Richmond City Council approves sale of 11 lots to Habitat for Humanity for affordable housing project

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond’s Northside is set to transform 11 vacant lots in into affordable homes after City Council officially approved the sale of the properties to Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity.

The land is located next to the former Albert V. Norrell School in Southern Barton Heights, and recently just sold for just over $100,000.

Habitat leaders say the project is about more than building houses — it’s about strengthening the community.

“Having a safe, stable home leads to better health outcomes, better educational outcomes, better civic involvement,” Richmond Habitat CEO Dave Neary said. “All of those other needs become possible when you’re not worrying about housing.”

Neary, who stepped into the role earlier this year, explained that while he wasn’t there when the process began, Habitat submitted a bid for the properties last year.

“We were notified a little over a month ago now that their intention was to move forward with that,” he said. “And then City Council approved it last week.”

Neary emphasized the urgency of addressing the city’s housing shortage.

“We certainly feel as though there’s a dramatic need, a continuing unmet need for the amount of affordable housing here in Richmond, which mirrors the United States,” he said.

The 11 properties are spread across Greenwood Avenue, Joshua Street and Fendall Avenue. Neary shared that the location was ideal because of its proximity to Habitat’s existing projects and its ReStore.

“When land becomes available and is owned by the city, this is a chance for us to partner with them to address the need for affordable housing,” he said.

Plans call for homes around 1,100 square feet each, costing about $182,000 to build. Under Habitat’s model, families earning between 50 and 120 percent of the area median income will have access to affordable mortgages.

Neary added that Habitat is making an effort to not just build in, but with the neighborhoods it enters.

“We walk in with options and we try to maximize that to meet the need, but we want to do it in a conscientious and supportive manner for the surrounding community,” he said.

The project is still in the early stages, but groundbreaking is expected within the next 12 to 18 months. The final number of homes will be scaled to match the area.