The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority is committed to providing quality, affordable housing to the residents we serve. The work that we do is designed with the singular focus of improving or replacing inadequate housing and providing a range of housing choices for the families we serve.
[Updated] 04/29/2021 Fact Sheet
Fact 1: Revitalizing Creighton Court has been an RRHA priority since 2011 when the Richmond community created the East End Transformation Plan. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Public Housing Authorities under HUD’s direction have prioritized the comprehensive redevelopment /revitalization of obsolete housing stock. Creighton Court, which meets HUD’s obsolescence requirements, is amongst the HUDfunded housing stock in need of transformative initiatives.
Fact 2: RRHA’s Board of Commissioners voted on January 15th, 2020, to approve RRHA’s submission of a Section 18 Application to HUD’s Special Application Center to revitalize Creighton Court. RRHA submitted an application for 192 units in January 2020 and submitted the second application for the remaining 312 in December 2020. While RRHA has had many informal discussions with HUD about redeveloping Creighton Court, this resolution authorized RRHA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to apply to HUD to formally begin the revitalization process. Approval of the application allows RRHA to address the funding gap needed to address the capital needs of Creighton Court that has outpaced Federal funding. HUD is currently reviewing RRHA’s Section 18 application.
Fact 3: RRHA has engaged Creighton families, stakeholders and partners to create the Master Plan which serves as a template for redevelopment moving forward.
Fact 4: The Creighton Court revitalization process is being implemented consistent with HUD and Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) requirements. HUD’s Office of FHEO will guide RRHA through every step of the redevelopment process to ensure our families’ particular needs are met.
Fact 5: Since 2011, there have been a significant amount of resources invested in the revitalization strategies for Creighton Court and the East End Community. In 2016, RRHA applied for a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant. Although RRHA did not receive that highly competitive grant, many of the planning activities received directly from the resident input are being implemented today, including the demolition of the former Armstrong High School, a 270 mixed-income housing community – currently named “Armstrong Renaissance.”
Fact 6: Revitalization efforts began in 2017 with the transformation of the former Armstrong High School site and construction of the Armstrong Renaissance Development, which includes 256 apartments and houses.
Fact 7: Armstrong Renaissance, the former site of Armstrong High School is RRHA’s “build first” strategy for Creighton Court. This approach protects existing families by providing units that they can move into BEFORE their residency at the current Creighton community site comes to an end. Moreover, additional units will be built to respond to the lack of affordable housing stock in the Richmond area – including Tenant-Based Housing Choice Voucher families.
Fact 8: RRHA will offer the following housing options, accessible and affordable, to each Creighton resident affected by redevelopment: (You may qualify for one of the following)
- Tenant Protection Voucher
- Off-site Project-Based Voucher
- Staying in the newly transformed Creighton Court Community
- Other RRHA public housing.
Fact 9: One of the revitalization goals of RRHA for the redevelopment of the Creighton Court community is to provide more affordable housing options by increasing density (i.e., build MORE units than what is currently there now). Currently, there are 504 units in Creighton Court. The master plan recently completed with resident and community input proposes an increase of 176 mixed-income units, which totals 680 units on the site.
Fact 10: Vacancies in Creighton began in 2019. RRHA is holding vacant units by attrition only, in order to accommodate Creighton Court’s transformation process by offering temporary relocation for families while new units are being constructed. The sole purpose of this policy is to minimize disruption for existing residents later in the development process.
Fact 11: RRHA is also prioritizing the use of 493 project-based vouchers awarded to 27 Off-Site projects to ensure availability of housing affordable to our residents to minimize the need for voucher-holders to extensively search for unsubsidized homes on the private market. Residents of Creighton Court are automatically first priority on the waitlist for all PBV Offsite units that RRHA provides.
Fact 12: As of April 2021, 42 Creighton families have moved to Armstrong Renaissance. In addition, 51 Creighton families have also relocated to other properties such as six (6) to Goodwyn at Union Hill, two (2) to New Clay House II, 21 to the Apartments at Kingsridge, 17 at Glenwood Ridge, and 5 to Alexander at 1090.
Fact 13: At each of the meetings listed below, RRHA provided a detailed explanation to Creighton residents, and other attendees about project updates concerning Creighton Court and their options at these meetings.
In 2019, RRHA held six (6) community meetings with Creighton Court Families. In 2020, impacted to some extent by newly implemented COVID restrictions on meetings and gatherings, three (3) community meetings were held:
- January 14, 2020 – Community meeting held with Creighton Court residents.
- March, April 2020 – Creighton Court Resident Council and Richmond Tenant Organization to draft and sign the Creighton Court Tenants’ Bill of Rights.
