March 29, ,2021
An Open Letter to St. Paul's Residents
From Dr. Chip Filer and Ronald Jackson
December 28, 2020
Stay Informed, Get Information!
Check out the Winter 2020 St. Paul's Area Newsletter.
December 4, 2020
Transformation of Tidewater Gardens Begins with New Pump Station
September 02, 2020
St. Paul's Area Newsletter - Summer 2020
Check out the latest happenings for the transformation of the St. Paul's area of Norfolk! To read the newsletter click here
May 05, 2020
Norfolk’s housing authority will suspend the relocation of residents and most redevelopment efforts in the St. Paul’s area until at least October, after a legal agreement with residents and advocates sparked by coronavirus. For more information visit pilotonline.com.
February 11, 2020
190 new apartments planned in one of the first steps in Norfolk’s St. Paul’s overhaul
Norfolk’s City Council has taken the first step toward approving a developer’s plan to build a pair of four-story apartment buildings in St. Paul’s as part of the planned massive redevelopment of the area.
Two city-owned parking lots on Wood Street, between St. Paul’s Boulevard and Fenchurch Street, are expected to become apartment buildings with a mix of subsidized and market-rate units. For more information visit pilotonline.com
January 14, 2020
Lawsuit seeks to block Norfolk’s plan to move people out of public housing in St. Paul’s
Residents are asking a federal judge to block Norfolk’s St. Paul’s area redevelopment plan, which they say would further segregate and disadvantage black residents and thus violate federal law.
The lawsuit, which names four St. Paul’s residents and two community groups as the plaintiffs, was filed Monday. In a 51-page complaint, they argue that the city of Norfolk and its housing authority have failed to provide the bulk of residents that will be moved out of St. Paul’s with appropriate housing, and that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is complicit by signing off on the plan. For more information visit pilotonline.com
January 01, 2020
Norfolk public housing residents wait and wonder as move-outs in St. Paul’s are delayed by months
They weren’t supposed to be here for Christmas. They weren’t even supposed to be here for Labor Day.
Hundreds of residents of a section of Norfolk’s Tidewater Gardens — deemed Phase 1 by the city and housing authority — were supposed to move out this past summer, the first leg of a relocation effort that will eventually move 4,200 people out of the St. Paul’s area to make way for a major redevelopment effort. For more information visit pilotonline.com
November 05, 2019
Public housing residents in Norfolk, Newport News could get help a little easier under new program
A federal program aimed at helping public housing residents become self-sufficient will boost efforts linking low-income families to much-needed services in Norfolk and Newport News, officials announced Monday.
Called “EnVision Centers," the new designation paves the way for additional resources and gives both cities a leg up on getting federal money to fund programs. For more information visit pilotonline.;com
November 04, 2019
New EnVision centers offer assisted families access to support services
NORFOLK, Virginia — Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander and Newport News Vice Mayor Tina Vick announced two new centers that are supposed to help families currently receiving federal assistance on Monday.
“To really help people get careers, not jobs. We always talk about jobs but we really need to start talking about careers and getting people up and out of poverty,” said HUD’s Joe DeFelice.
For more information visit 13newsnow.com.
November 04, 2019
HUD opens new centers in Newport News and Norfolk to help promote self-sufficiency
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Two new centers called ‘Envision Center’ are being opened up in Newport News and Norfolk by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help low-income residents increase their income and gain self-sufficiency.
A special announcement event was held Monday at the Calvert Square Family Investment Center, which was attended by many local leaders, including Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander and Newport News Vice Mayor Tina Vick.
For more information visit wtkr.com.
November 04, 2019
HUD AND LOCAL OFFICIALS KICK OFF ENVISION CENTER DEMONSTRATIONS IN NEWPORT NEWS & NORFOLK
NORFOLK, Va. - To help low-income residents increase their income and gain self-sufficiency, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Joseph J. DeFelice joined City of Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander and City of Newport News Vice Mayor Tina Vick in announcing two new designated HUD EnVision Center demonstrations in the cities of Norfolk and Newport News today, joining dozens of communities across the country taking this vital step to offer support services for the benefit of its residents.
