RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) has postponed a vote on transferring Gilpin Court to the Richmond Development Corporation (RDC) until September.
RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith said during a news conference Thursday that he needed more time to build public support for the plan.
"We want to leverage that nonprofit like all the other housing authorities do in the Commonwealth of Virginia to attract more funding to better the lives of the residents of Gilpin," Nesmith said.
The RRHA Board of Commissioners was scheduled to vote next week on transferring Gilpin from RRHA to the RDC. Nesmith said he was unsure if the plan had enough public support to pass.
The vote has been rescheduled for Sept. 17, giving Nesmith time to convince the public and Gilpin Court residents why city council and the board of commissioners should support the move.
For months, city council members and residents have opposed the RDC taking over Gilpin Court. Their main concerns involve tenant rights and protecting residents from displacement during redevelopment.
"Having that safety net is not something that we can easily replace," Richmond City Councilmember Kenya Gibson said at an April 15 meeting. "We have over 200 residents in Gilpin Court. Where's the plan for those residents?"
Wednesday the 3rd District Councilmember sent out a press release calling for increased transparency between RRHA and it's nonprofit corporate arm the RDC.
According to the release Gibson submitted legislation directing the RRHA to take several actions to ensure that public meeting requirements are met and ensure that the democratic rights of public housing tenants and Richmond residents are respected.
The ordinance outlines several amendments to the RRHA and RDC Bylaws including among other recommendations that the Corporation must provide an annual report including audited financial statements, projects, awards income balance sheets and detailed report of its earnings.
The ordinance also outlines that the RRHA must have approval of contracts over $250,000 only after those contracts have been read at two regular Board of Commissioners meetings with express approval also needed by City Council for contracts over $250,000 and that mandatory five-day notices of public meetings must be given to local media with public comment periods prior to any vote on any matter related to any issue before the Board or Committee.
“The volatility of the Trump administration is causing Americans to lose faith that government is a force for good. It is up to us to demonstrate an alternative path, and the first step is radical transparency. This ordinance is a positive step forward in ensuring the all public housing residents housing can have a say in their communities,” said Councilwoman Gibson in the release.
Nesmith said the revised proposal would include housing protection vouchers for residents to ensure they aren't forced out. It would also secure funding to redevelop the more than 740 units within the current footprint of the city's oldest public housing community.
Gibson's aim with the proposed legislation is to ensure that additional transparency is enforceable. During Thursdays press conference Nesmith said he was aware of Gibson's proposal and though he said at the time he didn't have a chance to thoroughly go through it, the CEO believes that the language in the proposed September 17th vote would address many of Gibson's concerns regarding the Authority and the nonprofit's transparency.
"Folks are asking for even more transparency an that's fine. It is important that whatever is in the legislation, we must work in a cooperative way with the city council," Nesmith said. We have a board of Commissioners who are appointed with City council. City council should engage with our board of commissioners. That is how their interest should be represented
The CEO described a phased approach to redevelopment that would require board approval at each stage of the proposed 10-phase redevelopment plan,
"It will say Gilpin will be developed on a phase-by-phase approach over the years and each time you've gotta go back to the board of commissioners for approval," Nesmith said.
The delayed vote allows for additional public input. In-person meetings are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 28 5:30p - 7:30p and Saturday, Sept. 6 1:00p - 3:00p at the Greater Mount Moriah Baptist Church at 913 North1st Street, Richmond, VA to address concerns, and receive feed back from residents, stakeholders and the public.
"The development piece we can wait for that, but right now with the volatility of funding on the federal level, shortfall of funding for the state and city. We have to lock in funding for tenant protection vouchers for the residents," Nesmith said.
WATCH: Board to vote on transferring Gilpin Court to subsidiary amid concerns: 'We need to lock in those protections'
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