Bayview, Virginia

After the American Civil War, it became a community populated by formerly enslaved people, principally consisting of farms and a small village with shops, restaurants, and its own post office.

[citation needed] In the late 20th century, Bayview was hit hard when many of the canneries and seafood processing plants closed due to dwindling shellfish populations in the Chesapeake Bay as a result of increased pollution.

[2] In 1998, the community organized the Bayview Citizens for Social Justice and began forming productive partnerships, including the Nature Conservancy, to improve the standard of living for its people.

Through a combination of federal, state, and private funds, the community raised $11 million and purchased 160 acres of farmland, including the proposed site for the prison.

[3] The community works to bring together citizens for cultural and religious celebrations such as Black History Month, Easter, and Christmas.

[citation needed] The BCSJ received a capacity-building grant from the National Housing Assistance Council (HAC), which has produced and extended board training in Financial Management and Loan Packaging.

Previous and current partnerships include the NAACP, the Nature Conservancy, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Old Dominion University, and the Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore.

The location brings difficulty, as a peninsular toll bridge to the metropolitan mainland and Virginia Beach is difficult to pay for the many low-to-moderate income families living in Bayview.