NORFOLK
Federal housing officials warned the city's housing authority this week that it could lose $3.5 million in grants because it failed to meet a deadline for completing Broad Creek, Norfolk's highly touted mixed-income neighborhood.
Representatives of the federal Housing and Urban Development office asked the authority to immediately finish building the community or risk losing the last of its HOPE VI money for Broad Creek. The delay also could jeopardize another $20 million in federal grants Norfolk has requested for another project, officials said.
In 2000, Norfolk's Redevelopment and Housing Authority received a $35 million HOPE VI grant to tear down two public housing complexes and build Broad Creek, a mix of 670 homes and apartments near Norfolk State University.
The housing authority was supposed to finish the entire neighborhood by the end of last year, but still has another 108 low-income apartments and houses left to build.
This week, the housing authority's board voted 4-3 to scale back the Broad Creek plans that originally won HUD approval. The authority now wants to cut 40 low-income housing apartments out of its proposal, and help 50 low-income residents buy houses elsewhere in Norfolk.
"I think we're at the crisis level," Assistant Executive Director John Kownack told the authority's board earlier this week. "We're trying to complete the grant. And we're trying to put ourselves and the city in a better position to get what they want out of this project."
Board chairman W. Sheppard Miller III said he is worried the situation could hurt the city's $20 million application for additional HOPE VI money. Norfolk is awaiting word from HUD on whether it will receive funding to demolish Moton Circle, a public housing community adjacent to Broad Creek, and build more new housing there.
"If we've got this kind of dangling out there, it makes it harder to get funding the next time around," he said.
Broad Creek, which is bisected by Princess Anne Road, is the region's most ambitious, taxpayer-funded attempt to build a mixed-income neighborhood. It is a combination of market-rate housing and subsidized housing, with many units where residents receive vouchers or home-ownership assistance. The neighborhood will soon sport a $60 million recreation center that is being funded in large part by the Salvation Army as well as a new city library.
"It's a great concept," board member Ulysses Turner said. "Broad Creek, when it gets complete, will be a success."
But Turner and two other board members argued the authority should live up to its original commitment.
"One of the primary functions of the authority is to provide affordable housing," Turner said. "We should not renege on this requirement. We've had ample time to either purchase some land and build those 40 units, or purchase a suitable building and convert it."
Despite taking it out of the plan, board members said they hoped to still build the 40 low-income apartments - just not in Broad Creek. "I'm not backing away," Miller said.
The authority also hopes to eventually build more homes at Broad Creek, but those won't be done until 2013, after the city can pay for millions in necessary infrastructure costs, Kownack said.
He said the authority would send HUD the amended Broad Creek plan next week.
HUD spokeswoman Donna White said pulling funding would be a "total last resort," and said the housing agency would extend Norfolk's deadline as long as the city committed to getting the project done.
"This is a competent housing authority," she said. "We believe they do a good job with development, but their effort really needs to focus on Hope VI."
Meghan Hoyer, (757) 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com
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low income or black
It is strange that the term low income is being used instead of the black people. I wonder, in this case, what is the difference. It is no different than when blacks had to use second hand books in school. Now, this generation of blacks has to be subjected to second hand services. NRHA is a agency that is ran by mostly whites who do not live in any of the communities that they are suppose to be serving. Low income communities, or should I say black communities are just another salary for them. The people in those communities should be advocating for economic equity and social justice. There seems to a perpetual cycle of poverty that other prey on so that they would not be poverty stricken themselves. It is interesting how the poor generates so much revenue for others, and they themselves remain poor. If the poor blacks in those communities only knew how much money they make for other people through grants that are written on their poor backs.
More important things
Norfolk has more important things to fund than Broad Creek. They have to build a choo-choo to create development elsewhere. They have to spend $22 million for developers to build a tower on Granby street. They have to find something to do with the dirt lot on Main street. Then there is the new developer that wants to build by the Mall. Why would they waste funds to support low income family's at broad creek? Geez. Elections are coming up, and they need campaign contributions. Those low income people don't keep them in office. The developers do.
What NRHA says goes!
Who the heck is HUD to tell NRHA what to do and when. No body pushes NRHA around. You don't play ball with the mantra of NRHA 'Hit the streets, they'll find a way to make it so'
where's david rice (previous effective NRHA director), when you need him??
Stick to the original plan
The region has an acute shortage of low-income housing units, so we need every unit that can reasonably be built. That means finish Broad Creek according to the original plan quickly. It's a great location for the low-income in that three HRT bus routes (Routes 18, 20, and 23) go through the area.
The NR&HA is talking out of both sides of it's mouth when it speaks of scaling back Broad Creek...but doing Moton Circle. Excuse me, but if you can't complete Broad Creek, how in the heck are you going to do Moton Circle?
The five cities of South Hampton Roads keep trying to dump their poor on each other. The ultimate solution is to consolidate the five cities. In the interim, the working poor need to organize to push on such issues.
Good intentions but just not doable
I do not live in Norfolk for various reasons. Near that area was the Home-a-Rama site a few years back. I drove through there a couple months ago and was surprised the way it is. AS stated by others,A mixed income neighborhood is not doable unless the infrastructure was in place to start. It wasn't and wont be for another 4-5 years. Norfolk should be held to do what they proposed in their plan and not vary.
Broad Creek
When NHRA is involved with your money, check your wallet....check theirs also.
Just sold my house
I have owned a house in Middletown Arch for 14 years and watched the gov't housing be torn down and BroadCreek be built. The city made a mistake with the mixed income plan. The new homes there were priced at 390,000 and up which are not attactive to buyers in that area for several reasons. Norfolk's assessment tax is now just too high. The schools are not adequate for paying that type of money for a home. Crime has increased. Our tax assessments went up almost 100,000 in 2 years. I still have to go to Va Beach city rec center. Chesapeakes YMCA and have to drive my kids to the other side of the city so they can go to a decent school. If I paid 375,000 or more for a home I would keep a manicured yard and would expect my neighbors to do the same (which is not the case with the low-income housing next door or across the street in BroadCreek). The city doesn't even come out to pick up the trash and maintain the grounds properly. Just drive down Babbentine from Princess Anne to Va Bch Blvd and look. The city was expecting the new homes to take off and they didn't so the project came to a halt.
It seems to me the NRHA is
It seems to me the NRHA is trying to rengege on approved plans and create a mostly black elitist neighborhood around NSU. This is not what the HUD money was given for. I would like to see HUD insist on sticking with the origional plan.
Unanswered questions...
Why hasn't this article adequately explained why the housing authority's board voted 4-3 to scale back the Broad Creek plans that originally won HUD approval? Is it due to infrastructure needs? Is there money for these needs? Were they unforeseeable problems that were not realized when the grant was written? What are the needs? Are there other reasons for scaling back and putting the low income housing in other parts of the city?