If a Famous Rocker Offered to Help Build Affordable Housing… “What Would You Say?”
Last week, the Dave Matthews Band and its management company, Red Light Management, announced a commitment of $5 million toward the revitalization of Charlottesville’s 376 units of public housing.
It may seem an odd match at first, but Dave Matthews and Red Light’s owner Coran Capshaw have a history of philanthropy, community engagement—and real estate development—in Charlottesville.
But the commitment to this project is much deeper than just a substantial grant award. Red Light has taken the lead in assembling a team of real estate professionals, some working as volunteers, to push the project forward. The Red Light team has also been meeting with residents for a year and has the full support of the resident association.
The revitalization of older public housing is desperately needed in our larger urban communities, including Richmond, Norfolk and Portsmouth. All eyes will be on Charlottesville in the next year to see if this “outside the box” approach that brings new partners to the table will yields results.
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