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Governor Ralph Northam (center) visited the Cook’s Corner revitalization site. |
Middlesex
County on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula is ground zero for a revitalization plan
that is expected to produce multiple benefits for the region.
In an
area called Cook’s Corner, 24 affordable workforce housing rental units will be
built by 2020 as a measure to attract and retain skilled workers. The new
apartments will provide much-needed housing for Middlesex County employees — teachers,
sheriff's deputies and others — as well as residents and employees from
adjacent counties.
While
housing is the cornerstone of the plan, other components will boost the
region’s economy and infrastructure. They include moving and repurposing a
historic school as a micropub (a restaurant and mini-brewery), converting another
vacant school building to a special events center, renovating a gymnasium and
county offices, building a nature trail with signage commemorating the region’s
African-American heritage, and extending water and sewage lines.
Early funding for
Cook’s Corner has come from several sources:
- A VHDA Community Impact Grant is covering site planning and design work, a market study, the preparation of zoning and bid documents and other upfront development activities.
- The River Counties Community Foundation awarded the foundation $150,000 over a three-year period.
- Plan sponsors have also received a $2.25 million Vibrant Communities Initiative grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and a $480,000 Industrial Revitalization Fund grant.
- Middlesex County and its School Board
- Middlesex County Economic Development Authority
- Rappahannock Oyster Company
- Middlesex Water Authority
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District
Learn more:
Chris Thompson,
VHDA’s director of strategic housing, is your source for learning about the
many different ways in which a Community Impact Grant can support community
revitalization efforts. He can be reached at 804-343-5692 or Chris.Thompson@VHDA.com.
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