Posted in General, Hampton Infill, Hampton Roads, Housing, Olde Huntersville, Virginia, WPA
Eight years after Norfolk first adopted a planbook strategy for the Olde Huntersville neighborhood, the results are drawing attention. A new Homes.com feature by reporter David Holtzman spotlights the success of the effort — with designs by Work Program Architects — and looks ahead to similar work now underway in the city of Hampton.
The story notes that in Olde Huntersville, more than 80 new homes have been built using WPA’s preapproved designs, each tailored to reflect the neighborhood’s historic character. Hampton is in the early stages of developing its own planbook for historic neighborhoods with room for infill housing, including Wythe, Phoebus, Buckroe Beach and parts of downtown.
“They want to make it easier to provide family housing that will also fit in with the neighborhood,” WPA CEO Mel Price told Homes.com.
In Norfolk, zoning had long made it difficult to build on 25-foot-wide lots, despite the fact that much of the neighborhood’s historic housing stock sits on lots that size. Builders previously faced a months-long permitting process that required sign-off from multiple city agencies. With WPA’s preapproved designs, that timeline has been reduced to as little as two weeks, allowing for new housing that supports homeownership and blends seamlessly into existing blocks.
“The builders will modify [portions of the interior] they feel make it unique and something their customers want to see,” Price said of the flexibility built into WPA’s designs, which emphasize front porches, traditional window proportions and rooflines that reflect the area’s architectural heritage.
The Hampton planbook will be tailored to that city’s diverse housing stock and varied neighborhood character. As part of that effort, WPA has been consulting with the community, as well as local builders and real estate professionals, to ensure the designs support affordability and homeownership goals.
Read the full Homes.com article here.