City officials and leaders of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority say local negotiations over the redevelopment of Gilpin Court are nearing the finish line, with an agreement expected to be finalized in the coming days.

The final agreement will allow all “eligible households” to return to the redeveloped Gilpin if they choose.

RRHA is in the process of redeveloping the city’s public housing projects, replacing them with mixed-income neighborhoods.

Officials cautioned at a Wednesday meeting that the overhaul of Gilpin, the city’s oldest and largest public housing community, will be a lengthy one, lasting at least 10 years.

Thad Williamson, a senior policy strategist on the mayor’s team, said there is “a little bit of legal work to do,” but the final proposal will be presented to the RRHA Board of Commissioners and City Council later this summer.

He said the City Council isn’t required to approve it, “but we want them to see it, to understand it, because we want the City Council and the administration to be completely on the same page.”

While planning for the redevelopment began several years ago with the crafting of the Jackson Ward Community Plan, the process became contentious last year, with residents concerned about a lack of details and the potential of displacement. City officials also expressed unhappiness with RRHA, leading to a letter from Avula demanding a seat at the table.

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“The things he is asking for RRHA to do are in no way outlandish or outside of scope. It is actually what they are required to do.”

The RichmonderSarah Vogelsong

Late last year, the RRHA board accepted Avula’s proposal for a ‘joint governance’ plan and agreed to begin negotiating a formal memorandum of understanding for how that would work. 

It’s that MOU that is now reaching completion. Both the city and RRHA celebrated the final agreement this week as being resident-focused.

Sharon Ebert, the city’s deputy chief administrative officer, said at the Wednesday meeting that one of the focuses of the redevelopment will be the revitalization of Jackson Ward as “a premier Black-centered neighborhood in our city.”

Gilpin Court is part of the Jackson Ward neighborhood, but was separated from it with the construction of interstate highways in the 1950s.

“The redevelopment activities will recognize and incorporate Black art, culture and traditions in what we do,” Ebert said. “And it will provide a defined range of neighborhood services and amenities accessible to all the residents. 

“I think this is important because it's not just housing, it's wrapping around housing, all the things that every other person would want in their neighborhood so that they don't have to go outside of it to seek those services and amenities.”

RRHA, along with the city, will create a Joint Gilpin Transformation Working Group to oversee the work, which will be led by Richmond Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II’s office.

Early plans for Gilpin suggested that the site could have 1,306 housing units in various price ranges. The new agreement commits to one-for-one replacement of the 781 “deeply affordable” housing units Gilpin had, which would be spread both within the current footprint of the site and throughout the city.

The plan will also provide a right to return for eligible households, and a commitment from the city and RRHA to make a “concerted effort” to make sure all Gilpin residents are in good standing to be able to take advantage of that offer.

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The plans detailed Thursday call for the gradual development of 1,306 new rental units at a range of price points on the existing Gilpin Court site.

The RichmonderSarah Vogelsong

According to a press release from the city: “As part of assuring good standing for residents, the Authority will allow an outside partner (approved by the City) to review tenants’ rent and lease compliance information as requested and consented by tenants.”

“Addressing conditions in our public housing communities is an urgent moral and policy imperative,” Avula wrote in the press release. “Doing it the right way—the way that engages, respects and protects public housing residents—requires a framework that positions Richmond and its residents for success. The collaborative framework we are establishing will allow us to marshal all our resources towards a shared vision and a shared plan.” 

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“This is a multiyear project, so the density will be incremental.”

The RichmonderSarah Vogelsong

RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith called the agreement “a major breakthrough in our efforts to create a better future for the residents we serve.” 

“I’m appreciative of the collaborative approach the Mayor and his team have taken to work through the issues and come to this agreement,” he wrote in the press release.  

Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org.