Codevelopers Leyland Development Co. and East Beach Renaissance

Codevelopers Leyland Development Co. and East Beach Renaissance — together East Beach Co. — signed a letter of intent with the city of Norfolk, Virginia, to break ground on the $200 million East Beach project. It appears that after years of site clearance and political powerbrokering, the 1994 infill redevelopment plan by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) may actually get built. “We’re very confident — we now have the full support of the NRHA (Norfolk Housing & Redevelopment Authority), the council, and the mayor’s office,” says Steve Maun of Leyland. The developers agreed to pay the city at least $8.5 million for the land, plus a percentage of future sales, according to published reports. The city has spent $35 million so far on the project. The plans have been refined with the assistance of Mike Watkins, head of DPZ’s Maryland office, and other new urbanists. The developers are looking to build 600 to 700 houses and condominiums on the 90-acre site. Questions raised about the adequacy of public beach access have been answered by the revised plans — which show streets and public walkways between homes and the beach. The housing price mix is a matter of debate. Popular Norfolk councilman Randy Wright has called for relatively high-end housing, starting at $220,000. Vince Graham, a new urbanist developer who is a consultant to the project, advocates a greater range of housing prices. Plans for million dollar homes on the water — considerably higher top-end prices than envisioned in 1994 — have stirred up some controversy. The developers plan to conduct a market study to set target prices for units. Graham’s company Civitas, based in South Carolina, was originally chosen by NRHA as the project developer — until Wright stepped in and forced NRHA to bring in a local codeveloper. When Wright wasn’t happy with NRHA’s choice, the agency switched to East Beach Renaissance, a firm headed by a friend of Wright’s. Due to these maneuvers, Civitas lost its financial partner and brought in Leyland, another New Urbanism oriented developer. Civitas eventually bowed out as a partner — leaving Leyland and East Beach Renaissance — although Civitas will remain as a consultant, assisting in hiring the development team, refining the plan, and writing architectural codes, Maun says. That work, and site engineering, is proceeding.