Officials with Richmond, Henrico and Virginia Supportive Housing hoist shovels in a groundbreaking ceremony for Cool Lane Commons. (Jonathan Spiers photos)

Three years after Richmond and Henrico County set the stage for the project, a multimillion-dollar conversion of a former nursing home site into low-income apartments is getting underway.

Officials with the city and the county joined Virginia Supportive Housing in marking the start of the $23 million redevelopment with a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month.

Called Cool Lane Commons, the project will convert the former Seven Hills Health Care Center into 86 apartments. The one-bedroom units and six studio apartments will be low-income housing, meaning for residents earning 50 percent or less of the area median income, and permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless adults.

Supporters gathered for the ceremony at the project site, formerly a nursing home operated by the Hospital Authority of Richmond.

The nearly 6-acre property at 1900 Cool Lane and 2011 Mechanicsville Turnpike straddles the city-county border, requiring separate approvals from each government that were finalized in early 2019 and allowed for as many as 105 units. The property is just southeast of the turnpike’s interchange with Interstate 64.

VSH is developing the apartments with funding from local, state and federal sources, as well as private funds. The locally based nonprofit’s other area projects include the New Clay House apartments rehab in the city’s Carver neighborhood.

Cool Lane Commons involves low-income housing tax credits from Virginia Housing. Other funding sources included Community Development Block Grant funding from the city and Henrico.

A rendering of the main entrance to the apartments. (Images courtesy of VSH)

The units will range from 500 square feet and up, and 13 will be accessible in compliance with ADA standards, according to a release. All of the units will be eligible for project-based vouchers through the Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority.

VSH will manage the property, offering residents on-site support services and occupying an office space in the 100,000-square-foot building, which will also include a community room with a kitchen, a resident computer lab and phone room, a fitness room and laundry facilities.

The project was shaped with input from Faith Community Baptist Church, located across the street.

Construction started this month and is slated for completion in fall 2023. KBS is the general contractor on the project, which will be built to Earthcraft Gold standards. Christiansburg-based Arnold Design Studio is the architect.

The 100,000-square-foot building will be converted into 86 apartments for low-income and formerly homeless individuals.

VSH Board Chairman Jason Snook said the three years between the groundbreaking and the city and county approvals were spent finalizing the project, which also was slowed by the pandemic.

“A lot of this is the complexity of these deals,” Snook said. “It’s $23 million with various partners, and then it’s planning, the architecture, zoning, getting all the approvals. All that definitely takes a while.

“No doubt, the pandemic probably had an effect on that,” he added. “I’m excited to think that we could actually be done with the project in a year. We’re in the world and the supply chain that we’re in, but that’s what we’re aiming for.”

Other officials who took part in the ceremony included Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Council President Cynthia Newbille, Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas and Supervisor Frank Thornton, and Faith Community Baptist Church Pastor Patricia Gould-Champ.

Jonathan joined BizSense in early 2015 after a decade of reporting in Wilmington, N.C., and at the Henrico County Leader. The Virginia Tech grad covers government, real estate, advertising/marketing and other news. Reach him at [email protected] or (804) 308-2447.

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The City and County are doing some terrific things together now, a drastic departure from the eras of Mayors Wilder and Jones. Could the City consider allowing Henrico to build its schools since they seem to be able to do it at 60% of the cost, and perhaps do the city’s plan and permitting review as well? I’m serious.

Good question. Too political – if Henrico stepped in it would offend and ruffle too many feathers even if Henrico’s help were to benefit the tax payers

The City and Counties also partnered on a Virginia Supportive Housing project on Hull Street

Bruce that has been asked before; state law FORBIDS localities from joint bidding for school construction. It would be nice to help save city taxpayers but it is illegal.

Does anybody else think that $267,441 per unit is a little expensive for low income housing especially since the structure is already in place. It does not seem to me that the city does a very good job of keeping the costs down.

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