VUU seeking city permission to develop Richmond Community Hospital property
Richmond city officials are set to consider a new request from Virginia Union University to build housing on the grounds of a former hospital building critical to Richmond’s medical and Black history.
In its proposal, the school said it will preserve the Richmond Community Hospital building at 1209 Overbrook Road, though neighborhood advocates are urging city leaders to ensure VUU holds to that commitment.
An ordinance that will be taken up Tuesday evening by the city’s Planning Commission would authorize a special use permit for the development of up to 100 multifamily housing units on the site if approved.
The Richmond Community Hospital building opened in the 1930s as a location for a hospital that dates back to 1907, and served the needs of African American residents and medical professionals for generations.
The building would be preserved and renovated as part of the housing development, according to the permit request filed by the Williams Mullen law firm, which represents the 1209 Overbrook Rd. LLC that now owns the property.
According to project information included in the request, the full hospital building would be integrated into the apartment structure, which would include four-story buildings, wall signage, and an entrance at Graham Road. Additions to the hospital building are also being considered.
“While the details of the uses and amenities that will be provided are conceptual only at this stage, it is anticipated that a memorial garden, meeting rooms, health and wellness facilities, office space, and fitness facilities will be provided within and around the Hospital,” Williams Mullen attorney T. Preston Lloyd, Jr. wrote in the permit request to the Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review.
Virginia Union University owned the property at 1209 Overbrook Road for decades after the hospital moved to North 28th Street, with the land rights transferred by the hospital’s board leadership after the building closed in the 1980s.
The project, developed in partnership with the New York-based Steinbridge Group, is part of VUU's housing plans for parcels of land it owns around its campus.
The ordinance’s introduction follows City Council’s approval last year of a special use permit to develop mixed-use housing units and retail space at Brook Road & Lombardy Street for the VUU Gateway North project.
Preserving history
The plans included in the ordinance have prompted concerns from those who have advocated for the hospital building’s preservation and adaptive re-use. The lack of an explicit prohibition of its demolition is a particular issue for residents living near the property and advocates, who have called for the ordinance’s deferral and amendment.
“A thoughtful redevelopment of 1209 Overbrook Road can deliver both housing and preservation,” Save Community Hospital Group Co-founder Viola Baskerville wrote in a letter to the Planning Commission, “but only if this Commission insists, in writing and by enforceable condition, that the historic Richmond Community Hospital building be protected from demolition and treated with the respect it has earned.”
The Save Community Hospital Group raised similar concerns when it was created in 2024, in response to VUU’s initial development plans to incorporate part of the building as a facade on a far larger housing complex.
Many of those who worked in or benefited from the hospital were part of the community criticism of those plans, which was shared across multiple gatherings on the building’s front lawn and discussions with college leadership.
After months of rallies, debate and conversations, VUU announced its intentions to fully preserve the building as part of its housing development plans in October of 2024.
Other criticisms of the permit request, including those submitted for public comment ahead of the Planning Commission meeting, have focused on the environmental impact of removing mature tree canopies for the development, and how the housing plan would affect neighborhood traffic, access and parking.
VUU’s approach to community engagement was also questioned, particularly its outreach to those living next to the property in Frederick Douglass Court, which has deep connections to Richmond’s Black history thanks to its purchase and development by Maggie Walker and her collaborators as a community for middle-class African Americans.
In a statement, City Councilor Kenya Gibson (3rd District), who represents VUU and residents near the property and previously joined community efforts to preserve the building, acknowledged the community's concerns around the plan.
She also noted the transfer of the property to the LLC "has not been clear" in her meetings with VUU, and promised to do her part to address concerns.
"From where I sit, it’s entirely reasonable for the community to want legal documentation to ensure original promises will be upheld regardless of ownership," Gibson said. "More engagement with residents is clearly warranted and I will push to see this happens."
The school posted a message to Facebook asking its supporters to reach out to the city, adding that the project will "create much-needed housing, strengthen our community and support the long-term financial sustainability" of Virginia Union.
The school did not respond to requests for comment ahead of publication, but is expected to be represented at Tuesday night's meeting. After the Planning Commission weighs in, the permit is tentatively scheduled to be discussed during City Council’s Sept. 14 meeting.
