Norfolk council approves sale of 2.2-acre Park Place site for workforce housing

Norfolk City Council voted to approve a purchase and development agreement to sell roughly 2.2 acres in the Park Place neighborhood to Pathway Realty Group LLC and Franklin Group Companies LLC for a workforce housing development referred to by supporters as the Station Apartments.

Councilman Bull, Norfolk City Council member, presented the ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute the agreement and asked the council to dispense with the charter requirement for reading the ordinance twice before adopting it. The council voted to adopt the ordinance by recorded vote; all members present voted yes.

The item drew public comment both opposing and supporting the project. Natalie Williams, a chapter lead with YMB Hampton Roads, said the rising cost of living has increased homelessness and urged the council not to delay action: “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” Jamie Pickens, a Park Place resident, told the council she and other neighbors oppose adding more low-income housing in and around Park Place because she said it perpetuates concentrated poverty and its long-term negative outcomes for children and families. Ismail Salim, imam at Masjid Williams Salam and president of the Park Place Business Association, supported the proposed workforce units and said a petition from five years earlier showed local demand for workforce-affordable housing. Grayson Orsini of Yimby Hampton Roads also urged approval, saying the project would provide housing for police officers, nurses, shipbuilders and others who work in the city and would put a vacant lot back on the tax roll.

Several council members argued the project is a step toward addressing Norfolk’s housing shortage even if it is not a complete solution. Council members who spoke in favor noted the project could catalyze further development, place formerly vacant land on the tax roll and provide housing options for workers who serve the city.

The ordinance as presented approves a purchase and development agreement between the City of Norfolk and Pathway Realty Group LLC and Franklin Group Companies LLC for the identified parcels, described in the meeting as approximately 2.2 acres. Details in the agreement such as unit counts, income targeting ranges, financing sources and development timetable were not specified on the record during the meeting.

Votes at the meeting showed unanimous approval by the members present; no abstentions or no votes were recorded in the public roll call.

The council took the vote as part of the regular agenda after a period of public comment and immediately moved on to other items on the agenda.