The Randolph neighborhood could get a new park if Richmond’s City Council approves a transfer of two parcels from the public housing authority Monday evening. 

The properties, at 313 South Harrison St. and 1112 Idlewood Ave., have been owned by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority since the 1970s and sit back-to-back on a triangle-shaped piece of land that also includes a parcel owned by the city. 

Richmond Parks and Recreation “certainly is supportive of taking on more green space and converting this into open space for park use,” Nissa Richardson, deputy director of the department, told the Planning Commission last month. 

The plans are being backed by the Randolph Neighborhood Association, which has argued the parcels can serve as an attractive gateway to the community, absorb noise from traffic along Harrison and the Downtown Expressway and provide necessary shade. 

“There is a strong need to ensure the tranquility of the area,” the group wrote in a 2021 proposal to the city and RRHA that also included a petition signed by 70 residents. 

David Wright, vice president of the association, told The Richmonder in an email that “the process is not yet complete and so we don’t have further information at this time.” 

Support for the plans isn’t unanimous. Three residents wrote the Planning Commission this November saying they were concerned that the city hadn’t fully explored the possibility of developing the properties for affordable housing. 

“The transfer of all of these properties would have a significant impact on our community, and I believe it is incumbent on the RRHA, City of Richmond staff, and any other nearby landowners of parcels under consideration to host a public meeting (with appropriate and reasonable notice) to give more community members the opportunity to learn about their current intentions, explore all reasonable options, and solicit feedback,” wrote Blake Stack in one of the emails. 

The South Harrison Street and Idlewood Avenue parcels have been earmarked for transfer to the city since at least 2023, when they were included in a list of six parcels that would be given by RRHA to Richmond under the terms of a cooperative agreement for the redevelopment of Creighton Court. 

That agreement noted that various parcels were being conveyed from the housing authority “in furtherance of economic and affordable housing development in other areas of the City and in recognition of the City’s contribution to” the Creighton redevelopment. 

A Sept. 24 memo from Mayor Danny Avula’s administration to City Council about the proposed property transfer states that RRHA “reviewed its property portfolio and determined that 313 South Harrison Street and 1112 Idlewood Avenue are unsuitable for affordable housing.” 

However, Angela Fountain, a spokesperson for the housing authority, said in an email that “RRHA has not made that determination at this time.” 

A city spokesperson clarified the administration’s stance in a message to The Richmonder on Thursday evening.

“The background section of the transmittal letter for ORD. 2025-244 incorrectly states that RRHA determined 313 S. Harrison Street and 1112 Idlewood Avenue as unsuitable for affordable housing,” they wrote. “The City’s housing experts have determined that conveying these properties to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (which own the adjacent parcel at 1100 Idlewood Avenue) is the best use of the properties.”

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal Monday. 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org