As people are moving away from big city life, rural communities across the country are going through hefty revitalizations—and developing multi-family products for the first time in decades. Located in Spotsylvania, VA (about halfway between Richmond and D.C.), Vakos Arbor house fits this bill.
The property is situated within a development that includes a reworked Courthouse square, with several new businesses and restaurants that will bring some much needed activity and walkability to this small town center.
The owners of this project also own other parcels of land in Spotsylvania. Looking to bring new life to the area, they wanted this small multi-family property to sit among the businesses in the area and blend right in. Our design needed to feel like a retail space, and this was achieved by an aesthetic that looks akin to a neighboring storefront, with no amenities within view from the streetscape.
In order to make it work, the building needed to fit into a small envelope of land with two existing roads and stormwater retention that will be used as a landscaping buffer. We had to make the unit count happen within a tight site, while also meeting the height and aesthetic requirements of the town.