THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 25, 1995 TAG: 9508240255
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
After an hourlong debate Tuesday, the City Council gave its third OK to a proposed apartment building for the elderly on Shore Drive.
The four-story building near Great Neck Road would include 109 units for moderate-income elderly.
The project won council approval in 1993, but needed support again after developers failed to resolve financing and site development problems. Council gave that approval on June 27, but decided last month to reconsider its verdict.
The development group, led by Tidewater Westminster Homes Inc., made some new concessions and the council supported the project by a vote of 9-2.
Several council members and a nearby business owner had raised concerns about the density of the building, the safety of residents and the site's access to busy Shore Drive.
R.J. Nutter, who represented the developer, said his client would redesign the elevator area so residents could wait inside a secure rather than exposed area. He promised to leave the stand of oak trees on one side of the site; and to comply with federal regulations that call for steady ownership and low rents.
The changes and promises convinced council member Louisa M. Strayhorn to change her position and support the project. Council member Robert M. Dean, who had voted for the building in June, switched sides because of concern for the future residents.
Council member Linwood O. Branch III, who opposed the project all along, said he just wasn't convinced the development made sense.
`I just don't feel good about this,'' Branch said. ``I feel like we're trying to get a size 12 foot into a size 8 shoe.
``I'm not proud to vote for this, so I'm going to vote against it,'' he concluded.
Other council members said they decided to support the project, despite their concerns, because of the reputation of Tidewater Westminster Homes, also the developers of Westminster Canterbury, a high-rise on Shore Drive for the well-to-do elderly.
Tidewater Westminster Homes, Inc., comprised of a group of Hampton Roads churches, is the majority shareholder of the project, in partnership with Sunstates House Inc., Sequoyah L.I.C.
KEYWORDS: HOUSING SENIOR CITIZEN by CNB