PORTSMOUTH
Some homeowners in the city's largest new residential community weren't happy to learn that the neighborhood's developer now wants to build apartments instead of condos on the site.
"They're making decisions and we're oblivious to all of them," said Denise Key, president of the New Port Civic League.
A representative for Virginia Beach developers L.M. Sandler & Sons wrote in an e-mail that the developers plan to build high-quality apartments and retail that will be a good fit for the Victory area at large.
"They're still wanting to continue to do good quality work," city spokeswoman Monique Bass said.
This month, property owner Portsmouth Ventures One, which is affiliated with L.M. Sandler & Sons, asked the city's planning commission for permission to build 100,000 square feet of retail space and 300 apartments in the development.
The original plan for the final phase of the New Port community included 427 condos and no retail space, according to planning commission documents.
At this month's planning commission meeting, commissioners raised questions about the quality of the designs for the proposed apartments and retail space. Some said the new designs were too generic.
Since the meeting, city planners have been working with developers on designs that feature more architectural detailing, brickwork, and various types of roofs, Bass said.
The apartments would be developed so they could later be converted into condos, according to planning commission documents. The apartments and retail space would be across Interstate 264 from where homes and townhouses have already been built.
New Port has been a centerpiece of Portsmouth's efforts to create a city center in the Victory area and raise the bar on residential development.
Eighty-seven units have been sold so far, wrote Christine Pasterczyk, a representative of Portsmouth Venture One.
Some New Port homeowners said they worry that apartments could lower their property values and complained that they were not notified by their home association or developer about the potential change.
"What I've been finding out has been through the paper," said homeowner Khadijah Alexander. "I just don't do business like that."
Pasterczyk wrote that a request for a resident meeting had not been brought to the developer's attention.
She wrote that the developer is now revising its application to include suggested modifications and when those changes are complete, it will be a more appropriate time to meet with interested parties.
Erica Holmes, who grew up in Portsmouth but didn't envision living there as an adult until she and her husband saw New Port, worries that the apartments could attract "riffraff" and endanger the redevelopment of the area.
This year, local city councils have allowed other developments to scale back or delay building. Chesapeake City Council in January approved delaying building the first 120 condominiums at Belharbour Station at SoNo by a year. In April, Virginia Beach City Council allowed developer BQI Group to pare down a condominium project called Bonney's Quay.
The planning commission is scheduled to take up the New Port plan again at its next meeting on July 1.
Jen McCaffery, (757) 446-2627, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com
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I have an idea....
...to differentiate the proposed apartments from the actual New Port development, we could name it (wait for the drumroll) "Fairwood Homes II"...because that is exactly what you'd end up with.
Wait and see the vote
Let's see. Here's a chance to help out those 158 people holding Section 8 vouchers and maybe we can thin the Section 8 crowd out of Churchland. Citizens of Portsmouth, city council couldn't care less about you. They only care about the developers who line their pockets and the welfare crowd. I feel for the people who bought into NewPort. You should have bought in Old Towne. At least the "Elite" would have made sure nothing like this would happen in their neighborhood.
May be a done deal.
At last nights city council meeting Moody and Psimas said they would not support the request and it was deferred pending further study. Good for them. The rest of council was silent. I take this as a bad sign. There were promises from the developer and the city council when this project was approved that this would not happen. Now the developer has gone back on his word and those council members who are supported by developers are still in a position to change the plan. People of that neighborhood need to wake up and raise a ruckus at the next council meeting.
A New Portsmouth.....
What City Commissioners need to understand is that, with all the progress and development occuring in Portsmouth, there is a "new" citizenry. We won't stand for a dumbing-down of promises made. Newport residents bought their properties under the premise of developers' promises. If the plans change could class-action litigation follow? Just sayin.....
What about others
I live in area right beside the community. It's funny because we aren't organized and have no say. The entire developement has raised my property value so I'm not sure how to feel about the changes.
Developers CANNOT be trusted!
But, elected officials will listen...when the noise is loud enough. Remember the biodiesel plant? Remember the efforts to expand SPSA? Remember the plan to ship in trash barges? Remember when they tried to close down the Cradock library?
New Port residents...you bought into a vision...nice properties on a golf course. You took a risk on an area that borders on some that are not so nice. Your developer made promises. Do you want your lovely recreational center that you are paying homeowners association fees for overrun by apartment tenants and their visitors? People who have NO VESTED INTEREST in the success of New Port?
You need to take a "leaf" from the Cradock residents' "book", organize, and be heard! Good luck and don't let them beat you down!
It will lower house values around it eventually
Apartments are apartments. People will buy them up brand new and rent them out. A lot of renters do not take care of where they live as am owner would, and this will lead to the rapid decline of the apartments condition, which will lower the rent price, which will continually bring in more and more careless "riff-raff" leading to the degrading value of areas around it. This is yet another plan for the developers and city to make more money at the expense of others. They are probably worried they won't sell as many if they are more expensive condos, so let's just downgrade them to apartments!
Developer Change Of Plans
If you believe a developer, you're a fool. If you believe city council won't approve their plans over the voices of citizens, you're a biggere fool. "VOTE THE BUMS OUT"