HUD's EnVision Center demonstration offers assisted families support to help them achieve self-sufficiency and, thereby, making limited federal resources available to other awaiting assistance. It is premised on the fact that financial support alone is insufficient to solve poverty. Intentional and collective efforts across various organizations are needed to realize a more holistic path to foster lasting self-sufficiency.
"We will not measure success by the number of people who enter these new EnVision Centers," stated Joe DeFelice, Regional Administrator for HUD's Mid-Atlantic region. "Success will be measured by the number of individuals who achieve greater self-sufficiency—who no longer require assistance from our programs—who gain the financial independence to be able to rent, or even buy, their own homes."
The joint announcement was made at the Calvert Square Family Investment Center at 975 Bagnall Road, the site of Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority's new center. Located on or near public housing developments, EnVision Centers provide communities with a centralized hub to access support in the following four pillars: Economic Empowerment, Educational Advancement, Health and Wellness, and Character and Leadership.
"We are very excited about this EnVision Center opportunity to support our families' ability to succeed in their new housing choices and aspirations," said John Kownack, Executive Director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
"This EnVision Center will serve as a platform to those in the St. Paul's Area to collaborate with community supportive service providers, other businesses, foundations, nonprofit organizations, educational leaders, job training and workforce development organizations, and will also provide online resources.
We are grateful that HUD continues to recognize our commitment to transforming the lives of those who are working to escape poverty and creating better lives for themselves and better futures for their families," said Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander, City of Norfolk.
The Lift & Connect Resource Center at 618 18th Street will serve as the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority's (NNRHA) new EnVision Center. "I am excited that Newport News has been selected as an EnVision Center demonstration site," said Newport News Vice Mayor Tina Vick. "As a strong advocate for empowering low-income families to improve their financial situations and achieve self-sufficiency, I believe this center will help to do just that. I appreciate the support from HUD as well as our partner organizations in the nonprofit, faith-based and private sectors, and look forward to seeing more families living in assisted housing on the path to financial independence."
"The NNRHA is thrilled to be one of a select few agencies to have this designation," stated Karen Wilds, Executive Director of the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority. "It takes our efforts for resident self-sufficiency to the next level. Thanks to HUD for our ongoing Partnership in providing quality services." To learn more about HUD Secretary Carson's EnVision Center demonstration, please visit HUD.gov/EnVision Centers.
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October 24, 2019
Local community members gather to save Hunton YMCA in Norfolk
Ashiyah Sanderlin remembers going to the William A. Hunton YMCA in Norfolk when she was 6 years old.
Now 20, she’s a Pre-K teacher there, working with anywhere from 8 to 21 children per day.
She smiled Thursday afternoon as she stood in the auditorium of the YMCA, remembering the trips she took as a kid to the Outer Banks, meeting new people and going to before- and after-school care.
“I have a scrap book with all of my pictures in it," she said. “I made so many friends, and friends that I made, we’re still communicating.” For More Information visit pilotonline.com
October 24, 2019
Hunton YMCA leaders hold press conference amid struggle to stay open
The Hunton YMCA is nearly $500,000 in debt. Its leaders are asking Norfolk and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority for more financial help. For more information visit 13 News Now
October 24, 2019
Days could be numbered for YMCA in Norfolk community
NORFOLK, Va. - Brenda Gibbs wipes sweat from her face as she runs through the halls of the William A. Hunton YMCA.
She's a woman who wears several hats.
"These children mean everything to me," Gibbs said. "I grew up poor. Had it not been for the YMCA I went to, I wouldn't have known what to do."
