Vitus Launches $70M Preservation of 491 Historic Homes in Newport News

NEWPORT NEWS, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 29, 2026--

Vitus, a national developer and owner of affordable housing, announced today that construction is underway on a comprehensive $70 million renovation of Stuart Gardens I and II, a historic 491-home affordable housing community in Newport News. The project will modernize aging homes and essential building systems while preserving Stuart Gardens’ unique character and extending its role as a source of long-term affordable housing for Newport News families.

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“Affordability is our top priority, and preserving Stuart Gardens is an investment in the people and history of our community,” said Sen. Mamie E. Locke, D-Hampton. “This revitalization will protect critically needed affordable housing and improve residents’ quality of life.”

Constructed in 1940, Stuart Gardens is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Yet the property has not undergone a major renovation in more than 45 years, and many of its systems have reached the end of their useful life. The project includes upgrades to building exteriors and essential water, heating and cooling systems, as well as kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, parking and accessibility. Energy-efficiency improvements are projected to reduce overall energy consumption across the community by nearly 30%.

Almost all homes at Stuart Gardens are supported by project-based Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment contracts in place since 1980. The contracts serve income-qualified residents and allow participating households to pay no more than 30% of gross income toward rent. Through this preservation, the affordability commitments for Stuart Gardens I and II will continue for more than three decades.

Vitus has partnered with Ivy Community Outreach, Inc., affiliated with Ivy Baptist Church, to provide resident services. Ivy Community Outreach will initially offer a bimonthly food pantry, educational and enrichment opportunities for youth, wellness and social programming for seniors, and broader community support and resource referrals. These services will evolve over time to meet residents’ needs.

To support this project, Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority served as bond issuer. Merchants Capital provided construction and permanent mortgage financing, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration insured the loan under Section 221(d)(4). Financing and investment partners included Fannie Mae, The Richman Group, Commonwealth Advisors Capital, and Colliers Securities. The capital structure also included federal 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity, federal and state historic tax credit equity, and a $20 million award from HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program.

“A project of this scale requires real partnership, and we are deeply grateful for the commitment Newport News leaders and our public, private, and community partners have shown to Stuart Gardens and its residents,” said Samantha Cullen, director of development at Vitus. “That support has allowed us to preserve the community’s history while creating long-term, affordable and accessible housing.”

Vitus recognizes the support of Sen. Mamie E. Locke, Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, City Manager Alan Archer, Deputy City Manager Eoghan Miller, the Newport News City Council, the Housing Authority, Ivy Community Outreach, and the aforementioned financing and investment partners to help preserve Stuart Gardens and its continued importance to Newport News residents.

ABOUT VITUS

At Vitus, our mission is to create positive impact – one community, one family and one life at a time. Since 1993, we have partnered with lenders, investors, and public agencies to preserve and extend the life of existing affordable housing across the country in markets with the greatest need. Through holistic renovation, we focus on the well-being of residents and rejuvenating the surrounding community to both improve the overall quality of each property and incorporate features that promote physical activity, community gathering, and energy efficiency. To date, our team has provided stable homes for more than 30,000 residents in 30 states. www.vitus.com

Stuart Gardens Apartments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has lauded its revamped website America.gov as a way to simplify Americans’ access to information and services scattered across a plethora of agency sites, but President Donald Trump probably won't like some of the answers his new site says are sourced from government information.

Asking the site — which says it’s sourced via artificial intelligence from “official government sources” — questions about who won the 2020 election or about the name of the federal department that operates out of the Pentagon yields answers contrary to those Trump himself frequently proclaims.

As Trump was still speaking at Tuesday’s launch event, however, the site began modifying its answers. Asked again about the 2020 election, it replied that it couldn’t answer “political questions," a response it also gave to inquiries about whether Trump had been impeached or convicted of felony charges.

The Associated Press asked about:

“Official federal sources do not show that widespread fraud changed the 2020 presidential election outcome. Isolated election crimes did occur and have been prosecuted.”

Since Trump, a Republican, lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, he has repeatedly falsely claimed that victory was “stolen” from him and asserted that widespread fraud occurred. Repeated audits and recounts found no significant fraud in the presidential election, and Trump’s own administration said the election was clean.

“The 22nd Amendment says that no person shall be elected President more than twice. Donald J. Trump has already been elected twice (2016 and 2024). I am not giving legal advice.”

Trump has frequently suggested he wants to seek a third term, posting about mounting another campaign, donning 2028 caps and discussing ways to make it happen — even as he’s acknowledged the Constitution prohibits it. He had only been back in the White House for a couple of months when he told NBC News, “There are methods which you could” use to seek a third term.

“The Pentagon is the headquarters of the Department of Defense.”

Last year, Trump signed an executive order aimed at rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, complaining that the Department of Defense’s name was “woke.”

“Federal climate-science pages say recent warming is largely from human greenhouse-gas emissions, mainly burning fossil fuels. Earth’s climate has also changed for natural reasons over long periods.”

Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax,” previously issued an executive order that directed the Environmental Protection Agency to submit a report on “the legality and continuing applicability” of the endangerment finding. Conservatives and some congressional Republicans have long sought to undo what they consider overly restrictive and economically damaging rules to limit greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

The chatbot said that “some presidents have declined to keep that pay,” mentioning Trump but listing George Washington, Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy as refusing their salaries before Trump.

During his remarks Tuesday, Trump, a real estate mogul who took in about $1.2 billion from various crypto holdings last year, said he was the first U.S. president to forgo a salary, something that he has said before.

Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.

President Donald Trump holds a signing ceremony, surrounded by cabinet members and others, during an event to mark the launch of the America.gov website, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The shadow of President Donald Trump is cast on a backdrop bearing the presidential seal and the America.gov logo beside the presidential flag as he speaks at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to mark the launch of the America.gov website, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to mark the launch of the America.gov website, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)