Atlantis Apartments in Virginia Beach reopening newly renovated homes

Darlene Miles has lived in Atlantis Apartments for 40 years. Not much had changed during her time in the government-subsidized housing complex off Birdneck Road.

Until now.

The New York-based company that recently bought the property, Fairstead, just completed the renovation of a portion of the complex that sits on Bay Ridge Court. Miles, 65, walked through one of the refreshed apartments Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “And the refrigerator. Oh my goodness, it’s really gorgeous.”

The $15 million project will overhaul 208 apartments for Atlantis’ 600 residents. Fairstead is renovating the units block by block and providing temporary housing in a Town Center hotel or in vacant units. The company is providing a shuttle for students from the hotel back to Atlantis to catch their regular school buses.

About 300 children and teens live in Atlantis. Music icon Pharrell Williams lived there as a young child.

The renovations will be completed in about 18 months. Each building takes about 6-8 weeks to upgrade. Residents of the first refurbished building will move back in Friday.

New windows, siding, signage and lighting have been added to the exterior of the two-story apartment buildings. Inside, the layout of the rooms has been improved with an open floor plan for the living space connected to a breakfast nook.

“This is really the showstopper,” said Estelle Chan, director of development for Fairstead, as she walked into an upgraded kitchen.

It featured new stainless steel trimmed appliances including a refrigerator with a freezer drawer, built-in microwave, a five-burner electric stove, a self-cleaning oven and a dishwasher.

Otis Lawrence’s unit will be renovated next month. He also walked through the renovated apartments to see what he can expect.

“I love it,” Lawrence said. “Especially the stove. I’ll be cooking all the time.”

In Atlantis, residents pay 30% of their income for rent, and Fairstead gets the rest through a contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Fairstead recently donated $25,000 to the city’s parks and recreation programs and has partnered with local organizations and the police department to support the Atlantis community. Police Capt. Harry McBrien, who commands the precinct that includes the apartment complex, visited one of the apartment buildings Wednesday.

“It’s all part of our sustainability effort of getting our arms around this community and making it a better place to live,” he said.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com