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 during the Choice Neighborhood planning process and feel excluded from the RDC plan. Boyd said residents want one‑for‑one replacement of units and “genuine opportunities for wealth creation” and urged mechanisms such as Section 3 jobs and resident management training so current tenants may benefit from redevelopment.

Other public commenters recounted poor maintenance, fear of displacement and limited prior notice about the transfer. Arthur Burton, a longtime neighborhood activist, called current conditions “inhumane” and urged an accelerated rebuilding timeline for Gilpin Court’s roughly 781 units.

RRHA’s Cheryl Hampton, senior vice president for real estate development, characterized the RDC as a nonprofit subsidiary wholly owned by RRHA and said its actions require RRHA board approval. “This is not privatization,” Hampton said, adding the agency proposes a phased redevelopment (not immediate replacement of all 781 units) and that the structure helps secure tenant protection vouchers and other funding. She also said RRHA intends to expand resident engagement and has a “plan of action” to meet with residents in coming weeks.

Council members responded that the concerns warrant deeper review. Councilmember Stephanie Lynch called the issues “life and death” and said they merit a full committee discussion. President Newbill and other councilmembers directed that RRHA, RDC representatives and community voices be invited to a Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee meeting; the clerk announced that committee will meet June 17 at 3 p.m. in council chambers for further discussion and public input.

The public comments and follow‑up direction did not represent a final policy vote; council did not adopt or reject a transfer at Monday’s meeting. Instead, members asked staff to arrange a committee hearing so council and the public can review RDC governance, resident protections, financing, and relocation plans in detail.

Councilmembers and residents requested specific clarifications from RRHA during the committee review, including: whether and how RDC board bylaws will be public; how and when tenant protection vouchers will be guaranteed; the timeline for phased redevelopment; what relocation and school‑stability plans will be provided for families; and how residents will be represented on the RDC board. Advocates asked council to consider requiring at least a quorum of RRHA commissioners and three Gilpin Court residents on an RDC board prior to further land transactions.

The council’s Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee will take up the item on June 17; RRHA and RDC representatives will be invited to present and respond to questions. For residents who testified, the committee hearing is the next formal opportunity to ask for changes to governance, protections and the redevelopment timeline.

Provenance: Public comments on RRHA/RDC and Gilpin Court began in the transcript with Omari Al Gaddafi’s remarks and continued through resident and RRHA presentations and council discussion directing a committee review. The first related public comment appears at the transcript segment beginning with Omari Al Gaddafi (see provenance).