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Residents and advocates press council to prioritize anti-rent-gouging measures and a resident-led Gilpin housing plan
Summary
Multiple public commenters, tenants and housing organizations urged Richmond City Council to include anti-rent-gouging and tenant protections in the 2026 legislative agenda and to adopt resident-driven protections for the planned Gilpin (Jackson Ward) public-housing redevelopment.
Several Richmond residents and housing advocates used the public-comment period to press the City Council to prioritize anti-rent-gouging legislation, stronger tenant protections and resident-led safeguards for public-housing redevelopment.
Kashisha Pillay, a housing policy analyst with New Virginia Majority, told council members Richmond must pair increased housing supply with protections, saying "Anti rent gouging stops unfair rent hikes" and that supply alone will not protect renters from predatory practices.
Rosemarie Castillo, a Ninth District renter who said she lives at Southwood Apartments, described a recent rent rise from $775 to $1,400 and reported ongoing maintenance problems including…
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