Partners for Neighborhood Renewal - Poplar Lawn
The Partners for Neighborhood Renewal - Poplar Lawn Initiative is a collaborative between LISC VA, The Cameron Foundation, project:HOMES, Rebuilding Together Richmond, City of Petersburg, HistoriCorps, and Preservation Virginia. This initiative aims to demonstrate that historic neighborhoods in the region can be saved with targeted and focused resources.
In June 2014, The Cameron Foundation awarded a grant to Preservation Virginia & the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities for the Petersburg Historic District Assessment Initiative. The grant was awarded to assess the condition of structures in historic districts in the City of Petersburg.
The assessment surveyed 350 structures in the Poplar Lawn and Folly Castle historic districts and included structural assessments on properties identified as at risk, and created a database of owner information and structure conditions.
In May 2015, LISC VA was invited to join the Cameron Foundation and Preservation Virginia and explore best practice strategies to address the conditions identified by the Assessment to preserve the historic fabric of these neighborhoods from further demolition.
Three-Pronged Strategy to Revitalize Poplar Lawn
1) Homeowner Rehab
Work with non profit partners to assist existing neighborhood homeowners with visible home repairs will provide benefit to the homeowners themselves but also directly contribute to improving the esthetic and overall perception of the neighborhood.
2) Vacancy Rehab
Aggregate and preserve vacant multifamily buildings to work directly with current property owners or a qualified developer to acquire, renovate, lease and manage the units. This strategy helps to fill in the gaps in vacant structures and blight with high quality rental housing bringing back a vibrancy to the community.
3) Critical Repairs
Work with non profits and CDC’s to acquire and rehabilitate vacant single family homes and sell to a homebuyers will help to preserve the housing stock and establish higher market values generating open market interest in the Poplar Lawn neighborhood.