THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603210144
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSAN W. SMITH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
TARNISHED BY YEARS of debris and neglect, the gem that is South Norfolk is once again regaining its luster.
Community groups, civic leaders and residents are joining forces to clean up the neighborhood and restore its former glory.
The 11-member South Norfolk Revitalization Commission, appointed by City Council in 1994 and charged with developing a plan to reclaim the deteriorating area, is making headway on its goals. The Greater South Norfolk Business Consortium is encouraging merchants, and residents are encouraging each other to refurbish their property.
Evidence is mounting that the campaign is working. Residents report a drop in crime, cleaner streets, new neighbors and civic league participation that's at its highest point in years.
``Now the time is right to reclaim the treasure and beauty of South Norfolk,'' said Shirley Moyer, chairwoman of the revitalization commission.
South Norfolk, once a thriving city, has struggled since its merger with Norfolk County in 1963 - a move that resulted in the formation of the city of Chesapeake.
The city within a city, tucked along the banks of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, now is a repository of generations, traditions and hard-fought gains in a battle to save a neighborhood.
``I would not live anywhere in the world but here,'' said Maxine Stubbs, an 82-year-old life-long resident of South Norfolk.
She remembers trolley car rides crisscrossing the neighborhood, an archway of trees down Chesapeake Avenue, unlocked doors, front porch swings and a downtown where she always walked to do her shopping.
Stubbs then watched as knitting mills, factories and fertilizer plants closed. Family homes became apartments and drug traffic replaced downtown shopping. People moved away. Boarded-up homes became crack houses, and overgrown lots added to the feeling of despair.
Moyer, Stubbs' daughter, said drugs and absentee landlords began to take their toll shortly after the 1963 consolidation.
Now Stubbs watches from her front porch rocker with a wait-and-see attitude, as Moyer helps lead the charge to recover the old neighborhoods, revive the area and encourage new residents and businesses to choose South Norfolk.
Moyer, also a real estate agent, said the Victorian homes with stained-glass windows, turrets, gingerbread trim and wrap-around front porches are real estate gems. Many of the ones for sale are priced under $70,000.
Last year when Amy and T.J. Cook transferred from Charleston, S.C., they looked at houses across Hampton Roads before settling on a large place on Chesapeake Avenue. They paid a moderate price for the 1923 two-story, four-bedroom home with solid oak floors, ornate plaster work, high ceilings and two fireplaces.
They added a central heat and air-conditioning system and have plans to add a second bathroom.
``It was a jewel in the rough when we purchased it,'' T.J. Cook said. ``But when you sit on the front porch and watch the world go by or listen to the rain ping on the tin roof, all the tear-out and paint projects become worthwhile.''
Amy also now lives just a few blocks from her mother, Shirley Moyer, and her grandmother, Maxine Stubbs.
Bonnie and Joseph Winfield bought their 1925 home on Ohio Street in 1991. Bonnie said all other areas looked so sterile after seeing the character and atmosphere of her street.
Bill Carr, a loan officer with Crossland Mortgage Corp. in Virginia Beach, said South Norfolk is a good place for families who want to take advantage of special federal loans only available to buyers of old homes. The loans allow a buyer to add the cost of repairs and modernization expenses to the mortgage amount. For example, if a house cost $45,000 and needed $25,000 in upgrades, the buyer could get a $70,000 mortgage.
Easy financing for older homes is not the neighborhood's only draw. South Norfolk also is home to the repaired Jordan Bridge, the restored Jordan Park, a new boat ramp and the newly remodeled Lakeside Park.
The revitalization commission, the Greater South Norfolk Business Consortium, area civic leagues, concerned citizens and lifelong residents are remodeling, restoring, rebuilding and passing the word about South Norfolk.
``We want to look at the historical areas, economic issues and all the attributes of South Norfolk,'' the commission's Moyer said. ``But the clean-up is the very first action part of the plan.''
The reopening of the Second Precinct, which covers South Norfolk, has made a major difference, Moyer said. Residents say the precinct's staff, bicycle patrol officers and new community policing program already have helped curtail a drug problem that has nagged the neighborhood. The community police officers attend civic league meetings, help identify neighborhood problems and encourage citizens to be a part of the solution.
``The activities of the precinct uplifted everyone's spirit,'' said Brenda Johnson, revitalization commission vice president.
Commission members also decided to take to the streets last spring.
Johnson and Moyer wore their tennis shoes and carried clipboards as they joined other committee members on several Sunday-afternoon walking tours. They made lists of zoning violations, such as abandoned cars, piles of debris and even a front porch that had fallen off a home. They reported their finds to the city's Inspections and Zoning departments.
``We weren't out to get people,'' Johnson said. ``We are just tired of garbage and neglect.''
She said many residents waved and cheered them from their porches and even offered cool drinks.
Another clean-up project with strong South Norfolk support is the Neighborhood Preservation Plan sponsored by the Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations.
Gene Waters, president of the civic council, said the proposed plan would allow communities and civic organizations across Chesapeake to work with city inspectors in a block-to-block survey of code violations.
The goal of the Neighborhood Preservation Plan is to complete a check of all Chesapeake neighborhoods once a year. The plan calls for rodent control, refuse collection, removal of roaming animals and a clean-up of nuisances and health hazards like overgrown weeds, accumulated debris and sewage.
The revitalization commission also is lending strong backing to the Historic Preservation Plan, a series of proposals for protecting historic resources in Chesapeake.
City Planner Mark E. Shea, who directed the drafting of the preservation report for the Planning Department, said a historic district already has been designated in South Norfolk, and about 600 structures have made the list of historic buildings citywide.
``We should work hard to see that Chesapeake emphasizes and preserves the rich heritage of our community,'' said Alice Fisher, a South Norfolk resident.
Fisher is remodeling a 100-year-old house with plans to open it as Creighton House, South Norfolk's first bed and breakfast inn.
The Greater South Norfolk Business Consortium is doing its share in touting the benefits of the community, such as low-interest loans, tax rebates and exemption from some city fees. The consortium, 73 South Norfolk, Portlock and Berkley businesses, works to encourage growth and new businesses.
Consortium Vice President Jane McClanahan said, ``We want to spread the word that South Norfolk has it all.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
Victorian homes in South Norfolk with stained-glass windows,
turrets, gingerbread trim and wrap-around front porches are real
estate gems.
Maxine Stubbs watches from her rocker with a wait-and-see attitude.
Shirley Moyer, chairwoman of the South Norfolk revitalization
commission, visits newly restored Lakeside Park.
by CNB