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City of Chesapeake South Norfolk Redevelopment/Conservation Areas

Overview

The Chesapeake Redevelopment & Housing Authority along with the Economic Development Department of the City of Chesapeake sought to revitalize the historic downtown South Norfolk area in keeping with a previously adopted Poindexter Corridor Strategic Development Plan. A project area was laid out encompassing 316 parcels and 262 retail, commercial, and residential buildings in various stages of dilapidation with a goal of delineating and developing plans for one or more redevelopment and/or conservation areas in keeping with Title 36 of the Code of Virginia.

Approach

K. W. Poore & Associates, Inc. conducted an initial blight assessment of the entire project area followed by structural evaluations by Housing Consultant Services and Dunbar, Milby, Williams, Bittman, & Vaughan, PLLC. Two redevelopment areas and two conservation areas were determined to be Title 36 eligible. Eligibility reports and redevelopment/conservation plans, preliminary cost estimates including infrastructure improvements, and cost benefit analyses were written for each area. Estimated costs totaled $42 million.

Hill Studio P.C. provided illustrative plans for one redevelopment area with Urban Design Associates providing illustrative plans for the other redevelopment area through a previous planning process. Plans call for the area to be redeveloped as the South Norfolk Village Center with new clustered retail, new mixed-use development, and stabilization of adjoining residential neighborhoods.