PORTSMOUTH, Va. — There's a plan on the table to bring hundreds of apartments and homes to Portsmouth.
Grove Church is working with Ripley Heatwole Company to potentially convert a portion of a 36-acre property into a housing development.
According to documents presented to Portsmouth City Council, the property will sit along West Norfolk Road and will have 208 apartment units and 74 single-family homes.
Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover said the project is something to get excited about.
“[It's] something that I believe would make the city and its residents very proud," Mayor Glover told 13News Now Friday.
While Glover says the project has his vote, not everyone feels that way, including Churchland Civic League President JoAnn Clarke.
“It’s a good site. The site itself is great, but it’s the fact that that’s going to add additional burden to our infrastructure already here," Clarke said.
Clarke said the Churchland section of the city has sinkholes and potholes that need to be fixed. She said projects like that should take priority.
Clarke also has concerns over traffic and whether first responders can handle the increased population.
“Every city has needs for not having enough fire staff, not having enough fire equipment. Same with the police department," she said.
However, Mayor Glover said fire and police staffing are headed in the right direction.
“Right now, we have a full complement in our fire department, so we’ve done extremely well there. With our police department, we are still working on recruiting," the mayor said.
According to documents presented to Portsmouth City Council, the development will have parks, lakes and multi-purpose trails. The single-family homes will be between 1,800 and 2,800 square feet,
A spokesperson for the project said this is not an affordable housing project.
“I believe that we need affordable housing for everybody. We need the churches to be at the forefront of leading that charge," said Gregory, who lives in the Churchland area.
“Everybody needs a place to dwell and live right," echoed Valarna, a resident.
“It wouldn’t hurt to have more housing here in this particular area. I think it’d be good. It’d be good for the businesses," said another Portsmouth resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Builders want to start construction in 2025, but the project still needs final approval.
13News Now reporter, Brenna McIntosh, spoke to people for and against the plan!
Grove Church is working with Ripley Heatwole Company to potentially convert a portion of a 36-acre property into apartments and single-family homes.
13News Now reached out to Grove Church and Ripley Heatwole Company for an interview on the project, but both were unavailable.