Throughout our portfolio, NRHA provides housing that is affordable, modernized and consists of mixed use amenities that serve our neighborhoods in a holistic way. The neighborhoods element of the CNI plan envisions the former Tidewater Gardens site transformed into a diverse, mixed-income, resilient community that addresses flooding through recreational amenities and restores Church Street as a commercial, civic and social destination. The plan calls for a new prominent link into Norfolk’s central business district with the extension of Freemason Street across St. Paul’s Boulevard through the new community to Tidewater Drive to connect the redeveloped area to downtown and link to William H. Ruffner Academy middle school.

The redesign of the community will use the historical hydrology of the old creek, within a park setting, to manage the floodwater and convert a flood prone area into a dynamic open space for residents. This new feature will be complemented by a greener street gird that creates meaningful connections through a pattern of neighborhoods blocks and streets for a more walkable/bikeable community. The plan reconnects this isolated community to the rest of the city with safer, signaled cross points at Tidewater Drive and St. Paul’s Boulevard.

The neighborhoods element of the CNI plan was developed through a series of community meetings held with residents and community stakeholders to create their vision for the St. Paul’s Area.  From these meetings, six design principles were developed and serve as the foundation for a reimagined St. Paul’s:

• Create a mixed-income community with a diverse mix of residential development, ranging from single-family and town homes to small and large scale multifamily for all income levels
• Provide high-quality educational opportunities through income-integrated schools that close the achievement gap for low-income students. A transformed St. Paul’s will provide access to excellent educational opportunities in partnership with Norfolk Public Schools, five local colleges and universities located in Norfolk and early childhood education institutions
• Include employment opportunities along St. Paul’s Boulevard through office and commercial space and the development of an anchor investment to bring people in from the broader community
• Provide recreation and open space opportunities including active facilities offering exercise, play, walking, biking and passive activities through tot lots and playgrounds that allow for enjoyment of natural areas and open spaces, as well as space to hold group events such as festivals and cookouts
• Create a connected pattern of neighborhoods streets and blocks that establish the framework for a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods that replace the existing super block structure
• Restore Church Street as the commercial, civic and social heart of the community. Church Street will be realigned, and buildings along each side will be mixed-use with ground-level retail or community-serving offices

The CNI plan furthers these principles through the investment in critical community improvements. The plan focuses on two key strategies for CNI funding:

• Strategy 1: Community hub:  A central place that brings the community together through programs in arts, technology and business.
• Strategy 2:  Heritage-focused, resilient streetscape that honors the neighborhood’s African American heritage, highlighting local history and the contributions of African Americans to the cultural, educational and scientific enrichment of Norfolk.

The community hub will be integrated as part of the housing unit development and will be centered at the new Freemason and Church streets area in a setting that will promote greater community connection and interaction. The heritage-focused streetscapes will be interwoven into the new roadways along elements in the new park and open space area.