Tobacco Warehouse Project Offers Families Trendy New Living Quarters

Source from:  By DENICE THIBODEAU Register & Bee staff writer March 10, 2008 03/12/2008

The sign says "Virginia Tobacco Co. Inc.," but inside there are 37 loft-style two- and three-bedroom apartments that are just about a month away from being ready for occupancy. The Lynn Street Lofts are in Danville's Tobacco Warehouse District at the corner of Lynn and Shelton streets, and they have been designed with working families in mind. Mike Massoglia, spokesman for The Landmark Group, a development company based in Winston-Salem, N.C., said this project has taken advantage of tax- credit programs so the company can offer the apartments to families with lower income levels. Renters will not be subsidized - the project is not part of any Section 8 program - but Lynn Street Lofts will offer affordable rents to working families who qualify based on their income, he said. "The project qualifies for tax credits based on the developer saying, 'We are going to rehabilitate these units and we are going to rent them based on the income guidelines the government sets up,'" Massoglia said. "Those are numbers the government sets up as part of the program to encourage affordability for working families." Rents will range from $354 a month to about $610 a month, based on the size of the unit needed and the household income. There are wide hallways, a community room, a technical learning center for children that includes computer and online access, and a laundry room. There is a parking lot for residents behind the building, near one of the building's entrances. The apartments have an open floor plan in the kitchen/dining/living area, and the kitchen appliances will include a dishwasher and garbage disposal. Sizes and shapes of bedrooms and bathrooms vary depending on the unit, but some units have upstairs loft bedrooms, some are all on one level and others have extra bedrooms downstairs. "What's so nice about it, you're talking the high ceilings, the hardwood floors, the exposed brick and ductwork that are pretty popular loft housing with high-income people, and here it is in a working-family project," Massoglia said. "Everything you would expect in a market-rate project is going to be there." All of the units seem to have their own personality. Even though many follow similar floor plans, they all seem to have unique features - gigantic windows, extra closets and storage space, or a small area tucked around a corner that's perfect for a computer - that gives each unit a one-of-a-kind feeling. Each unit is pre-wired for Internet and cable access, and has electric heat pumps and air-conditioning. Landmark not only developed the project, but will be managing the property as well. "That's another compelling feature of this project," Massoglia said. "They (Landmark) take a real ownership interest in making sure things are what they should be." Anne Moore-Sparks, project manager for Danville's Office of Economic Development, said she had not been to the site in about a month. On Monday, as workers scrambled to finish apartments and get some of the hallways cleaned up, she explored one of the units and said, "Wow! This is beautiful! I'm ready to move in." For rental information, call (704) 322-0522. On the ground floor of the Lynn Street side of the project, there also are three commercial spaces, totaling 8,000 square feet, available for lease. For leasing information, call (336) 714-8939. Enditem