NORFOLK, Va. — A plot of land on the corner of East Virginia Beach Boulevard and Tidewater Drive in Norfolk could soon become the home of “Riddick Place.”
Affordable Housing firm Woda Cooper Companies wants to build 67 apartment units with up to three-bedroom options. There will be a community room residents can use for social gatherings, a fitness center, washer/dryer hookups in each apartment, and a playground outside.
A spokeswoman said they are currently modeling rents ranging from $419 to $1,275 a month. She said the range would be based on someone’s income restriction and the unit size.
Residents who apply to live there would need to earn 30 to 80 percent of the area's median income and pass criminal background checks and credit screenings.
“Any improvement to the neighborhood is one of the greatest things that could ever happen,” said Calvary Towers Civic League President Carmichael Flowers. “Especially to this piece of land.”
Carmichael Flowers heads the Calvary Towers Civic League. He said he hopes the housing addition helps crime rates go down.
“It has gone down a lot since the police chief has taken over and I really appreciate the job he has done,” Flowers said. “We still have a little bit of an edge here and hopefully with the apartment it will get better.”
Ward 4 City Councilman JP Paige says the proposal fills a critical need.
“Right now one of the greatest citizen concerns are places to live that are affordable,” Paige said.
He says he wants to see the apartment plans come to life.
“People that have jobs that might not put them in the position to own a house right away,” Paige said. “But to have a place that is close to downtown with all the changes that are going on, that looks nice, that is conveniently located, I am just excited about it.”
Woda Cooper’s Vice President of Development Bruce Watts said his team needs to present their proposal to Norfolk’s planning commission, then city council members. But he said he is “very optimistic that Riddick Place will be successful” at those stages.
He said developing quality affordable housing in Norfolk and near job centers means the workforce can afford to live near jobs without having to commute 20 or 30 miles to obtain housing they can afford.
Woda Cooper Companies is naming Riddick Place after former Norfolk City Councilman Paul Riddick. He served for 30 years. The company has a handful of other affordable housing properties in Hampton Roads
The proposal for Riddick Place starts on page 73.