March 25, 2025

NORFOLK — City Council members voted 7-1 to approve several items related to an affordable housing development that attracted criticism from residents of a historically Black community and support from other city residents.

With member Courtney Doyle voting against the measure, the council approved The Station Apartments near Park Place during a meeting Tuesday.

“I’m supporting this because this is an effort,” said Council member Carlos Clanton during the meeting, referencing the city’s shortage of affordable housing. “It may not be perfect but it is an effort to move us forward to address that need.”

The apartment complex would transform two mostly vacant lots blocks between 26th and 27th streets and Monticello Avenue and Church Street into two, four-story apartment buildings. The 154-unit project is from Franklin Group, a Virginia Beach company that has developed affordable and market-rate housing across the region.

The development attracted criticism from several Park Place Civic League members, who argued the neighborhood already has more than its fair share of low-income housing and adding more would exacerbate trends caused by historical housing segregation.

During public comments on Tuesday, Park Place Civic League President Jamie Pickens said she supported deconcentrating poverty, rather than being against affordable housing. She asked the city to create policies that spread out affordable housing across all neighborhoods.

Census data shows the median household income in the 23504 ZIP code — where the development will be based — is $43,156, and more than one in three residents live in poverty. About 82% of the population is Black.

Other commenters argued the city should welcome an attempt to reverse an affordable housing shortage. They included several members of YIMBY Hampton Roads, which stands for “yes in my back yard” and is a pro-housing advocacy group. Norfolk is short roughly 6,800 rental units for households making less than $35,000 a year — about 3 out of 10 households — including 4,600 for those making less than $20,000 a year, according to a city-commissioned 2024 housing study.

“Housing delayed is housing denied,” said Grayson Orsini, YIMBY Hampton Roads chapter lead, during the meeting.

In an email, Freddie Fletcher, senior vice president, development with Franklin Group, said the community now includes 154 affordable housing units that will be marketed to city workers, firefighters, police and public schools employees. The development sets aside 20% of the units for those making up to 40% of the area’s median income figure of $60,998, 60% of the units for those making up to 60% and the final 20% of the units for those making up to 80%.

A previous proposal include 5% unrestricted units.

The Norfolk Planning Commission previously voted 4-3 to not recommend the project to City Council, with those opposed saying they were frustrated the development did not adhere to the site vision laid out in a 2022 Midtown Plan.

The development is financed primarily by the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.

This article was originally posted by The Virginian-Pilot on March 30, 2025. https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/03/30/norfolk-housing-park-place/

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com