RRHA will continue fighting for Gilpin Court improvements despite vote to not transfer property to RDC

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) said its goal of helping its most vulnerable residents will not change, despite officials voting not to transfer the Gilpin Court property to the Richmond Development Corporation (RDC) during last week’s board meeting.

RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith said his group plans on talking with Gilpin Court tenants using town halls and community meetings about why the move is beneficial.

“I think there's a lot of misinformation out there about the transfer and phases of it. There is a lot of misinformation out there that this is what we're trying to do,” Nesmith said. “There has been some time since we had all those town halls and community meetings. We're going to do it all over again, and we're going to say, ‘hey, we had tons of meetings and this is what you all voted on.”

According to RRHA, transferring the property through RDC would give them more freedom to secure different types of funding and help them lock in voucher money to protect tenants with the current uncertainty over federal funding.

Nesmith also said reaching councilmember Kenya Gibson, who felt the vote needed to be postponed, is another priority.

“She represents that area. What that conversation with her is going to look like is what it’s going to be with everyone else who doesn't understand the nuances about what the RDC is,” Nesmith said.

8News reached out to Gibson about her thoughts and haven't heard back as of the time of reporting.

Nesmith said his group will start organizing community meetings in May and hopes to bring the vote back in June.