Moseley Architects and Dakota Partners are collaborating to bring affordable housing to an area of Virginia where residents are highly vulnerable to displacement.

Two four-story buildings, comprising approximately 132 units, will expand multifamily housing options in Southside Richmond, an area among the most acutely affected by the housing crisis. From the Midlothian Turnpike location, residents will live fewer than 10 minutes from Powhite Park and from Chippenham Hospital, which employs a large workforce.

The project’s kickoff coincides with the release of a Richmond-area housing market report with findings that garnered national news coverage. In September, PlanRVA published the 2022 Market Value Analysis, a documentation of findings from a three-year, in-depth study of home sales, owner occupancy rates, bank sales, census records and other public data.

Trends in the affordability and availability of housing in Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield were even more dire than initially predicted. In a comment to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Ira Goldstein, president of policy solutions at the Philadelphia-based Reinvestment Fund noted:

“Price points in the Richmond area were substantially higher than we would typically see in communities where we work… Not only at the high end where there’s an expensive market, but in the more stressed markets in the Richmond area, those price points were way higher than we’re used to seeing in distressed areas.”

Ira Goldstein, president of policy solutions at the Reinvestment Fund, to the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Southside was among the most stressed markets identified in the report. The disparity between residents’ incomes and the median price of homes has resulted in an alarmingly high risk of displacement.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Dakota Partners and the surrounding community to provide exceptional affordable housing that can improve the quality of life for both residents and neighbors.”

Tom Liebel, multifamily housing principal at Moseley Architects

The team is optimistic that the project will receive broad support from the public and from state agencies. They plan to pursue low-income housing tax credit funding through the Virginia Housing Development Authority.