Armstrong demolition in June to begin Creighton redevelopment

I was unable to make the March 12 meeting at Woodville ES on the North Church Hill redevelopment process a few weeks back, thankfully the RRHA sent out a recap of the meeting:

In addition to serving as the latest in a series of regular community engagement sessions beginning in the summer of 2013, the March 12th meeting provided a progress report about Creighton Court/Church Hill North revitalization efforts, including the first phase of development scheduled to begin on the site of the former Armstrong High School.

Rob Fossi, Mid-Atlantic Regional VP for The Community Builders. Inc., (TCB) master developer for the revitalization, provided an overview of accomplishments to date and development principles which will serve as the foundation of this redevelopment effort, such as 1 for 1 replacement of existing public housing, a build-first approach, and commitment to a vibrant, mixed-income community providing ladders of opportunity to all residents.

Murphy Antoine, of the Torti Gallas Group, master planner for the revitalization, reminded the participants of the significant outcomes of a development charrette held in September 2014, and showed how the priorities and recommendations that Creighton residents and community stakeholders expressed during that intensive two-day session had been translated into the plan and program for Phase I of the project.

Torti Gallas provided visuals displaying a mix of residential housing types that combine for 128 units of mixed-income rental and home ownership opportunities comprising about one-half of the current Armstrong site acreage.

TCB expressed confidence that, with the recent funding application to the VHDA for Tax Credit financing along with support from City of Richmond and RRHA, financing for the first phase could be secured by the summer of 2015, following the demolition of the old Armstrong building which should be completed by late June/early July. Construction on this first phase of development would begin in earnest during early 2016.

TCB, City, and RRHA officials also confirmed plans for a follow-up meeting in the coming weeks to focus solely on community engagement work and progress as well as specific issues related to resident services and preparation for successful participation in the redevelopment and revitalization.

Together, RRHA, TCB and the City of Richmond are committed to holistically revitalizing the Church Hill North neighborhood while creating economic, education, health, housing and safety outcomes for families. RRHA and the city are excited to move forward with this transformational effort and invite all to participate in this journey. To get involved or for more information, please contact the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority at 804-780-4344/TDD-Dial 711 or email info@rrha.com.

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