City Looks To Revamp Blayton Building

By Amber Lester Kennedy Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Williamsburg Housing Authority has approximately 300 applicants on its waiting list for affordable housing, and the list was closed due to overwhelming demand. Now, the city is taking steps to offer a solution to the problem, first by expanding housing for senior citizens and the disabled.

The city’s first step, as outlined in its recently adopted Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes document, will be revamping the Blayton Building on the corner of Armistead Avenue and Scotland Street. The present building, owned by the city housing authority, was constructed in the early ’80s and is in need of repairs. The two-phase project aims to expand the complex to offer 92 rooms; 38 new units would be built first, followed by an addition of 54 units.

But before the project can move further, funds have to be secured. Assistant City Manager Jodi Miller estimates the project will cost between $9 and $9.5 million. The city has set aside funds for future affordable housing projects in its Capital Improvement Program in the past, but Miller says the next CIP plan will include the Blayton Building as that project.

The city is also pursuing grant funding, and has already received planning grants from the Virginia Housing Development Authority and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Miller says the city will also be applying for Community Development Block grant money from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development; the deadline for that application is the end of March. The city is awaiting the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Notice of Funding Availability for Supportive Housing for the Elderly funds.

The city has also formed a planning team for the project. The planning team includes city personnel and representatives from Community Planning Partners, Smither Design, the Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Bay Aging, the Peninsula Agency on Aging and Community Futures.

The planning team hosted neighborhood meetings in December 2009 and January 2011 to gather input from Blayton residents. They heard that citizens wanted more green space where they could walk outside, along with a more eco-friendly development. Citizens also wanted the new Blayton Building to fit into the existing neighborhood and continue to have accessibility to public transportation.

Based on those suggestions, the new building will be u-shaped, with a courtyard in the center and walking trails winding around a pond. All of the new construction will take place on the existing property, Miller says.

As the city works to line up funding, the team is planning to host more neighborhood meetings and seeks citizen input on the development concept. Completion of the project will be dependent on the amount of outside funding the city is able to secure, Miller says.