But, her YMCA's days could be numbered. Established in 1875, it is situated in the midst of Tidewater Gardens public housing in Norfolk. For more information visit wtkr.com
May 16, 2019
Norfolk Awards People First Contract to National Leader in Customized and Comprehensive Case Management
Urban Strategies, Inc. will work in partnership with St. Paul’s Area residents to develop personalized plans for economic mobility
NORFOLK, VA – The City of Norfolk has selected Urban Strategies, Inc. as the People First contractor for the St. Paul’s Area Transformation.
Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI) is a national nonprofit with extensive experience in implementing place-based human capital development strategies in communities that are undergoing comprehensive physical revitalization. Founded in 1978, USI works to support communities, develop economic opportunities, cradle-to-college/career success, access to high quality health services and a range of comprehensive human service supports. USI currently supports transformation work in 32 communities in 18 cities around the country. Additionally, USI is part of 11 Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) implementation teams and has served as the direct grantee for two CNI planning grants.
USI uses a comprehensive case management model that focuses on building upon the existing assets of families. With residents taking the lead, USI works with individuals and families to assess strengths and opportunities for economic advancement, helping residents take action to climb ladders of opportunity.
The People First initiative launched at the St. Paul’s Area Redevelopment community meeting on August 22, 2018. The initiative is a human services transformation program to complement the comprehensive redevelopment of the more than 200-acre neighborhood known as the St. Paul’s area of Norfolk. People First will provide effective and high-quality mobility and human capital investment to approximately 1,700 families currently living in Tidewater Gardens, Young Terrace, and Calvert Square public housing developments in the St. Paul’s area. The initiative will address the following priority areas: 1) family counseling; 2) mobility services; and 3) transformative human services programs. The People First team currently works out of offices located in Tidewater Gardens and have connected with all the residents in living in phase one of Tidewater Gardens.
For information on St. Paul’s Area go to www.stpaulsdistrict.org
May 14, 2019
$60 million from feds will help Norfolk, Newport News with redevelopment
Norfolk and Newport News will receive a combined $60 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to kickstart redevelopment efforts in both cities, officials announced Monday afternoon. For more information visit pilotonline.com
April 20, 2019
Norfolk will plan a whole new arena, won't expand Scope, mayor says
The much-discussed expansion of the Scope arena isn’t going ahead, Mayor Kenny Alexander said Friday, after expert analysis found that building out the 48-year-old downtown venue to add seating and event space wasn’t feasible.
However, Alexander said Norfolk will put together a plan for a brand-new arena to capture major events he said the region is missing out on. For more information, visit pilotonline.com
March 13, 2019
Here’s how social workers are training to help families moving out of Norfolk public housing
As the city prepares to move 4,200 people out of public housing and redevelop St. Paul’s, it will need to help residents start their new lives one person at a time.
Caseworkers like Danique Woodhouse have spent the past couple of weeks sitting down with the first 187 families set to move out starting this summer.
“They’re scared, but they’re excited,” Woodhouse said. For more information visit pilotonline.com
March 01, 2019
Residents want more homes to replace demolished Norfolk public housing. Here’s why that’s unlikely.
Spurred by concerns the city's St. Paul’s redevelopment and a tight housing market will force hundreds to move out of Norfolk, a small group of public housing residents is pushing to dramatically increase the number of new units planned for low-income people. For more information visit pilotonline.com.
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February 28, 2019
People opt to move before being forced out by area's redevelopment in Norfolk
Norfolk is working with residents in the St. Paul's area which is getting a huge overhaul, but a mother in Tidewater Gardens said she "couldn't wait" to decide on her future. For more information visit 13NewsNow.com
February 22, 2019
Norfolk promised to help people forced out of public housing. Then came delays and changes.
When it approved a major redevelopment of the St. Paul’s area in early 2018, the city promised “transformative human services” for residents who would be displaced from the three public housing communities there.
Called “People First,” the plan was to bring in a dedicated contractor with a proven track record of helping people break the cycle of poverty to assist the 4,200 people currently living in St. Paul’s. The city said it couldn’t manage such a massive program itself and that residents didn’t trust the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. For more information visit pilotonline.com
February 01, 2019
Norfolk A Finalist for Choice Neighborhood Grant Initiative
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NORFOLK, VA – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) and the City of Norfolk have been selected as a finalist for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) Grant. HUD received 32 grant applications and selected four applicants as finalists for individual grants of $30 million.
