Nevin Plaza Poised for Redevelopment
The Richmond Standard
By Kathy Chouteau | July 10, 2020
Richmond’s Nevin Plaza is getting a major makeover.
The affordable housing community for seniors and people with disabilities at 2400 Nevin Ave. is set to be redeveloped by EAH Housing in an effort that will see the renovation of an existing seven story, 140-unit building and the construction of a new five story, 70-unit building on a neighboring parking lot.
EAH Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing organization out of San Rafael, was selected by the Richmond Housing Authority to complete the project at an estimated cost of $98 million. It will be financed though public and private sources of equity and debt, per the organization.
“The paperwork process for the renovation will start this fall and [the] entitlement process [for] new construction will start in January. We hope to start rehab construction in the spring of 2022 and new construction in the spring of 2023,” said a spokesperson from EAH Housing.
The new five-story building will provide 69 rental apartments for seniors and people with disabilities living between 30 to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The building will feature a community room with a kitchen, laundry facilities, parking and one apartment unit for an onsite resident manager.
Renovations to the existing Nevin Plaza building will span the gamut from structural upgrades like new roofing and heating systems to apartment upgrades including energy-efficient kitchen appliances, low flow toilets, new flooring, painting and more.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for us to work with an existing affordable housing development and to transform it to fit the needs of Richmond,” said Welton Jordan, senior vice president of Real Estate Development at EAH Housing, who called the project “a testament to their commitment to housing their most vulnerable populations.”
The organization expects the renovation to be completed in fall 2023 and the new construction shortly afterwards.
“After a rigorous process, we selected EAH Housing because of the quality of their services, strong commitment to health and the environment, and comprehensiveness of their offering—from renovation and new construction to property management and resident services,” said Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, also chair of the Richmond Housing Authority board. “EAH knows our community well and understands how to serve our residents.”
