Developer Helps Revitalize Jackson Ward in Richmond, Virginia

Enterprise Community Development is revitalizing and reknitting a portion of the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, through mixed-income and mixed-use development.

Jackson Ward, a National Historic Landmark District, had been a center of Black commerce after the Civil War, boasting the first Black Catholic church, a trade school open to all races, and a series of Black-owned businesses. After the construction of an interstate in the late 1950s, part of the neighborhood became isolated and distressed.

The nonprofit took a broader look at the neighborhood and engaged with community stakeholders to address their needs and preferences, with the end result being The Rosa, named after a local educator, and The Van de Vyver, named after the trade school in the neighborhood.

The Rosa includes 72 units of replacement public housing for seniors who had been living in the distressed Fay Towers on the other side of the interstate. This was made possible by moving Rental Assistance Demonstration units off-site into a neighborhood of opportunity and converting traditional public housing to the Section 8 platform. The Van de Vyver includes 82 units in new construction and the adaptive reuse of the church convent, which the neighborhood had requested. It also will include a grocery store and a restaurant to address other neighborhood needs.

In addition to the public housing replacement units, the development includes 36 workforce housing and 46 market-rate units as well as a wealth of amenities, such as outdoor terrace patios, a dog wash, a fitness center, and computer rooms.

“The seniors are now living in an area of opportunity. They are living in an area where there is retail, health care, transportation, and a lot more diversity in terms of age and socioeconomic background. Their quality of life has improved dramatically,” says Matt Engel, development director at Enterprise Community Development. “For the rest of the site, we have proven out a thesis that if you listen to what the community wants, you can be successful. We listened, and now we are fully leased.”

The $34.5 million development included a complex mix of public and private sources, including a ground lease at no upfront cost from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority and 9% and 4% low-income housing tax credits.