Housing That Fits Petersburg
For years, the lot next to 714 High Street in downtown Petersburg sat empty.
Robbie Franklin, Director of Real Estate Development at Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation, remembers it as the kind of vacant parcel that had become easy to overlook. Grass had taken over. People had begun using it as a place to toss trash. It was not serving the neighborhood, and it was not helping address one of Petersburg’s most urgent needs: quality housing that residents can actually afford.
Today, that same lot is home to 712 High Street, a newly completed 12-unit apartment building on the edge of Petersburg’s historic downtown district.
“Personally, I love it,” Franklin said. “I think it’s a good addition to the surrounding neighborhood. I’m excited that we were able to take what was formerly just a vacant lot that folks were tossing their trash on and have a place where 12 folks will be able to live.”
For Southside, the project is part of a larger effort to meet Petersburg’s housing needs in a way that fits the scale of the city. Franklin said the organization wanted to create affordable rental housing without defaulting to the larger tax credit model, which can require more time, financing, and local resources. With 12 apartments, 712 High Street shows how small-scale infill development can add needed housing and make use of land already embedded in the community.
“We wanted a smaller rental project that could help match the size and shape of these neighborhoods that we’re working in,” Franklin said. “We also wanted to be able to prove to Petersburg and the state of Virginia that these smaller projects can have a big impact on the immediate neighborhoods.”
The building sits in a neighborhood with its own identity, history, and pride. Rather than trying to transform the area overnight, Southside worked to fit the project into the existing fabric of the street.
“This is a street and a neighborhood that takes a lot of pride in itself,” Franklin said. “In this particular case, it was less about us helping a neighborhood revitalize itself and more about fitting a project into an established neighborhood.”
That meant conversations with the neighborhood association and review by the architectural review board. It also meant a commitment to creating safe, affordable housing that would be welcomed into the community.
The location offers residents proximity, which is not always the case with affordable housing. Residents have access to nearby amenities, entertainment, food, and a transportation corridor, all within reach of Petersburg’s historic downtown.
A First Apartment and a Fresh Start
For LaShonda, one of the first residents at 712 High Street, the timing was serendipitous.
A recent college graduate and first-generation student, LaShonda had been searching for her first apartment after moving from out of state. She visited several other properties before arriving at 712 High Street.
When she toured the building, the experience felt different. The units were new. The building felt secure. There was an office nearby and people she could reach with questions. After looking at apartments that felt neglected or difficult to access, 712 High Street stood out immediately.
“I just fell in love with the place,” LaShonda said. “I was like, no, this is it.”
She has now lived at 712 High Street for nearly three months. She said the experience has been smooth, especially as a first-time renter living on her own.
“It’s been great,” she said. “Anytime I need anything, or anything is messed up, they’re more than willing to help and very quick with it too. I don’t have to wait for a very long time.”
For LaShonda, the apartment is more than a unit. It is a stable place to begin adulthood.
She works as a counselor, supporting children, teens, and adults through trauma-informed mental health services, in-home counseling, life skills support, medication management, and emotional regulation. Living at 712 High Street has given her a home base as she begins that work.
“I think it’s a great start,” LaShonda said. “Especially if you’re younger, or just someone who wants to live by themselves, I feel like these are perfect units for that.”
Michael O’Hare, Property Operations Manager for Southside, said affordability and security have been consistent themes among residents. Some are young professionals beginning their careers. Others are relocating or looking for a healthier, more stable housing situation.
The Financial Opportunity Center ®, a program run by Southside and located next door to the units, provides comprehensive financial coaching, employment coaching, and assistance accessing benefits. Franklin said the goal is not only to provide housing. It is also to help residents use that stability as a foundation for whatever comes next.
“What we hope with the folks who move in next door is that they enroll in this program and it helps them use these apartments as a jumping-off point,” Franklin said. “Maybe that is greater things with their career, or maybe working toward ownership.”
Southside also builds homes for sale in the area and along the I-95 corridor, creating a potential pathway from rental housing to homeownership. For residents who want support, the services are close by. For those who do not need them, the housing itself still provides stability.
“The end goal for all of our residents is financial and housing security,” Franklin said. “What that means for every person is a little bit different.”
Years of Persistence and Partnership
Getting 712 High Street from idea to completion took years of persistence. Southside purchased the lots and plans around 2020, after a previous developer had created designs for the site but could not make the numbers work. Franklin said the project became one of the first major assignments his boss, Dianna Bowser, put on his desk when he started at Southside.
It was not an easy time to build. Much of the planning happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when construction costs were unpredictable, and financing conditions kept changing.
Franklin recalled securing a grant, thinking the project was ready to move forward, and only to receive a new construction estimate that was hundreds of thousands of dollars higher.
“This happened four different times that I can think of,” he said.
Locus became a critical partner in helping the project move through that uncertainty.
“I can’t speak more highly of Bill Greenleaf and Locus in this whole process,” Franklin said. “Truthfully, this project doesn’t happen without Bill.”
Franklin said Locus provided the flexibility the project needed, especially early on. At that stage, additional state grants had not yet helped complete the capital stack.
“Bill believed in us and our mission, and our history, and our track record,” he said.
Locus financed a significant portion of the hard construction costs. It also provided gap financing to bridge grants that could not be drawn down until completion and will carry the mortgage for the project.
“This project doesn’t happen without Locus,” Franklin said. “We had so many grants that we wrote, and everyone told us, let us know when the project’s done, and we will pay you. And we said, okay, how do we pay our contractor? Locus is the reason why we paid our contractors on time.”
Proof of What Is Possible
For Franklin, 712 High Street is proof that smaller projects can matter in a city that deserves more attention, more investment, and more housing options.
Southside is a 14-person nonprofit, with only four people on the development side. This project came together through state-level resources, local foundation support, Virginia Housing support, the Crater Planning District Commission, and flexible lending from Locus.
He believes the model is repeatable.
“These types of projects, with relatively low capacity and relatively low local investment, are repeatable,” Franklin said. “It’s proof.”
For LaShonda, the model is life-changing. It is a first apartment that feels safe, knowing who to call when something comes up, and having access to people who can help her understand her rights, her finances, and her next steps.
“I don’t know how I’m going to leave here,” she said. “This is an expectation now.”
For Southside, that is part of the point. The building at 712 High Street is not just a finished project. It is a place where residents can imagine what might come next.