NRHA and the City of Norfolk applied for funding to support the transformation of the St. Paul’s Area in September 2018. The St. Paul’s Area is more than 200 acres which contains three public housing communities and is subject to extensive flooding. Norfolk’s transformation plan includes parallel efforts of both people and place.
“HUD’s decision validates the innovative work Norfolk is doing to create coastal community of the future. We are strengthening our neighborhoods, we are safe. Crime is at a 32-year low. Our evolving waterfront city is among the most multi-modal and connected cities in the country and we are building on a growing and diverse economy,” said Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander.
The grant funding will redevelop the St. Paul’s Area from a community with the largest concentration of poverty in the region, to a mixed-use, mixed-income, sustainable neighborhood. The plan seeks to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by investing first in residents with supportive services around housing, employment, education and health and wellness programs.
Physically it creates a system of parks, open space and streets to manage stormwater and flooding while providing the neighborhood with recreational, cultural and educational amenities; connects the community to educational and cultural assets in the region and builds social capital along improved neighborhood streets; provides a wide range of housing types with the intention to invigorate community streets with shops, medical, cultural and social services, including an innovative “HUB” facility bringing together new and existing organizations in an accessible facility.
For more information on St. Paul’s Area contact Lori Crouch, Corporate Communications Director, City of Norfolk: lori.crouch@norfolk.gov or Jennifer Moore, Communications Director, Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority: jmoore@nrha.us.
August 23, 2018
New renderings revealed in Norfolk's St. Paul's redevelopment. Architects sketch what 200 acres will look like when public housing is demo'd
Dozens of colorful sketches were revealed to help people visualize what a St. Paul's redevelopment will look like when finally completed.
On Wednesday, sketches were revealed that showed a diverse group of housing options that include several story buildings with store fronts, housing specifically for seniors, and more traditional 1 and 2 bedroom apartments.
Architects with Torti+Gallas have been meeting with residents of the St. Paul's public housing complexes for several months to draft the framework for what will replace the aging 1950's era neighborhood. For more information visit wavy.com
August 23, 2018
Tidewater Gardens residents take first step toward being moved for redevelopment
The first wave of families who will be moved out of public housing to make way for redevelopment in the St. Paul’s area were given notice Wednesday at a community meeting. For more information visit pilotonline.com
August 22, 2018
St. Paul's area residents briefed on relocation, redevelopment plants move ahead
It's what St. Paul's area residents have been waiting to hear about since the announcement of the St. Paul's Redevelopment Project talks started --- where they'll go.
"I pray and I hope that they'll work as hard as they can to meet those deadlines because the people will be affected here by that," said Lavonne Pledger, who lives in Young Terrace. For more information visit 13newsnow.com.
August 22, 2018
Norfolk residents to get update on St. Paul’s redevelopment project
The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority is hosting a housing and relocation meeting for people living in the Tidewater Gardens section of the St. Paul’s area.
The meeting, which is being held at The Basilica of Saint Mary’s of the Immaculate Conception, is a follow-up meeting about the St. Paul’s area Workshop series last month.
According to the NRHA, “as part of the Choice Neighborhood Implementation (CNI) grant process, architect Torti Gallas Partners will return to unveil the master plan vision which will include housing as well as commercial development for the area.” For more information visit wtkr.com.
August 16, 2018
Part 2: St. Paul’s Project ‘Proactive’ Approach Aims To Avoid Past Errors
The East Ghent redevelopment was one of various chapters from the city’s economic history, where old, blighted communities of mostly poor and Black people met the same fate of removal for redevelopment.
Today, East and West Ghent are two of the most prized neighborhoods in Norfolk.
