2021 Development that Best Preserves Family Housing
The Retreat at Harbor Pointe
Developer and owner: Lawson
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
The Retreat at Harbor Pointe in Norfolk, Virginia, not only provides 246 families with affordable housing in a new, modern apartment community, but involved significant remediation and work that will eventually connect a boardwalk with the existing 22.5-mile Elizabeth River Trail.
The development received $22.2 million in federal LIHTC equity from Wells Fargo Affordable Housing Community Development Corporation and offers high-end amenities such as a resort-style pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center, modern kitchens, energy-efficient appliances, granite countertops and a patio or balcony.
Developer Lawson Cos. raised the site out of a 100-year flood plan, replaced non-native vegetation with salt-tolerant native reeds, installed rip-rap to stabilize the shoreline and oyster castles to create habitat for the oysters to naturally cleanse the river.
In addition to the apartments, there will be a retail component on the site within two years, continuing the effort to provide affordable housing, remove an eyesore, make new trails available to the public and stimulate the local economy.