Richmond official says Gilpin Court tenants may be displaced if RRHA transfer proceeds

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A city councilmember said the transfer of a Richmond area for redevelopment could potentially leave residents without homes.

On Monday, June 9, several Gilpin Court residents expressed frustration with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s (RRHA) attempt to transfer the property to the non-profit Richmond Development Corporation (RDC).

According to RRHA, transferring the property through RDC would give them more freedom to secure different types of funding that the agency itself can’t get -- meaning this move would help RRHA lock in voucher money to protect tenants with the current uncertainty over federal funding.

In April, the RRHA board of commissioners voted not to transfer Gilpin Court to RDC during a board meeting.

City council member Stephanie Lynch said the transfer allows RRHA to enter a public-private partnership with a developer that needs to turn a profit.

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“A private developer comes, develops the units and then does the property management,” Lynch said. “Residents of the city are being systematically pushed out and we as a city -- and as a region -- have to pick up the pieces and find solutions for families that are experiencing homelessness and all the trauma that comes with that.”

In a reimagined, mixed-income Gilpin Court, Lynch said there potentially wouldn't be as much public housing as there is now. That would leave many tenants at risk of displacement even after redevelopment.

RRHA officials provided 8News with a statement, saying Gilpin Court will likely be redeveloped as a “mixed-use community." This means a percentage will be at the market rate, while other units will stay affordable at 30% of what the residents earn.

The organization reiterated that a redeveloped Gilpin Court will reflect what residents and stakeholders outlined that they want to see in the Jackson Ward Community Plan in 2023.

RRHA also stated that, to redevelop Gilpin, there have to be private organizations involved. Per officials, it is highly improbable that Gilpin will be developed in the way that residents have requested without private funding or involvement.

“If RRHA is able to lock in tenant protection vouchers, it is a critical step to ensure that Gilpin residents have a choice of returning to a newly transformed Gilpin, or to relocate to another location,” an RRHA spokesperson said.

The RRHA went on to say:

“Locking in housing vouchers for Gilpin residents will ensure they are not displaced. Additionally, RRHA will sit down with residents to create a 'Tenant Bill of Rights.' This is a document negotiated by and agreed upon by public housing residents, RRHA, representation from City Administration, representation from City Council and the developer, that offers the 'right of return' to residents who want to come back to Gilpin, once it is redeveloped.”

However, Lynch said there's an alternative route: the Renters Assistance Demonstration (RAD), which she explained is another way to redevelop and make sure tenants stay housed.  

The federal program is designed to take care of public housing buildings. It also gives housing agencies a way to get more money from both the government and private businesses to help repair or improve these homes.

It also allows tenants to live in developed homes with the same options as they had before.

“It's a one-for-one replacement," Lynch said. "Every unit that they take down, they're renovating that unit, and the same family can move back into that unit if they want."

While city council members do not have oversight over either the RRHA or RDC board of commissioners, they currently have three residents on its board -- two who live in public housing and one who is a housing choice voucher resident) -- who pass or fail decisions.

Lynch said a meeting to discuss the redevelopment involving city councilmembers, RRHA and tenants will take place at 3 p.m. on June 17.