot pharmacy and a 12,500-square-foot business incubator space to the city, along with community parks and gardens.
'My commitment to you all today is we will work for the betterment of the people in the city, full stop,' said Steven Bauhan, chief development officer for project partner The Paces Foundation.
Norfolk officials have long sought to demolish three public housing complexes in the St. Paul's neighborhood near downtown and replace them with mixed-income housing. City Council members approved a plan in 2018, and began to demolish the 600-unit Tidewater Gardens in 2020.
So far, two new apartment buildings are open and construction is ongoing on additional phases.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345,