A new chapter is unfolding as the “St. Paul’s Project.” Overwhelming poor and African American, three of the city’s largest public housing communities are targeted to be razed to make way for renewed communities and lives for its current inhabitants. For more information visit blacknewsportal.com
July 24, 2018
Norfolk to discuss St. Paul's redevelopment during work session
Norfolk City Council will get an update on the St. Paul's project during a work session Tuesday afternoon.
Last Thursday, Torti+Gallas architects revealed new sketches to replace the Tidewater Gardens apartments ,which includes 618 public housing units, with mixed income housing. For more information visit wavy.com.
July 19, 2018
A creek, new streets and a vision: Sketches of potential future Tidewater Gardens revealed
A colorful bird’s-eye-view drawing unveiled Wednesday night detailed the potential future of a redeveloped Tidewater Gardens.
The hand-drawn map showed a new school along Tidewater Drive and blocks that indicated a variety of housing, from mid-rise apartments to single-family homes.
Since Monday, architects and planners from Torti Gallas + Partners have been working on the framework for the redevelopment of Tidewater Gardens, the first phase of the St. Paul’s Quadrant redevelopment, in which roughly half of Norfolk’s public housing would be torn down. For more information visit pilotonline.com
July 18, 2018
Sketches of St. Paul's redevelopment revealed
NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — People who live in the St. Paul's corridor got to see architect sketches Wednesday night of what the upcoming redevelopments could look like.
This is the first time the drawings were made available for the public to see.
At a public meeting, architects and project leaders talked about what went into the sketches, and how the public's input helped them come up with the drawings.
For more information visit 13newsnow.com
July 18, 2018
Architects reveal their vision for where Tidewater Gardens now sits
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) -- The vision for what downtown Norfolk's St. Paul's area could look like became clearer Wednesday as architects revealed their latest sketches.
Architects with Torti+Gallas have been meeting with Tidewater Gardens residents all week to draft the framework for what will replace the aging 618 unit 1950's era public housing neighborhood.
The community that sits just opposite 264 from Harbor Park is the first phase of a nearly 200-acre redevelopment. For more information visit wavy.com
July 18, 2018
Architects lay out Tidewater Gardens revitalization plan
NORFOLK, Va. - After three straight days of community meetings and drawings, architecture firm Torti Gallas laid out a first-look revitalization plan for the Tidewater Gardens neighborhood on Wednesday. For more information visit wtkr.com
June 21, 2018
Architect shares focus for St. Pauls area transformation with residents
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) -- The future of public housing in the city continues to become clearer as architects begin designing what new development could look like.
Architects Torti+Gallas, hired by the City of Norfolk, met with residents of Tidewater Gardens for the first time Wednesday night to discuss how they will go about designing a mixed use replacement.
For more information visit wavy.com.
June 19, 2018
Norfolk wants $30 million from feds to begin overhaul of St. Paul's public housing
The city will seek a $30 million federal grant to help with the first phase of redevelopment in the St. Paul’s area. But first, Norfolk will need more concrete plans on what it's going to do there. For more information visit pilotonline.com
June 06, 2018
"Bold" plan of consolidation and rezoning presented to Norfolk School Board
For years, Norfolk school leaders have talked about the need, one day, to close some schools to reflect the reality of declining enrollment.
That day is here, a consultant told the school board Wednesday...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
May 21, 2018
Norfolk Wants to Remake Itself as Sea Level Rises, but Who Will Be Left Behind?
As another storm swept through Norfolk on a chilly evening, Michelle Cook pointed to the puddles growing on a path where children walk to school in Tidewater Gardens.
Water stood wheels-deep in a nearby intersection. In heavy rain, she said, both the road and the path flood, and children find another way to school. Or, they simply stay home...
For more information visit insideclimatenews.org.
April 12, 2018
Letter: Federal program will lift up communities
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is allowing countless Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money. We are seeing economic revitalization play out in town after town as workers receive higher wages and even bonuses after years of stagnant pay...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
April 06, 2018
Promises are Cheap on Public Housing. Norfolk Residents Want Real Commitments.
