Portsmouth OKs over 100 new senior apartments
PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth City Council this week unanimously approved a senior apartment complex on the site of a former public housing complex.
TRG Community Development, an affiliate of Connecticut-based Richman Group Development Corporation, plans to build 106 new apartments next to Lexington Place, a 72 townhouse-style development that was the first phase.
Lexington Place, which is not senior housing, was constructed in April 2021.
The developments are replacing the Lincoln Park community, one of the city’s oldest and biggest public housing complexes, which was built in 1960 with nearly 200 apartments. The complex was demolished in 2019.
The second phase will amount to a three-story building called “Lexington Senior.”
It’s a public-private partnership, so the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority will continue to own the property east of Frederick Boulevard, southwest of downtown.
Timmons Group of Virginia Beach, an engineering firm, made the permit request.
TRG specializes in marketrate and affordable housing projects across the nation.
“Not only are we suffering right now and in the midst of a housing crisis, we also still are charged with redeveloping public housing that was poorly set up (and) replace that with quality housing that folks can be proud of,” TRG President Andre Blakley said during the meeting.
Blakley said the project is in the design phase, but plans are to break ground next spring. He added that Tuesday’s vote will allow TRG and PRHA to apply for funds that will help finance the project.
The total cost is not yet known.
Of the 106 units, 81 will have one bedroom and the remainder will have two. Lexington Place has a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. PRHA has worked since 2016 to redevelop Lincoln Park with a mix of housing types.
Lexington Senior’s amenities will include a community room, library, exercise room and a private park, Blakley said during the meeting.
Access to the new apartments will be off Lexington Drive, with a private loop road to Columbus Avenue. A roundabout will be installed to help mitigate traffic.