The Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NNRHA) was honored by Earthcraft Virginia at the 2016 Sustainable Leadership Awards, receiving the award for “Jefferson Brookville Apartments”. The Jefferson Brookville project utilized new construction and the adaptive reuse of the historic Washington School and Mesic Hardware Building to provide 50 units of affordable housing.
The annual awards recognize the state’s premiere developers, builders, architects, government officials and other industry professionals for their work in advancing the benefits of sustainable building. Awards were presented in a variety of categories to cover new construction, renovation, single family homes, multifamily housing and more.
NNRHA owns and manages 11 public housing communities in Newport News and administers the Section 8 housing voucher program. The Authority is also the primary provider of new home buyer opportunities and affordable housing for lower and moderate income families in Newport News.
The EarthCraft program was created in 1999 by a partnership between Southface Energy Institute and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and was brought to Virginia in 2006. Operated by Viridiant in Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland, EarthCraft is a family of green building certification programs designed to address climate, energy and water issues unique to the southeastern United States. The program serves as a blueprint for energy and resource-efficient single family homes, multifamily structures, renovation projects, community developments, light commercial buildings and sustainable preservation projects.