An old office building in Norfolk’s Riverview Village neighborhood could soon have new life as an apartment complex thanks to a Richmond developer who has completed several projects in Hampton Roads.
The Monument Cos., which worked on the former Virginian-Pilot newsroom and other adaptive reuse projects, plans to turn the four-story, 26,000-square-foot office building at 4101 Granby St. into 28 apartments and construct 26 more in a new four-story, 20,876-square-foot building on the northwest corner of the property.
Company leaders had been discussing the proposal with the previous property owner and purchased the building in 2021, said Chris Johnson, Monument Cos. principal and co-founder.
The location is in Cruser Place, which was listed as a state and national historic district within Riverview in 2021. That designation made the project both interesting and financially viable, Johnson said in an email, because the development will be funded with state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.
The existing structure is a former bank building constructed in 1967, according to city documents and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Though figures are not yet finalized, Johnson said the total cost of the project is approaching $10 million.
The buildings will feature mostly one-bedroom apartments with six two-bedroom units in the existing building, Johnson said. He said all units will be market-rate apartments.
Each building, Johnson said, will have some ground-floor commercial space: 808 square feet in the new building and another 1,530 square feet facing Granby Street in the old structure.
The building at 4101 Granby St. has a few existing tenants, including Councill Realty & Management and attorney Bruce Gould, according to the businesses’ websites. Johnson said all tenants will be relocating.
Monument plans to begin construction on the development in March or April and the process will take about 16 months, Johnson said.
Several businesses, like Pittie Dog Grill, Lo Mo Pizzeria and Leila International Cuisine have opened in Riverview during the past few years. John Childers, co-owner of MJ’s Tavern, is also working to reopen the historic Riverview Theater.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com