Friendship Court Redevelopment Update: Phase 1 Construction to Begin in the Fall

June 4, 2020

Construction on Phase 1 of the Friendship Court redevelopment is set to begin in fall 2020. Previously, ground breaking was anticipated for spring 2020. That date has changed due to disruptions in the construction and financing markets as a result of COVID 19. The updated expected completion date is spring 2022.

The delay for starting Phase 1 is not expected to delay Phase 2 and does not change the what will happen in Phase 1.

Phase 1 is set to include:

106 new units across three buildings, including 35 walk-up townhomes and 71 units in a 4-story, elevator served building, including 46 Section 8 units for current residents in the Phase 1 area.
New leasing offices, playgrounds, basketball court, and green space with pavilion

Funding Recap

All funding for Phase 1 has been identified and negotiations are under way to have funds in place this fall to start construction.

We previously announced the funding below:

Tax credits: Last summer the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) awarded Friendship Court $15,888,440 in tax credits from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.
Affordable and Special Needs Housing (ASNH) loan: Earlier this year we announced that we had received $2,000,000 in funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for Affordable and Special Needs Housing (ASNH).
Funding from the city’s Capitol Improvement Program. It was previously announce that funding from Charlottesville’s Capitol Improvement Program will total $5.4 million.

The Community Center

The community center is at the heart of activity at Friendship Court and is used for programming, celebrations, classes and general outreach to the community. As with the entire redevelopment, our approach is intentional and thoughtful when it comes to the center and its design.

A new community center design is currently in progress and will be part of Phase 1. Construction is expected to start in spring 2021 and wrap up in summer 2022.