NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Longtime Young Terrace and Calvert Square residents and community partners say a lot has changed since the two St. Paul’s area public housing communities were built nearly 70 years ago.

“When the people moved there, it was nice, it was clean and it had more amenities than most of the houses had here,” said Barbara Rice. “[But] a lot of people seemed to have lost their ways.”

Residents are looking for a transformation of the Young Terrace and Calvert Square communities which have been plagued by gun violence, the latest coming with a pair of shootings in a span of days that claimed a pair of lives.

The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority has asked residents for their insight on what they’d like to see in the new, estimated $1 billion redevelopment of two of the city’s three St. Paul’s area public housing communities, with some calling for more green space and recreation centers for youth, something they believe could keep violence down.

The discussions on the redevelopment of the Young Terrace and Calvert Square communities comes just months after efforts to revitalize the old Tidewater Gardens, now named Kindred, moved a step closer with the April groundbreaking of Phase 3 of the St. Paul’s Transformation Project.

The former Tidewater Gardens became the first of the city’s three public housing neighborhoods downtown to be demolished as part of the initiative. The area will soon be home to Kinship at Kindred, a new mixed-income housing development, with the $85 million project slated to bring 191 housing units to what was once the Tidewater Gardens public housing complex, including 73 replacement homes for former Tidewater Gardens families.

Phase 1 of the Kindred community and its 192 units are fully leased, with that comprising two new buildings — Origin Circle, with 120 units for mixed income residents and 72 Reunion apartments for senior living. It was designed to replace the former Tidewater Gardens, and 44 of those units are now home to its former residents.

Groundbreaking for Phase 2 of the Kindred community, Unity Place, took place in September 2023, and when finished — expected by this fall — it will have 140 energy-efficient, mixed-income apartments and are slated to be available sometime this year.

Gilbane Development Company has been chosen as the master developer for the Young Terrace and Calvert Square redevelopment project, which is set to transform the aging public housing communities into modern mixed-income properties.

The new project is slated to impact more than 2,000 people and involve more than 1,000 homes. Officials hope the new mixed-income properties will foster a safer, more prosperous environment, something residents need.

“[I’m] looking to see if they are gonna do a grocery store which is so desperately needed,” nearby business owner Treena Moore said.

It’s that need for upgrades that is driving this transformation project.

“We’re here at the Murray Center over the next four days, inviting residents to come in throughout the day to give their feedback on how they want the community to look and feel,” said NRHA executive director Nathan Simms said, adding, “no one wants to live in an unsafe environment or feel like they live in a warzone.”

Gilbane Development believes it can deliver on what residents are asking for.

“I want them to feel relieved and satisfied with the finished product,” said Bob Tengen, Gilbane senior development manager.

The feedback collected this week will lead to a master plan in the fall.

All week long there will be sessions happening at The Murray Center, located at 455 E. Brambleton Ave. The schedule is below:

  • Monday, July 14
    • Afternoon design work session: 1:30-3:30 p.m.
    • Kickoff meeting (dinner provided): 5:30-7 p.m.
  • Tuesday, July 15
    • Morning design work session (Streets and Infrastructure): 8:30 a.m.-noon.
    • Afternoon design work session (open space and amenities): 1:30-4:30 p.m.
    • Progress presentation (Initial Concepts): 5:30-7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 16
    • Morning design work session: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Buildings session starts at 10 a.m.).
    • Afternoon session: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 17
    • Morning session: 8:30 a.m.-noon.
    • Master plan presentation (dinner provided): 5:30-7 p.m.

The project is expected to begin in 2027.

For more information, click here.