Residents and advocates press council to pause Gilpin Court transfer, cite lack of RDC oversight

Residents, advocates and several council members on Monday urged Richmond City Council to press the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) to halt transfers of Gilpin Court to the Richmond Development Corporation (RDC) until the subsidiary’s governance and resident protections are clarified.

Omari Al Gaddafi, a senior organizer and public‑housing specialist with the Legal Aid Justice Center, told the council the RDC’s board is dominated by paid RRHA employees and that the corporation’s meetings and bylaws lacked public accountability. “This 1 CEO is in control at the RDC and there is virtually no public accountability,” he said, and asked council to direct RRHA to “cease all Richmond Development Corporation real estate acquisitions and dispositions until they can appoint no less than a quorum of RHA’s board of commissioners and 3 RHA residents to the Richmond Development Corporation board of directors.”

Members of the Gilpin Informed Residents Group — including Dream Boyd and Kiara Harris — said they led long public engagement…