S.L. Nusbaum has commenced construction on a 15 million dollar affordable-housing apartment complex on the site of the old Casterton Trailer Park behind Southern Shopping Center in Denby Park. The 4.2 acre trailer park was purchased in June of 2007 for $2,325,000. The project to be named SouthWind Apartments will consist of 5 apartment buildings, a clubhouse, swimming pool and fitness center. Pilot Online reports:
Rents for the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are likely to range from $650 to $975, said Richard Counselman of Nusbaum Realty.
This is the first major private investment in the Greater Wards Corner Partnership area since the inception of the Mayor’s Wards Corner Task Force.
Wards Corner Now - Wards Corner, Norfolk, Virginia 
Thank you S L Nusbaum for you foresight and interest in improving our neighborhood.
I agree- thank you SL Nusbaum! I’m glad you see the potential which exists in Wards Corner.
I don’t see the rosy picture you all are seeing…. the blight will just move from the 300 block of East Little Creek to the new apartments.If they make rent that “affordable”, the dealers and the users will move just 3 blocks east.
This is from the Comprehensive Plan:
The next phase adds another 160 units of courtyard
apartments with their own garage, plus about 40 units of
live-work townhouses. Live-work buildings, which have
a small shop or office on the ground floor and the owner’s
residence above, are an increasingly popular form of
development in many cities. The very accessible location
for these units within the Uptown District should make
them highly sought-after. This development would replace
an existing mobile home park. While there is no
immediate problem created by this mobile home park,
looking forward a generation it is not an appropriate use
within an important destination area like the Uptown
District.
Plus the city is spending tax money to install new traffic signals at Tausig and Little Creek when the Comprehensive Plan recomends this intersection be closed.
While I like to see the redevelopment starting, it would make me feel a lot better if we could stick to the plan we all approved. If the plan is changing then the city needs to sit down with us and tell us what parts of the plan are changing and what parts are not. If the city does not follow the plan then we just bought $100,000.00 of paper that is only good for the recycle bin.
Sorry Tim, we bought a piece of paper that cost $250,000 and another $75,000 for a Blight Study.
It’s truly worrisome as a home owner in this area that the city is building their affordable housing right next door. Our city is obsessed with moving the homeless from downtown Norfolk to other parts of Norfolk. If this area doesn’t start to improve I’m taking my wife and two kids to Chesapeake.
If you click on the piot online link above and read the entire article you will see that affordable sounds like subsidized to me.This is what it says:
The apartments are being financed through a state program that helps provide affordable housing to tenants meeting income guidelines.
That is the last thing in this area we need. I wish Scott Hill that I could afford to leave this area if there not going to improve the area along Little Creek rd.I paid over 1800 in real estate taxes last year,why can’t they use some of that to buy out the owners of those getto apts along Little Creek rd.
I do see the points of Greg, Scott, and Dawn. I too thought they would be regular apartments available to those that could afford it. (That doesn’t seem to be the case.)
An interesting point in the article is the last sentence – “Now crime statistics cannot to declare a structure blighted – the building must be in danger of collapse or endanger public health.” Does it count that some of the buildings’ occupants endanger lives (murders that occur) or that they sell drugs (which endanger people health)? The city, if they wanted to, could declare the buildings an endanger to public health because I’m sure if they went in there, they would in fact see they are a danger.
I live in Va Beach but own a business in Wards Corner, but I believe the residents definitely have the tougher fight to fight. I have heard the horror stories at the meetings and I have 2 young kids and could not imagine living in Wards Corner (on either side of Little Creek Rd near the interstate), as terrible as this might sound. I applaude the home owners for being united and strong. You would think the city would want residents to come and live in Norfolk, not want to move out of it. And it truly is sad that the city does not look at it this the same way and try to change it for the better. Really, how much worse could it get for the city to take action? Good luck to the residents in their fight and be strong!!
Affordable housing doesn’t always mean it’s for people who are ghetto or drug dealers, etc. As as single mother, I think it’s great that there are opportunities like this coming along. I work my ass off (as a Norfolk school teacher) and still can hardly pay my rent in Chesapeake. I’m sure if they’re spending so much money cleaning up Wards Corner, there will be a screening to make sure people are serious about living in that new complex.
And as far as Scott Hill’s comment: moving the homeless to other parts of Norfolk– homeless people usually don’t have jobs. If they don’t have jobs, then they can’t afford affordable housing. I don’t care who they are.
Instead of falling into the whole stereotypical mindset that Norfolk is ghetto and for low-lives, try to think of the people who are like me: the hard working single mother in the lower-middle class, who can’t get ahead no matter what because our economy is in a slow recession.
I am a recent college graduate of ODU and I am working for a non profit. I do not make much money and the price of these apartments look really good but I am concerned about the area and what people are saying on these message boards. Is this area terrible? Should I look elswhere?