Richmond Housing Authority outlines repairs, timelines for 33 vacant units at Nystrom Village

The Richmond Housing Authority reported at its Jan. 16 special meeting that 33 units at Nystrom Village remain vacant, five with extensive fire damage and two with structural issues, and staff outlined a renovation plan driven by unit condition and contractor availability.

In a director’s report, RHA staff said the authority is prioritizing renovations by vacancy length and aims to complete roughly two unit renovations per month with a two-person in‑house team; more complex work will be contracted out and some units may take about 60 days to renovate once work begins. The report noted missing electrical breaker components, wiring pulled from walls, roof-leak indicators in kitchen ceilings, and extensive copper and plumbing theft in previously vacant units.

Commissioners pressed for a faster pace. Commissioner Robinson and others asked staff to return next month with an estimate for how long it would take to renovate all 33 units, stressing the authority’s interest in maximizing the number of occupied units to preserve Housing Choice Vouchers that factor into financing the larger redevelopment. Staff said RHA has issued RFPs for electrical and plumbing contractors (posted Jan. 6 and expiring Jan. 31) and will use awarded vendors to speed unit turns.

Staff also described coordination with development partners Gorman & Company and Novon Development Corporation; the RHA reported a kickoff meeting on Jan. 16 and a site walk with the development team as part of entitlement and site testing work. Nevin Plaza 1 was described as undergoing rehabilitation and expected to deliver 40 renovated units by March 2025. The board earlier approved a land disposition and development agreement (LDDA) for 76 units at Evan Plaza 2 and said entitlement work and site testing have started.

HUD rules and voucher accounting featured repeatedly in the discussion. Staff said HUD maintains unit inventory and that the agency generally does not allow removing a unit from inventory or replacing it outside HUD’s rules without prior approval; staff offered to ask HUD technical assistance whether there is precedent for demolishing a burned unit and replacing it with a new structure while preserving the original unit count for subsidy purposes. Commissioners asked staff to bring any HUD guidance and a clearer accounting of the number of vouchers expected to transfer into the redevelopment financing when the application to HUD is submitted.

The meeting closed the discussion with commitments from staff to return with: (1) a timeline showing how long renovation of all vacant units would take under the current plan and RFP responses; (2) explicit estimates of renovation costs per unit and total; and (3) clarification from HUD technical assistance on whether any burned or demolished units can be replaced and counted toward the site’s unit inventory for developer financing and voucher allocation.

Commissioners agreed to pursue expedited contracting if needed and to consider possible additional city subsidy at midyear budget if council chooses to increase RHA funding to speed renovations.