on Jun 24, 2019

HUD awards Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Implementation Grant to Norfolk

MAY 13, 2019 — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the $30 million 2018 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) Implementation Grant to the coastal City of Norfolk, VA, home to the Norfolk U.S. Naval Base, and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the largest redevelopment and housing authority in Virginia. HR&A Advisors advised the City throughout the grant application.
 
The grant will allow the City to invest in climate resiliency and economic development in the St. Paul’s Area, which contains three public housing communities in its 200+ acres, including Tidewater Gardens, one of Norfolk’s most flood-prone areas. “This will further our vision to transform Tidewater Gardens into a mixed-income, mixed-use, resilient neighborhood that will provide affordable, quality housing for all income levels,” said Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander in the press release.
 
The grant will provide $21 million for housing redevelopment, $4.5 million for neighborhood amenities, $4.5 million in supportive services, and housing choice vouchers for every household residing in the 600-unit Tidewater Gardens housing complex. In addition to the HUD grant, Norfolk and its partners have made investments and commitments of over $158.5 million in the St. Paul’s Area. These investments will fund necessary flood protection infrastructure, such as a system of parks, open space, and streets that manage stormwater and flooding, as well as recreational, cultural, housing, employment, health and wellness, and education resources for the community.
 
Learn more about HR&A’s Urban Resilience practice.
Learn more about HR&A’s Economic Development Strategy practice.