NORFOLK, Va. - — City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to continue a vote to acquire a church building as part of the St. Paul's Revitalization project.
No explanation was given for the delay to vote on the acquisition. A city spokesperson said told News 3 the city council wanted more information about the property. A vote is likely in June, the spokesperson said.
The city council was scheduled to vote to spend $1.2 million to acquire the property at 1000 Holt Street from the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. The building was the office for the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception. City council documents say the church had moved operations to the Miller Oil building.
The city continues to move forward with the revitalization of the St. Paul's area, which includes tearing down the Tidewater Gardens public housing and rebuilding new development.
In March, the city announced the new neighborhood would be called Kindred and said the next steps would be to name individual blocks.
Two buildings are currently under construction at the site. One is a 72-unit apartment building for seniors. The other is a 120-unit apartment building.
The city says all families who were displaced due to the project have found housing and can return to the new neighborhood if they want to in the future. About 54 percent of the families said they would want to move back, according to the city.
Work on the project is going to continue through 2025.
City leaders have also hoped to transform the Young Terrace and Calvert Square neighborhoods in the future, but no exact plan is currently in place.
