New urbanist developer Vince Graham, a partner in

New urbanist developer Vince Graham, a partner in acclaimed TNDs I’On and Newpoint, has run into political interference in Norfolk, Virginia. Graham’s firm, Civitas, was chosen as the developer of East Beach, a 100-acre project designed in 1994 by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. The local councilman who represents the district forced the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) to hire a local developer to partner with Civitas. When the NRHA brought in a local developer, the councilman again stepped in and forced NRHA to drop that firm and take on another local developer — East Beach Renaissance — with the councilman’s backing. Due to the political maneuvering, Civitas lost its original financial partner — The St. Joe Company — but was fortunate enough to find another partner, Leyland Development of Warwick, New York. The most recent snag is the resignation of David Rice, the executive director of the NHRA, which recruited Civitas. The authority has substantially raised the price of the land, and Civitas/Leyland/East Beach Renaissance are working out details of a new agreement. Nor has the “shotgun marriage” with East Beach Renaissance been easy, reports Graham. “We remain hopeful” that the remaining hurdles will be cleared and East Beach will become a reality, he adds.