As PR stunts go, Ben Carson’s parachuting into Norfolk public housing the other day was about what you’d expect from a U.S. cabinet member. No more, no less.
The secretary of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development swept through local housing communities Thursday with Mayor Kenny Alexander...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
April 05, 2018
HUD Sec. Ben Carson visiting Norfolk on Thursday
Dr. Ben Carson, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is scheduled to visit Norfolk on Thursday.
Carson is expected to tour the Grandy Village Apartments and Learning Center -- and talk with Mayor Kenny Alexander about areas of the city that could qualify as "opportunity zones."
For more information visit wavy.com
April 05, 2018
HUD Secretary Ben Carson Speaks in Norfolk
Ben Carson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, visited Norfolk on Thursday to speak about redevelopment...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
April 05, 2018
HUD Secretary Ben Carson Visits Norfolk
The nation's top housing official says Norfolk is likely to win a federal "Opportunity Zone" designation...
For more information visit 13newsnow.com
April 05, 2018
HUD Sec. Ben Carson Tours Norfolk Housing Areas
Dr. Ben Carson, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was in Norfolk Thursday to tour housing developments.
Carson toured areas such as the Grandy Village Apartments and Learning Center. He expected to talk with Mayor Kenny Alexander about areas of the city that could qualify as "opportunity zones."
For more information visit wavy.com
April 05, 2018
HUD Sec. Ben Carson Tours Norfolk Housing Areas
Dr. Ben Carson, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was in Norfolk Thursday to tour housing developments.
Carson toured areas such as the Grandy Village Apartments and Learning Center. He expected to talk with Mayor Kenny Alexander about areas of the city that could qualify as "opportunity zones."
For more information visit wavy.com
April 05, 2018
HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson Visits Norfolk
Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will be in Norfolk Thursday.
He is planning to tour areas of the city with Mayor Kenneth Alexander that could quality as Opportunity Zones...
For more information visit wtkr.com
April 05, 2018
EDITORIAL: Norfolk Budget Proposal Addresses Needs
Creating a budget for a city the size of Norfolk involves making a lot of tough choices.
On Tuesday, City Manager Doug Smith presented council members with a big one: a proposed budget that pays for basic city services without a tax increase, or an alternative that includes more money for schools and the St. Paul’s redevelopment project, funds to begin replacing outdated equipment and technology, and raises for city employees...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
April 04, 2018
HUD Secretary Ben Carson to Visit Norfolk, VA to Promote Opportunity Zones
President Trump’s tax reform law allows for disadvantaged areas to be designated as Opportunity Zones as a way to encourage investment and economic growth
On Thursday, April 5, Dr. Ben Carson, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will travel to Norfolk, Virginia to tour areas that could qualify as Opportunity Zones with Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander. Opportunity Zones are designed to encourage investment in disadvantaged communities across the country...
For more information visit norfolk.gov
March 30, 2018
Ben Carson to Visit Norfolk Next Week
Dr. Ben Carson will be making a trip to Norfolk next week.
Norfolk city officials confirmed the visit...
For more information visit wtkr.com
March 30, 2018
HUD Secretary Ben Carson to Visit Norfolk as City Plans Major Changes to Public Housing
Ben Carson, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is expected to visit the city Tuesday, according to Mayor Kenny Alexander.
Alexander hopes to share plans for the overhaul of a 200-acre swath near downtown that now includes three public housing communities...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
March 08, 2018
Public Invited to Speak Thursday Night on Norfolk’s Annual Public Housing Plan
Norfolk residents will get the chance to weigh in on the city's public housing plan for next year Thursday night.
This includes the redevelopment of the St. Paul’s area.
During the meeting, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority will hear public comments on its complete five year plan and their yearly plan for programs...
For more information visit wtkr.com
February 22, 2018
Norfolk's Plan for Public Housing is New, but its Roots Date Back Decades
The redevelopment of the St. Paul’s Quadrant – the 200-acre area north and east of Norfolk’s downtown that houses more than half of the city’s public housing – has been a controversial topic for years.
