NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — New life is headed to the site of the former Willis Building in Downtown Norfolk in the form of affordable housing.
On Tuesday night, Norfolk City Council voted to sell the 1.5-acre property at the corner of Church Street and Brambleton Avenue to the Connecticut-based Richman Group Development Corporation for just over $400,000.
In turn they plan to build an 85-unit apartment building there named ASPIRE.
At least 21 of the units will be reserved for those displaced by the current redevelopment of the Tidewater Gardens public housing complex. These 21 units will be for those with incomes at or below 40% of the area median income.
Six others will be reserved for the homeless or those formerly homeless. The other units will be for families up to 80% of the area median income.
The project will also include a fitness center, dog park, space for virtual medical care and a community garden.
There’s no word on when construction will begin.