Tenants have started to move into a local nonprofit’s first residential community.
The Faison School for Autism opened the Faison Residence in July at the corner of West Broad Street and Byrd Avenue.
Amenities at Faison include a lounge area with a pool table.
The $15 million building at 5215 W. Broad St. has 45 apartments. About a third of those are reserved for adults with autism and other disabilities. The rest is open to the public, and about a dozen of those apartments have already been rented.
“We called this a compassionate community because it envisions an environment where people live together,” said Wendy Kreuter, Faison School vice president of operations and finance.
Faison financed the project through private donations and funding from the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Construction began last year.
Tenants with developmental disabilities will begin to move in next month. They will get support from Faison workers and can opt to use Homelink, a remote safety monitoring system that allows them to speak with a representative around-the-clock if they need help, Kreuter said.
The Faison Residence site, pictured before construction, is near the former Markel building.
Faison Residence offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 806 to 1,612 square feet each. There are also community facilities, like a gym and a recreation room with a pool table.
Rent is $925-945 a month for a one-bedroom apartment; $1,270-1,295 for a two-bedroom; and $1,845 for a three-bedroom.
The building has 58,000 square feet of residential space and an additional 9,400 square feet of commercial space fronting West Broad Street. Kreuter said Faison is negotiating with several potential commercial tenants.
The project was built on a long-vacant lot that sits next to the former Markel headquarters, known for its distinctive round shape and an exterior that resembles crinkled aluminum foil.
The Faison School was founded in 1998 and serves students between the ages of 2 and 22.
This news was originally posted by on September 8, 2014
You are right! 2014!
This brilliant project had been done for more than FOUR YEARS!!! Meanwhile, those excellent ideas can still provide us with tons of inspiring and innovation after four years!!!
Know more about Autism, Embrace Autism! We can always do more than what we have imagined to build a better community!
https://richmondbizsense.com/2014/09/08/autism-school-opens-apartment-complex/