But Norfolk’s goal, replacing three public housing communities with mixed-income neighborhoods, fits a 30-year national trend of breaking up concentrations of the poorest citizens.
Some residents objected that a plan put forward by city staff last year hadn’t taken them into consideration. The City Council ordered staff to gather more input from the affected communities...
For more information visit pilotonline.com.
February 14, 2018
Norfolk Mayor Meeting with President Trump to Discuss Private Investment in Low-Income Areas
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander will be one of a small handful of mayors and business people to meet with President Donald Trump today at the White House to talk about opportunity zones, a new community development program designed to steer private investment into low-income neighborhoods...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
February 05, 2018
Norfolk’s Urban Renewal Project Gets Underway
A resolution recently approved by Norfolk City Council could launch one of the largest modern urban renewal projects on the East Coast.
According to city officials, the resolution authorizes the Norfolk’s City Manager to seek permission from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to demolish three mostly Black public housing communities where over 4,000 low income and working class families and 2,200 children live. The cleared sites of Tidewater Gardens, Young Terrace and Calvert Square would then be replaced and redeveloped...
For more information visit thenewjournalandguide.com
January 25, 2018
Editorial: Norfolk Leaders' Pledge to Residents
THE NORFOLK City Council made a promise on Tuesday night when it voted to proceed with redevelopment of the 200-acre parcel of land known as the St. Paul’s area.
To the residents of three housing projects there — about 4,200 people, including about 2,200 children — the council pledged its care and communication. It said it would ensure for them a smooth transition as this massive initiative takes shape...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
January 24, 2018
Norfolk Council Passes Plan that Would Demolish Low-Income Housing
Norfolk city council pushed through a resolution to knock down three low-income housing developments in the St. Paul's corridor.
It passed with a 7-1 vote.
Councilman Paul Riddick was the only vote against the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority project.
The housing developments will be replaced with mixed-income and mixed-use properties...
For more information visit 13newsnow.com
January 24, 2018
Norfolk City Council Votes to Support Tearing Down Half of City's Public Housing for Redevelopment
The City Council voted 7-1 Tuesday night to support demolishing much of Norfolk’s public housing and replacing it with new mixed-income communities.
The effort targets the Tidewater Gardens, Calvert Square and Young Terrace public housing communities, just east of downtown in the area sometimes called St. Paul’s, for redevelopment...
For more information visit pilotonline.com
January 24, 2018
Norfolk City Council Votes to Support Plan to Demolish Public Housing Projects
City council members voted Tuesday night to support a plan to start the process of demolishing three public housing projects.
The proposal passed 7-1.
The plan would require demolishing Tidewater Gardens, Young Terrace, and Calvert Square, according to the city council agenda. Those neighborhoods contain about 1700 units. In its place, mixed-income housing would be built...
For more information visit wtkr.com
January 24, 2018
Norfolk Moving Toward Overhaul of Public Housing Neighborhoods
Norfolk City Council voted in favor of a resolution that puts the city one step close toward overhauling three public housing neighborhoods.
Council approved a resolution with a 7-1 vote to allow City Manager Douglas L. Smith to work with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority on a plan for the Saint Paul’s area...
For more information visit wavy.com
January 23, 2018
Norfolk Council Expected to Support Tearing Down Most of City's Public Housing
The City Council could vote tonight to support demolishing more than half of Norfolk's public housing and replacing it with new mixed-income communities.
The resolution comes to the council after several months of outreach to residents of the Tidewater Gardens, Calvert Square and Young Terrace communities just east of downtown, which are part of an area sometimes called “St. Paul’s.”
For more information visit pilotonline.com
November 15, 2017
What’s Next for Norfolk’s Public Housing?
What is the future for one of the largest sections of public housing in Norfolk?
For the last few months the city held meetings with residents in the St. Paul’s section. That includes Tidewater Gardens, Young Terrace, and Calvert Square. The goal was to find out what residents want in a future community, as the city plans to revitalize the area...
