D. B. “Bart” Frye, Jr.
Chairman of the Board, Frye Properties, Inc.
Managing Partner, East Beach Company, LLC

Bart began his housing career with the Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority in 1965, where he oversaw redevelopment initiatives that were instrumental to the growth of Norfolk, Va. These initiatives included the Ghent Conservation Project, which fostered the rehabilitation of existing homes and expansion of the Eastern Virginia Medical School; the redevelopment in East Ghent and Brambleton neighborhoods, which made possible the development of the Ghent Square community and the expansion of Norfolk State University; and securing federal funding to construct Scope, a cultural and sports entertainment facility in downtown Norfolk.

His appointment as Executive Director of the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority in 1971 became the catalyst for redevelopment initiatives and the attraction of public and private capital for new residential and commercial development in that city as well. During this period, PRHA received numerous local, regional and national awards for accomplishments, which included the development of a privately financed and owned City Hall complex; Portsmouth’s highly visible mixed-use waterfront development; and the grant award by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in its initial national competition for funding under the Urban Development Action Grant Program. This funding made the construction of the 25-story Harbor Tower on the Portsmouth waterfront possible. These initiatives continue to serve as anchors for revitalization of the city’s waterfront area.

During this time, PRHA also coordinated the renovation of the acclaimed Olde Towne conservation area that comprises homes, churches and neighborhood retail dating back to the 1800s. Under Bart’s direction, loans and grants were secured along with public investment that preserved this traditional neighborhood and its historical significance. This revitalization included the pedestrian ferry service to downtown Norfolk linking residents and businesses in the two Central Business Districts.

In 1978, Bart formed Frye Properties, Inc. a real estate development and management firm headquartered in Norfolk. The company has acquired and rehabilitated more than 5,000 units in 22 complexes in the Southeast. Over the past five years, Frye Properties has focused on remodeling its properties in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The most significant of these projects include the $20 million reconstruction of the 434-unit Mariners Watch complex in Norfolk, Va., and the $15 million rebuilding of the 682-bed River Walk student housing development in Greensboro, N.C. Frye Properties’ current portfolio includes more than 3,400 housing units and four student housing developments in Richmond, Charlottesville and Greensboro.

Bart oversees development of East Beach, a 100-acre New Urbanist neighborhood on the Chesapeake Bay in Norfolk, Va. East Beach has quickly become the catalyst for the rebuilding of the surrounding East Ocean View area. East Beach is fashioned after classic Southeastern seaboard coastal villages. The neighborhood was recently named the 2006 Community of the Year by the Tidewater Builders Association, and one of the homes was spotlighted nationally as the 2005 Coastal Living Idea House. All homes in East Beach are crafted by a select group of builders in the East Beach Guild in accordance with the East Beach Pattern Book prepared by Urban Design Associates. The neighborhood is currently in the fourth of seven phases of development.

Bart is past president and board member of Norfolk Festevents, as well as a member of the Virginia Horse Center, the Greater Norfolk Corporation and the Virginia Beach Foundation. He also previously served on the board of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the Virginia Resources Authority and Dominion Bank. He is the founder and president of the Virginia Beach Polo Club and Polo Foundation and remains an active player.

Bart has testified on housing issues before the Senate and Housing Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Appropriations committees and White House conferences. He has also served on several community development and housing panels and is a visiting lecturer on real estate finance for the University of Virginia School of Law and the Darden School of Business.  Bart has a bachelor of arts degree from Randolph Macon College and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.