THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502140127
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
Sanford and Barbara Kreisler are among the first private developers to build in Park Place in several years.
But some residents aren't happy with what they're seeing from the Kreislers' Park Place Redevelopment Ltd. The company's 17 single- and multifamily buildings in various stages of construction are not what some residents want.
``The Kreislers have met with opposition because they want to develop multifamily housing, and that's not what we need,'' said Alphonso Albert, executive director of the Park Place Community Development Corp., a non-profit neighborhood improvement group. ``We need more single-family homes. It makes for a better and more cohesive community.''
On Jan. 17, the Norfolk Board of Zoning Appeals denied the Kreislers' request to renovate a duplex. The board ruled that the structure had to be returned to single-family status because it had been illegally converted into a duplex before the Kreislers purchased it. Neighborhood leaders hailed the decision.
``We voted unanimously against the request,'' said Nelson White, a member of the Park Place Project Area Committee. ``People are upset at the direction the Kreislers are trying to take the neighborhood.''
But the Kreislers, Park Place residents and members of the neighborhood's civic league, feel some residents are being unrealistic.
``I think a few people would expect us to turn all the properties back to single-family homes,'' Sanford Kreisler said. ``Many of these units were already zoned as multifamily by the city, and improved rental property is needed.''
``We have a good relationship with most of the neighborhood,'' Barbara Kreisler said. ``We're improving the area. I think some residents are worried about gentrification. They're concerned that the city may make it another Ghent and not meet the residents' needs.''
Gentrification is the buying of deteriorated housing by middle- and upper-income persons, which raises property values and displaces the lower-income occupants.
B.J. Stancel, the civic league's president, says the developers aren't meeting the residents' needs.
``We do not support any variance to increase density,'' Stancel said. ``That's not what being a Neighborhood Conservation Program calls for.''
The Neighborhood Conservation Program is a designation by the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority that includes seeking a reduction in density by encouraging the growth of single-family, owner-occupied homes.
Part of the NRHA's long-range plan for Park Place is to provide 100 new single-family homes, a key element in neighborhood revitalization. Homeowners traditionally take better care of their property than renters and provide community stability.
``One of the area's problems is an imbalance between renters and homeowners,'' said R. Patrick Gomez, the NRHA's community development director.
Stancel said residents fear that the Kreislers are contributing to the imbalance. The company has 12 rental structures and five single-family homes in various stages of construction. She expressed concern that some of the Kreislers' units are violating health codes for improper trash disposal.
``Feedback from the community and personal observation tells me that some of the properties are not well-kept,'' she said.
Kreisler acknowledged the problem.
``They didn't like fact I was leaving construction debris outside,'' Sanford explained. ``It will be recycled on the building. The health inspector said it was garbage. It's in litigation right now.''
The Kreislers are among only a handful of whites in the neighborhood, which is 97 percent black, according to 1990 city planning statistics.
``It's important for us to live here, sit on the porch and dispel certain myths about the community's drug violence and safety concerns,'' Barbara Kreisler said. ``We wouldn't build a house here that we wouldn't live in.''
The Kreislers admitted, however, that as white newcomers in a nearly all-black neighborhood that some residents may be wary.
``I get all sorts of vibes,'' Barbara Kreisler said. ``A few people might be resentful. They believe we're going to come in and make it unaffordable for them to live here. Others are welcoming us for helping them to improve their neighborhood.''
According to White, color has nothing to do with the opposition to the Kreislers' construction.
``There's no racial resentment here,'' he said. ``It's what they're doing and (Sanford Kreisler's) somewhat abrasive nature. The development is incongruent with the neighborhood, and many of the properties he started two years ago have yet to be finished.''
Lenny Newcomb, zoning administrator, says the developer and the community simply have different viewpoints.
``The Kreislers feel that they are providing needed housing, and the neighborhood sees them as not finishing what they've started,'' Newcomb said.
Newcomb noted that the Kreislers never have expanded a structure into more units than it was zoned for and in many cases have reduced the number of units.
Sanford Kreisler said the building and renovation he and his wife are doing takes time but has helped raise property values.
``Values have jumped in the last two years,'' he contended. ``Some old homes that were going for around $10,000 two years ago are approaching $30,000 now. People who buy homes now will realize a 15 to 20 percent increase in value in the next several years.''
The company's newly built homes range from $72,000 to $85,000.
Gomez said the NRHA hopes that property values will rise, but he does not know if that has occurred.
NationsBank provides the Kreislers with financing for property acquisition and construction.
``Park Place has potential and is a community we want to do business in,'' said Evan VanLeeuwen, vice president for real estate banking at NationsBank.
Originally from Long Island, N.Y., the Kreislers came to the area three years ago to be with their son who was in the Navy. They were impressed with Park Place.
``We were driving through and saw potential,'' said Sanford Kreisler, who has been in the construction business for 20 years. ``There are a lot of inexpensive, old Victorian-style homes, and the location is excellent. It's close to the zoo, Ghent and downtown.''
``It's a nice community with strong roots that need to be refurbished,'' Barbara Kreisler said.
The Kreislers are not the only private developers in the area. Eugene Rose Sr. is a former Park Place resident who now lives in Virginia Beach. He recently finished renovating a site on 34th Street.
``34th Street used to be drug-infested three years ago,'' Rose said. ``It's better now, and development is helping. I told Sandy that he should slow down on the multifamily developments, but what he's doing is not bad. At least he's improving property. He may have bitten off more than he can chew, but I don't think some of the residents understand what he's trying to do.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JIM WALKER
These are two of the buildings under construction by Park Place
Redevelopment Ltd. The one above is in the 200 block of West 34th
Street, and the one at right is in 600 block of West 34th Street.
by CNB