Latest news with #NorfolkRedevelopmentandHousingAuthority
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Norfolk housing authority program helps first-time home buyers
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority is offering first time homebuyers $60,000 in down payment and closing costs assistance, thanks to the HOME Investment Partnership Program. Lashawn Fortes, the NRHA homeownership director, said she's thankful to be able to educate residents in the community about the various resources that the housing authority provides. 'I remember when I bought my first house, I qualified for everything, but I wasn't educated to know what was available,' Fortes said. The HOME Investment Partnership Program, known as HOME, was put in place by the city of Norfolk and the city's housing authority to expand the supply of decent affordable housing to low-to-moderate income households who choose to purchase a home in the Mermaid City. 'It's an allocation set aside for low- to moderate-income families to help them with that gap of financing for home ownership,' Fortes said. Besides being a first-time homebuyer to qualify, your income must be below 80% of the area's median income, and you must live in the home for a set period of time. According to Fortes, in the past you had to reside at the home for 15 years, but in the future, you will only have to reside at the home for 10 years. Funding is first-come, first-serve, and there is a waiting period. But it's waiting that Norfolk residents like Martha Richardson, who along with her husband moved from New York City to Virginia, say is worth it. 'When my husband came down [on] his first trip, he loved it,' Richardson said. 'Actually, Virginia is for lovers because the minute he stepped in here he was in love.' After months of renting, she wanted to own her own place, but she wasn't sure where to turn, that was until she got information about the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. With help from the program, Richardson bought her first home. 'It does help,' Richardson said. 'You're not only educated, [but] you're also given monetary assistance to help you with that big first step.' Said Fortes: 'Right now in this market, people are like, 'Do I buy or do I wait?' And that's a personal preference, but we educate them on the pros and cons.' Learn more about the . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's tariffs may impact next phase of Norfolk housing redevelopment, official says
Norfolk officials and other community members celebrated the beginning of the third phase of Kindred, a massive housing redevelopment project in the St. Paul's area. However, the timeline of the project could be impacted by President Donald Trump's tariffs, according to a developer. Officials broke ground Thursday on the third phase of the St. Paul's Transformation Project: An $85 million, 191-unit mixed-income apartment complex called Kinship at Kindred. 'The groundbreaking really shows the real grit, the real challenges, the real decisions that had to be made to keep the project moving forward,' said Nathan Simms, Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority executive director, during the event. Hampton Roads beer, cider businesses tense over Trump's aluminum and steel tariffs, uncertainty Former Norfolk public housing complex undergoing redevelopment is receiving new name So far, few Tidewater Gardens residents are returning to the first redeveloped apartments Norfolk housing authority releases timelines for Calvert Square, Young Terrace redevelopments The apartments, at the former Tidewater Gardens public housing project site, will include varied bedroom sizes, a playground and retail space. Of the 191 units, 73 will be designated as replacement units for former Tidewater Gardens residents. Richard Sciortino, co-founder of lead developer Brinshore Development, said they plan to finish the third phase of development by the end of 2026 and complete the last phase by the middle to end of 2027. When complete, the entire Kindred redevelopment will include 714 units with 240 reserved for returning Tidewater Gardens residents. However, Sciortino acknowledged tariffs could impact or delay the construction process. He said contractors for Brinshore have told him tariffs haven't impacted projects yet, but he suspected impacts could happen in the future. In mid-March, Trump enacted 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, and imported steel is heavily used by the U.S. construction industry. Sciortino estimated the total project cost at $320 million, an increase over an earlier project cost of $300 million. City officials have long sought to tear down and redevelop the three public housing developments in St. Paul's. City Council members approved a plan in 2018, and began to demolish the 600-unit Tidewater Gardens in 2020. So far, two apartment buildings are open: the 120-unit Origin Circle and the 72-apartment Reunion Senior Living. Norfolk announced the two buildings were fully leased in September. The city says 44 former Tidewater Gardens residents have chosen to move back into those units. Below is a timeline of construction milestones and estimated completion: April 2022: Construction begins on the first two buildings: the 120-unit Origin Circle and the 72-apartment Reunion Senior Living. September 2023: Developers break ground on Unity Place, 140 multifamily apartments. December 2023: Reunion Senior living opens. February 2024: Residents begin moving into Origin Circle. April 2025: A groundbreaking ceremony for Kinship, an $85 million, 191-unit mixed-income apartment complex. July 2025: First building in Unity Place expected to be complete. September 2025: Second building at Unity Place expected to be complete. Late 2026: Construction on Kinship is estimated to be completed. Mid to late 2027: The final phase of construction is estimated to be finished. Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345,
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Timelines for Calvert Square, Young Terrace redevelopments released by Norfolk housing authority
Norfolk could submit plans to tear down two more public housing projects by the end of 2025, according to a new timeline. The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority released an updated schedule of the planned redevelopment process for Young Terrace and Calvert Square, the two remaining public housing projects in the St. Paul's area, during a Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday. According to the preliminary timetable, the housing authority would select a master developer by May or June and submit an application for phased demolition to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by November or December. Before those dates would come a plethora of community meetings and input sessions. A community forum for all public housing residents is scheduled from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday in a Scope exhibition hall. Kickoff meetings about the redevelopment process with Young Terrace and Calvert Square communities are scheduled for later in February. Throughout the process, the development authority is trying to avoid the pitfalls of the Tidewater Gardens redevelopment, where residents were forced out of 618 aging and outdated units and many ended up settling in other poor, racially segregated areas, according to Virginian-Pilot analysis. 'The key strategy that we're looking toward part of this is not to dislocate, not to disrupt too much the folks in the community, and primarily with that is not to move people out of the community,' NRHA Chief Community Development Officer Steve Morales said during the meeting. Former Tidewater Gardens residents sued and argued the city failed to find adequate replacement housing for them. 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. Norfolk leaders have long sought to demolish the three public housing developments in St. Paul's and replace them with mixed-income housing. City Council approved the plan in 2018, and began to demolish the 600-unit Tidewater Gardens in 2020. The first two buildings of the $300 million Kindred development opened in 2024. Once the Calvert Square and Young Terrace plan is formulated this year, the housing authority plans to apply for a HUD Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant in 2026, which would help finance the redevelopment. However, several housing authority commissioners expressed concern about the availability of federal funding going forward, referencing a move by President Donald Trump's administration to temporarily halt funding of all federal grants a few weeks ago. That order was quickly paused by a federal judge a few days after it was announced, then rescinded by the administration. Commissioners noted they thought the fight over federal funding was far from over, and they would have to continue to monitor the news out of Washington. 'Every day is a new development,' said commissioner Philip C. Smith. Not a day later came another bombshell that could have implications for the project. On Friday, Bloomberg Law reported that HUD plans to discharge 50% of its workforce. The National Low Income Housing Coalition warned that those severe staff cuts would make it significantly more difficult for states and communities to access congressionally approved federal investments meant to address housing affordability and prevent homelessness. Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345,
