Lawsuit moving forward despite VUU’s decision to preserve historic Richmond hospital
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond man is moving forward with his lawsuit against Virginia Union University (VUU), despite its revised plans to preserve the Richmond Community Hospital and include the historic building in its housing development project. On Tuesday, Oct. 22, it was announced that the partial demolition of the Richmond Community Hospital had been canceled. Instead, the building will be preserved entirely and will have a glass structure connecting it to a student apartment complex to be built behind it. The new plan entails VUU building 96 units on the property — 29 fewer than originally proposed. Richmond resident Sa’ad El-Amin announced he filed a lawsuit against VUU, as well as its President and its Trustee Board Chair, in an effort to preserve the building -- just hours before the revised plan was announced. According to the lawsuit, El-Amin stated that VUU purchased the historic hospital as a nonprofit and said profiting off building new apartments while keeping the building is in violation of code 501c(3). This means the university shouldn't be able to make money off the building with these plans, according to El-Amin. PREVIOUS: Richmond residents raise questions amid newly revised VUU development plans “They have done absolutely nothing with it for 46 years," El-Amin said. “This community will know much better, a 501c(3) developed in this community, would know far better what should be done with it.” El-Amin also said the university still hasn’t included the community in its plans or asked those in the area if new housing units for students is something they'd be on board with. “There is no dialogue between the university and the community, they issued their statements as if they’re King Tut,” El-Amin said. “This is supposed to be preserved for charitable purposes and uplifting this community.” A university spokesperson told 8News that VUU never purchased the hospital, the university was given the building when the old medical practice moved out. They also said no profit has ever been made from the building. 8News also reached out to VUU for comment on whether it will respond to the lawsuit, but the school declined to answer.
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond man is moving forward with his lawsuit against Virginia Union University (VUU), despite its revised plans to preserve the Richmond Community Hospital and include the historic building in its housing development project.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, it was announced that the partial demolition of the Richmond Community Hospital had been canceled. Instead, the building will be preserved entirely and will have a glass structure connecting it to a student apartment complex to be built behind it. The new plan entails VUU building 96 units on the property — 29 fewer than originally proposed.
Richmond resident Sa’ad El-Amin announced he filed a lawsuit against VUU, as well as its President and its Trustee Board Chair, in an effort to preserve the building -- just hours before the revised plan was announced.
According to the lawsuit, El-Amin stated that VUU purchased the historic hospital as a nonprofit and said profiting off building new apartments while keeping the building is in violation of code 501c(3). This means the university shouldn't be able to make money off the building with these plans, according to El-Amin.
PREVIOUS: Richmond residents raise questions amid newly revised VUU development plans
“They have done absolutely nothing with it for 46 years," El-Amin said. “This community will know much better, a 501c(3) developed in this community, would know far better what should be done with it.”
El-Amin also said the university still hasn’t included the community in its plans or asked those in the area if new housing units for students is something they'd be on board with.
“There is no dialogue between the university and the community, they issued their statements as if they’re King Tut,” El-Amin said. “This is supposed to be preserved for charitable purposes and uplifting this community.”
A university spokesperson told 8News that VUU never purchased the hospital, the university was given the building when the old medical practice moved out. They also said no profit has ever been made from the building.
8News also reached out to VUU for comment on whether it will respond to the lawsuit, but the school declined to answer.
