September 11, 2025

As Mayor, I have made a foundational commitment to building a future in which every city resident lives in a safe, quality and code-compliant home and neighborhood. Our current public housing communities do not meet this basic standard, and we absolutely must develop and deliver a new model of deeply affordable housing for Richmond.

In practice, this means we must:

• Construct better homes for residents of public housing;
• Provide replacement housing choices to all current residents;
• Support residents throughout each stage of the redevelopment process by providing access to housing options, economic opportunities, and education;
• Maintain or increase the supply of deeply subsidized housing units available in the Richmond region;
• Create thriving, economically integrated neighborhoods that do not re-concentrate poverty.

Resident-centered public housing redevelopment will require an extraordinary commitment of time, energy, and financial resources, along with deep collaboration among all partners. Success depends on establishing trust with current residents; ensuring alignment between RRHA, City Council, and the administration; and building broad community support from businesses, philanthropic sectors, and the wider Richmond community. We must also develop a realistic financial strategy that secures funding from federal, state, and City sources to leverage additional private investment.

I appreciate recent requests from RRHA staff leadership to provide support for the Gilpin Court redevelopment proposal. City resources and leadership are essential to the redevelopment process moving forward. However, I cannot endorse RRHA's approach until the following requirements are met:

1. RRHA should use the Jackson Ward Community Plan (JWCP) as its guidance for the Gilpin Court redevelopment, and it will have to seek City Council approval of the plan as called for by the Richmond 300 Master Plan. Deviations from the plans require clear justification, and the opportunity for the public to discuss in a public process prior to its transmission to Council.
2. RRHA should revitalize the Gilpin Informed Residents initiative to ensure residents have access to accurate information and a trusted way to relay feedback and concerns to RRHA. RRHA should work with Gilpin Informed Residents and the Gilpin Tenants Council to develop a Tenants Bill of Rights to ensure residents have rights to return and to access housing options.
3. The Jackson Ward Community Plan states that all 781 Gilpin Court units are to be replaced by project-based voucher units in the Gilpin footprint and across the city. RRHA must confirm that this is still the plan, and if not, explain its plan for replacing each deeply affordable unit in Gilpin Court.
4. RRHA should develop and distribute materials very clearly showing the projected timeline for redevelopment and the critical steps leading to redevelopment; housing options for Gilpin residents; and services and resources available to Gilpin residents before, during, and after redevelopment.
5. Those supports should include, for instance, ensuring all Gilpin Court residents have adequate information and opportunity to become lease compliant and hence eligible for housing vouchers, as well as holistic family-based connections to workforce development, educational, and health services. RRHA must make every effort to assure all Gilpin residents receive robust support, regardless of current lease compliance status.
6. RRHA should withdraw its proposal to convey Gilpin Court to Richmond Development Corporation (RDC) until major concerns about RDC's governance structure are addressed. It is concerning that the majority of RDC board seats are held by RRHA staff members. The majority of the board should be long-term community stakeholders, and the City of Richmond should have permanent representation on the board.
7. RRHA should establish, in collaboration with the City of Richmond, an ongoing Jackson Ward Community Plan Steering Committee to provide advice, ensure implementation, and celebrate the achievements of the project. This steering committee should be comprised of the Gilpin Informed Residents, Gilpin Tenant Council members, Jackson Ward community members, City of Richmond staff, and other community stakeholders.
8. Upon request, RRHA must commit to providing the City detailed financial information; detailed information about resources and programming available to residents of Gilpin Court and other RRHA communities; and detailed information about the physical condition of RRHA properties.

As Mayor, it is incredibly important to me that discussions about Gilpin Court are carried out in a spirit of respect. Our City Council members have a responsibility to ask hard questions, and community members have every right to engage fully in this process. Unfortunately, for too many Richmonders, and especially Gilpin residents, there is not clarity about the goals of redevelopment, nor is there understanding about the specific action steps required to achieve success. Our city's families deserve better.

Our ultimate goal is to re-integrate historically isolated public housing communities into the broader fabric of our city. If we are serious about building a Richmond that truly thrives together, then we must be just as thoughtful about how we engage as we are about the outcomes we seek. For Gilpin's redevelopment to succeed, it must be rooted in healing and hope. The eight action items outlined above are important first steps toward ensuring this project moves forward in a way that reflects our values and strengthens our community.