Frequently Asked Questions

For years, Tidewater Gardens has been home to one of the region’s highest concentrations of public housing, in which people live in 1950s-era buildings that no longer meet modern building standards. With a large portion of Tidewater Gardens built over an old creek bed, the area floods regularly, a problem worsened by crumbling infrastructure. Most importantly, the current community configuration creates a concentrated zone of poverty, segregation and crime that has defined the area for decades — a living, breathing geographical barrier that continues the cycle of poverty and results in physical, social and economic isolation, despite being right at the doorstep to Downtown Norfolk.

Under a $3.5 million annual grant, the City and its Redevelopment Authority have empowered Urban Strategies Inc., a national non-profit leader in comprehensive neighborhood transformations, to guide the community’s People First USI initiative. Launched in August 2018, People First USI seeks to connect the area’s public housing residents with housing, education, employment, healthcare, family-support and entrepreneurial opportunities to lead stable, healthy, prosperous lives. Each resident can decide whether to move outside the area, relocate to a different public housing community or return to the redevelopment.

The 115-acre redevelopment area includes the entire Tidewater Gardens public housing community. The area is bordered by:

• St. Paul’s Boulevard to the west
• Brambleton Avenue to the north
• Tidewater Drive to the east
• I-264/City Hall Avenue to the south

Through public-private partnership, the City of Norfolk is working to improve the lives of Tidewater Gardens residents and create a vibrant Norfolk community of the future. People First USI works in four key pillars to guide current residents through the transformation: education, economic mobility, health & wellness and housing stability. Transformation goals include:

• Increase self-sufficiency, financial independence, and successful outcomes for families by providing housing choices and customized supportive services of People First USI.
• Deconcentrate poverty and develop high quality mixed-income, mixed-use communities of choice.
• Provide access to excellent educational opportunities in partnership with Norfolk Public Schools, local colleges and universities and early childhood education institutions.

Tidewater Gardens will be transformed into a mixed-use, mixed income neighborhood for people of all ages, backgrounds and incomes. Redevelopment plans include:

• 714 affordable and market rate Carriage Homes, Town Homes, Multi-Family and Mansion Apartments
• Retail and Office Space
• 26-Acre Recreational Park with Blueways, Greenways, Trails and Natural Areas
• Innovative Tidal and Stormwater Control
• Historical and Cultural Exhibits
• Community Event and Gathering Spaces
• Public Art Installations

The City of Norfolk and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority successfully applied for a $30 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant leveraging public and private investments.

The Master Plan vision for the new St. Paul’s was developed through years of planning by engaged residents, businesses, church and community leaders, and dozens of interested stakeholders. An expert team of architects, engineers and developers then took their input and designed a mixed-income community that connects people and opportunity, eliminates decades of flooding, and continues the vibrant redevelopment of Downtown Norfolk.

You can sigh up to subscribe to the monthly St. Paul's newsletter here.