For more information visit wavy.com.
November 14, 2017
3 Norfolk Public Housing Communities Face Demolition. For Now, the City Wants to Make Them Better Places to Live.
Better lighting. Job training. Free classes on personal finance and other skills.
Even as three public housing communities east of downtown face likely demolition over the next decade, Norfolk wants to keep making improvements for their 4,200 residents...
For more information visit pilotonline.com.
October 03, 2019
Housing Plan Leaves 4,000 Residents in Limbo
More than 4,000 residents in the St. Pauls area are left in limbo as City Council decides if it wants to approve a housing plan...
To read more visit 13newsnow.com.
September 18, 2017
Special Report: Breaking Ground on Public Housing?
In the next 10 years, the landscape of downtown Norfolk could change drastically.
The city rolled out a plan this year to replace three of Norfolk’s public housing communities with mixed income housing. Young Terrace, Tidewater Gardens and Calvert Square would be the heart of a new St. Paul’s district...
For more information visit wavy.com.
August 08, 2017
Community Weighs in on Future of St. Paul’s Area Public Housing
The City of Norfolk is held the first of six public meetings Tuesday to discuss the future of public housing in the St. Paul's area near downtown.
The meeting comes on the heels of Norfolk City Council's July decision to delay a vote on a vision that would see the demolition of homes in Young Terrace, Tidewater Gardens and Calvert Square in favor of mixed-income housing...
For more information visit wtkr.com.
August 08, 2017
City Leaders Host First Community Meeting to Discuss Public Housing
City leaders held the first of several scheduled community meetings aimed at improving quality of life for public housing residents.
“We need all of your input,” Mayor Kenny Alexander told a crowded room at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday...
For more information visit wavy.com.
July 23, 2017
Editorial: For St. Paul's Plan to Work, Norfolk Must do Better
THE NORFOLK City Council on Tuesday made the prudent, if frustrating, decision to delay launching the massive redevelopment effort in St. Paul’s Quadrant, a parcel of about 200 acres near the heart of downtown.
Prudent, because residents from the affected area voiced criticism at the meeting that the city has not done an effective job of spelling out what will happen when public housing is demolished and new construction begins.
And frustrating because those same concerns reflect a failure by public officials to advance a project that, as has been said here and elsewhere, presents the greatest redevelopment opportunity in any major American city...
For more information visit pilotonline.com.
July 18, 2017
Norfolk City Council Delays Vote on Public Housing Redevelopment Plan
Norfolk City Council voted to delay voting on a proposed plan to replace much of Norfolk’s public housing with mixed-use development...
For more information visit wavy.com.
July 18, 2017
Most of Norfolk’s Public Housing Could be Gone in a Decade Under Ambitious New Plan
The vision is ambitious: Demolish more than 1,600 units of aging public housing clustered east of downtown Norfolk over the course of a decade.
Bit by bit, rebuild the area – sometimes called “St. Paul’s” – into mixed-income neighborhoods, where parks, gardens, shops and offices join 1,800 to 2,000 new homes, about a third of them set aside for people who get rental assistance. The overhaul could involve $1 billion in new private and public investment...
For more informaion visit pilotonline.com.
July 17, 2017
Plans Underway to Redevelop Norfolk’s Saint Paul Area
Dorothy Fentress has lived in Young Terrace in downtown Norfolk for nearly two decades.
She’s ready for the brick buildings and window air conditioners to be gone.
“I think it definitely need to be torn down,” Fentress said. “I would like to be able to see beautiful yards and children playing and no guns. Just a nice neighborhood.”
That could soon be the case...
For more information visit wtkr.com.
July 14, 2017
Norfolk City Council Weighing Public Housing Redevelopment Plan
Norfolk City Council will decide next week whether to enter a cooperation agreement with the Redevelopment and Housing Authority that would affect 1,700 public housing units...
For more information visit wavy.com.
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