11 Responses to “workforce housing”

1. posted by john m at November 4, 2006 3:17 pm :
   

   If only the dump was not *right there*, though I guess this helps keep the prices down, too.

   If/when that mall happens on Laburnum, these’ll be fairly close to jobs/services going out the other way.

2. posted by MaxPower at November 4, 2006 3:49 pm :
   

   Those places used to *be* a dump. They look much better since I’ve been back there (it’s on the way to see Maggie Walker!)

3. posted by Celeste at November 4, 2006 4:00 pm :
   

   Just curious - where are these? I can’t see a street sign, although I can make out the realtor’s sign saying ’starting at $75,000′ and from your link, John, I’m guessing somewhere near to Laburnum & Gay Avenues. From the top pic, it looks like they kept at least one tree, which is good.

4. posted by John m at November 4, 2006 4:06 pm :
   

   Take Chimborazo north to P/Q Street, it’ll turn into Oakwood. Follow that back a few block and it becomes Richmond Road. On the left you’ll see Oakwood Cemetery, on the right you’ll see these condos. Right past the condos is the East End Trasfer Station, aka the dump. Keep up Richmond Road about a mile and you’ll get the other end of Gay Ave.

5. posted by bob at November 4, 2006 8:19 pm :
   

   Just a correction: there is no transfer station there. It is only for yard waste, tree limbs and the like. If you take trash there, they yell at you. Also, you can get mulch there.

6. posted by Johm m at November 4, 2006 8:21 pm :
   

   You can dump trash, I’m there every few weeks w/ the house renovation and all. There are 2 trucks off the right that you can dump into.

7. posted by Homie at November 4, 2006 10:39 pm :
   

   There may be some exceptions being made but I’ve tried to take renovation debris there and was turned away. They maintain it is there for yard waste only. Regular trash has to go to Hopkins Road.

8. posted by John m at November 4, 2006 10:40 pm :
   

   Damn, I feel so special now.

9. posted by bill at November 5, 2006 12:58 pm :
   

   this “workforce” housing site has an interesting history. it is built on top of/or near an abandoned landfill over 20 years ago. it was subject of law suits. i think a developer named gordon in richmond sold it to a developer in tidewater. later the tidewater developer sued gordon or gordon’s agent because a govt agency claimed the site was hazardous and not suitable for living on. a richmond lawyer got in on the deal (buddy allen i think)and after a period of time and within last 6 years the city council and the RRHA decided it was OK to fix up the property and sell it to poor folks. charles peters city director of community development was the point man for this project when the law suits blew it up. peters retired and went to the RRHA board just in time to get it kick started again.

   there are at least 2 cardboard boxes of evidence in the city clerk’s office covering the law suits. it reads like a whos who of richmond and norfolk corporate big wigs and their pawns in local and federal government.

   follows richmond’s historic trend of putting poor black people in houses and schools built on garbage dumps.

   the property was been featured by our current city council as a model for affordable housing

   you can assume that the prices here will always stay depressed making it affordable for anyone curious about that affects of living of living on top of an old landfill.

   some of the old groundwater monitoring wells and methane gas extraction system can still be seen.

10. posted by Dee at December 21, 2006 2:48 pm :
    

    Next to the old city landfill, not on top of it. All the tests were done and the property cleared of any possible contamination. It’s a beautiful restoration and you don’t have to be poor or black to live there.

11. posted by bob at December 21, 2006 3:47 pm :
    

    Were those tests done by the same EPA people that said there was nothing wrong with the air at the WTC site on September 12, 2001?

Leave a Comment