RRHA releases some more details on the Dove St. revitalization
We’ve talked about this before, but the RRHA has released more details on the plan — including the developer. From the RTD:
The housing authority has selected Crosland LLC of Charlotte, N.C., as the master developer for the planned revitalization of the Dove Street area generally bounded by the Richmond-Henrico Greenway to the south and west, the Green Park neighborhood to the north and First Avenue to the east.
Crosland, which is planning the redevelopment of the former Cloverleaf Mall property in Chesterfield County, will design, finance and construct the development. Construction is projected to begin in spring 2012.
The plan is for mixed use, keeping with the existing neighborhood’s style:
Preliminary plans include housing that will serve a range of family sizes and income levels, enhanced community amenities and open space. Additional phases would include a new elementary school.
Residential units would be compatible in scale, density and housing types with the adjacent Highland Park and Barton Heights neighborhoods.
The goal is to create at least 300 units of mixed-income housing and ensure that 30 percent of new housing will be available to public-housing residents.
It’s a shame when our public housing needs can’t be filled by Richmond businesses. I wonder how that works? I know it’s only 30% public, but we’re going to pay outsiders to come in and develop an area we will be partially subsidizing in the end.
Caution… this is the same devloper of the city view/manchester on the james site. Disaprooved by nearly all those around the developemnt, and multiple neighborhood associations It ramed through council by lawyers, poor city council representation and businessmen with little concern for neighborhood concerns.
The problem is not lack of housing in the barton/highland park area, it seems to be the opposite. Fill up the vacant houses before building new ones. Maybe there is just not the demand.
There is plenty of housing in HP and Barton; however, most of it is either a. private homeowners (non Section8 or RRHA available), b. vacant and in need of serious repair, or c. rentals unable to pass Section 8 inspection. It is cheaper for RRHA to build new housing than to restore older housing. The Dept. of Economic and Community Development does have an assistance buying program, but it gives big grants to low-middle class families to buy an old house. The problem with this program is that families in that economic bracket cannot sustain an older house, especially if there is job loss.
This type of housing, mentioned in the story above, is probably best suited for lower income housing, but it needs to be placed in conjunction with revitalization efforts that attract people with the economic ability to rebuild and sustain the old houses (such as the existing rehabilitation tax credit currently available from DECD). The area will remain blighted until multiple-income household types are buying up the dilapidated properties.
Eh it sounds good in theory, but in practice this idea of anchoring attractions has not been the most effective in Richmond. The flood wall, the sixth street market etc.-not to mention RRHA’s shady body of work over the last forty years all lead to initial skepticism. I get what 90 of the units will be used for, public housing, but what will the other 210 units be used for if the same people that these hundreds of units are meant to be occupied by can also afford the bigger older houses. This will flood the market. This will drive down house values.