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Norfolk — Norfolk’s housing authority will suspend the relocation of residents and most redevelopment efforts in the St. Paul’s area until at least October, after a legal agreement with residents and advocates sparked by coronavirus.
Hundreds were expected to move out of the area’s public housing in the coming months, as the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority aims to get the brick-and-mortar overhaul under way after years of discussion and preparation.
As residents moved out in phases, the authority planned to start tearing down the mid-century apartment buildings, with the first to come down in November.
Several residents of St. Paul’s public housing filed a lawsuit in January along with a few advocacy groups seeking to block the city’s redevelopment efforts, arguing the plan as written would violate federal housing law by further segregating black residents. Both sides have traded legal filings over the last few months, but a federal judge hasn’t ruled one way or the other.
As coronavirus reared its head in America and things started to shut down early in April, the plaintiffs requested an injunction from the judge to halt the continued move-out of residents and planned demolitions.
Evictions are already effectively on hold since the state has closed the courts for many non-critical legal matters.
More legal wrangling eventually led to an agreement last week, which puts almost all of the St. Paul’s redevelopment efforts on hold for 180 days.
NRHA sent letters to residents of Tidewater Gardens on April 23 saying that “due to the impact of COVID-19, that there is no requirement that residents look for alternate housing, move, or work with People First or NRHA representatives in connections with moving during the 180 day period.”
Those who want to continue working with NRHA and People First, the contractor hired to provide services for those relocating, to find housing can continue to do so if they choose. And residents can still access all available programs and aid if they find somewhere else to live during this period, but it’s not required until at least Oct. 19.
The city also agreed that it wouldn’t look to demolish any buildings, with the exception of one small apartment building on Fenchurch Street which was expected to be empty soon and will make way for a pump station.
This delay likely pushes the first large swath of demolitions back from this November to May of 2021, housing authority officials said Friday.
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The future of the St. Paul’s area, just east of downtown, has been debated for decades. City and housing authority officials say their goal is to de-concentrate poverty, replacing the nearly 1,700 units of public housing there with mixed-income neighborhoods. But some residents and advocates say not enough has been done to make sure people forced to leave their homes will be able to stay in Norfolk.
Thomas Assefa with New Virginia Majority, one of the advocacy groups that are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said in a statement it was glad to have protections for residents in place as the litigation proceeds.
“This is an encouraging step forward that will immediately address health, safety, and maintenance issues," Assefa said in the statement. “It is also a victory for everyone, especially our members and residents, and is one step closer to a fair and permanent solution for the residents of the St. Paul’s Quadrant.”
Jennifer Moore, a spokeswoman for the housing authority, said the redevelopment effort is in a good place and that the delay shouldn’t majorly impact it.
Several parcels of land that are part of the first wave of rebuilding are already vacant and don’t need to wait on residents to relocate, including a pair of apartment buildings slated for empty lots next to Fire Rescue Station #1 on Wood Street.
“Hopefully we’ll move through this and we can focus on relocation once the global pandemic is over," Moore said Friday.
Ryan Murphy, 757-739-8582, ryan.murphy@pilotonline.com