In an effort to stimulate the construction of new housing, the City released a request for proposals Friday, January 14, 2022, for construction on three City-owned properties. Each of these undeveloped parcels, located in different neighborhoods, have been owned by the City for decades. There is currently strong demand for housing, and while six new houses were built in 2021, many additional units are needed for workers in our industries as well as students in our schools. New houses on these unused infill lots will enhance the energy of existing neighborhoods as our City grows.

The request for proposals (RFP) is open to licensed contractors, who will have up to two years to build houses. The City will review proposals from multiple contractors and select the best house and contractor for each site. The properties will be owned then sold by the contractor after completion. The RFP can be found here: Bid Opportunities & Surplus Land | City of Buena Vista, VA (buenavistava.org).

This project is part of an ongoing effort to review and make the most of the City’s real estate assets. In 2020, the City donated an approximately one-acre parcel on Magnolia Avenue to Dabney Lancaster Community College (soon to be Mountain Gateway Community College) to support their renovation of the former Ford dealership into the Wilson Workforce Training Center. Dabney Lancaster is in the process of selling this parcel for residential development, resulting in additional future housing units while also funding the center’s construction.