- August 13th, 2020 – Creighton Court Resident Council Master Plan kickoff process
2020 Resident Tenant Organization Mettings
In addition: RRHA’s Real Estate Community and Development Division provides regular updates on various real estate transactions to the RTO. This includes Creighton Court’s Transformation.
Meeting Dates of the Richmond Resident Tenant Council (RTO) where updates on the Creighton Transformation were provided:
- 1/23/2020
- 2/27/2020
- 8/06/2020 — Meeting with the Richmond Advisory Board
- 9/24/2020
- 10/22/2020
2020 to present Creighton Court Community Meeting Dates & upcoming meeting dates:
- September 11, 2020 | September 12, 2020 | September 13, 2020 | September 14, 2020
- October 17, 2020 | October 18, 2020 | Mon. October 19, 2020 – Community Stakeholders
- January 27, 2021 – 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. | April 28, 2021 – Noon and 6 p.m.
- July 28, 2021 – Noon and 6 p.m. (scheduled)
- October 27, 2021 – Noon and 6 p.m. (scheduled)
Fact 14: Ongoing communication efforts with Creighton Community will include, but are not limited to:
- Community meetings – to be held virtually, by phone and in-person (when allowable). Meetings will be announced on social media, email, and flyers distributed door to door
- Website for Creighton Court Relocation – The Community Builders will create dedicated website to inform Creighton Court families of the progress of transformation activities in their community.
- Creighton Connection Newsletter – Monthly newsletter distributed via email, website, social media and hard copies in the Creighton Property Management Office.
- Information Telephone Line (804) 780-4343 – Creighton families can call this number for updates and next steps of Creighton transformation activities. Messages cannot be left on this line. It is for information purposes only.
- Dedicated Email CreightonRedevelopment@gmail.com – Emails will receive a response within 48 hours
01/16/2020 Fact Sheet
Here are the facts:
- RRHA’s Board of Commissioners voted on January 15, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. to move forward with Section 18 Application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Special Application Center to revitalize Creighton Court. While RRHA has had many informal discussions with HUD about redeveloping Creighton Court, Board approval of this resolution authorizes the CEO to formally consider the application to begin the revitalization process. The application does not propose a timeframe for redevelopment, which RRHA intends to develop over the coming months with input from residents and the general public. Approval of the application by the Board of Commissioners allows us to address the funding gap between the capital needs of Creighton Court that has outpaced Federal funding.
- The Creighton revitalization process is being implemented consistent with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) requirements. HUD’s Office of FHEO will guide RRHA through every step of the redevelopment process to ensure the particular needs of our residents are met.
- Revitalizing Creighton Court has been an RRHA priority since 2011 when the Richmond community came together to create the East End Transformation Plan. HUD and Public Housing Authority’s under HUD’s direction have prioritized the comprehensive redevelopment /revitalization of obsolete housing stock. Creighton Court is amongst the HUD-funded housing stock in need of transformative initiatives.
- Revitalization efforts are anticipated to begin in Creighton Court in 2020 with new construction activities in 2021 and 2022.
- RRHA will offer a range of housing options accessible and affordable to each Creighton resident affected by redevelopment. RRHA will ensure that residents have multiple options, to include staying in the community and moving to another location with the assistance of a project-based or tenant protection vouchers.
- One of the revitalization goals of RRHA for the redevelopment of the Creighton Court community is to increase density (i.e. build MORE units than what is currently there now). Subject to resident and community input, the number of units that will be built on or adjacent to the current Creighton Community will increase substantially (a minimum of 50 percent).
- RRHA is utilizing a “build-first” approach to redevelopment, which will address concerns about a lack of housing affordable to tenant-based voucher-holders. This approach protects our existing families by providing units they can move into BEFORE their occupancy on the existing site ends. We then will not forcibly displace them throughout the transformation process.
- Attrition in the Creighton community began in 2019. RRHA is warehousing units in order to offer swing space while we are building new units. The sole purpose of this policy is to minimize disruption for existing residents later in the development process.
- RRHA will also prioritize the use of project-based vouchers, to ensure the availability of housing affordable to our residents in order to minimize the need for voucher-holders to extensively search for unsubsidized homes on the private market.
- Residents of Creighton will move automatically to the top of the waitlist for all replacement units that RRHA builds. To date, 28 (13 into 1B. 15 will move to 1A) Creighton families have moved to Armstrong Renaissance.
- Several meetings have been held with the Creighton community: January 14, 2019, May 6, 2019, May 7, 2019 (2), May 9, 2019, September 5, 2019 January 14, 2020 – Woodville Elementary School. At these meetings, RRHA provides a detailed explanation to residents about project updates in the Creighton Court community and the options that Creighton Court families have.
- There have been a significant amount of resources invested in the revitalization strategies for Creighton Court and the East End Community. In 2016, RRHA applied for a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant. Although we were not funded, many of the planning activities received directly from the resident input is being implemented today.