From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
A $3 million accounting error tied to a major redevelopment project has created a hole for Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration to plug in the city’s general fund budget, according to a new snapshot of spending and revenues released earlier this month. The mistake, in effect, sent the new Richmond Department of Housing and Community Development $2.9 million into the red — more than twice what city leaders set aside for it during the fiscal year that began in July and runs through June 30. The overrun stems from the ongoing redevelopment of Creighton Court.
The Stoney administration is working to offset this deficit by introducing a general fund budget amendment this spring 2019. Richmond City Council will need to approve it.
24 comments
Richmond needs to sell all the “Courts” to private developers. RRHA controls way to much potentially tax producing property on prime sites.
Or just knock them down…
And where would you have current residents go?
Don’t you think someone in an authority position should have know this? Jut asking!!
Get rid of them all.
And what about current residents?
Victoria Lynn Davis; That’s what’s happening, just not an overnight thing.
and where would you like the residents to go?
Can you find out what they are building off of government road down the street from Chimborazo park? I live in the lofty and I can see the construction from my balcony.
Leslie Perucci its subsidized housing
Leslie Perucci Glenwood apartments
I wondered what it was.
“No probs… we’ll raise real estate and food taxes!” – Dick McButtballs, City Official
Taylor Olenik this is that new development by the house
Steffen Quaid Mahler ooooh wow
There’s always some bull with city. Who’s really surprised.
Mamasense,
As I understood the last 7th district meeting I went to, there is absolutely no plan underway to knock down ANY of the courts. There is talk of renovating some of Creightons buildings and *maybe* knocking down one or two of the more damaged structures.
At the same time, they are building, piece by piece, a massive new public housing project at the Old Armstrong site. And the city is dumping millions and millions into it. Each time after saying that it wouldn’t cost tax payers anywhere near that much.
The per unit cost was already so high it smelled like corruption …. like 200k I think. What is it now?
And just saying, CHPN folks, “…suffers an accounting setback” is like when your basement floods and you lose your papers. I’d argue that This is not that. IMHO This is maybe fraud, maybe gross mismanagement, but either way, “…is asking the city for another 2.9m” about covers it:), perhaps without leaning quite so far either for or against this project?
But, since I am just another opinion-bearing neighbor, LIKE THE REST OF US, RRHA NEEDS TO SCALE ITS PROJECTS TO ITS BUDGETS AND WE NEED TO STOP GIVING THEM MORE MONEY TO BUILD MORE PROJECTS. It’s 2019. Who builds projects anymore anyway?? Warehousing the least fortunate was never nice.
@KDBurden -“Where would residents go if you knocked down the housing projects.” A valid concern. But if you give the residents plenty of notice (say, 12 months) —and even some assistance— they should be able to find something.
Several years ago the last RRHA director offered tenants the opportunity to purchase RRHA houses for a discounted price and, I believe, little or no down payment. He received exactly zero responses to the offer. IMO, giving a person free or subsidized housing does not help them in the long term. At the least, it creates a sense of dependency, at worst, entitlement.
Where will the residents go Kathleen? It’s THEIR responsibility to find a new place to live, not the taxpayers.
Instead of building out, they need to build up and create some low-income highrise housing that can accommodate many people on a small footprint. I have seen it done in other Virginia cities.
@ District 7 Citizen – like this?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruitt%E2%80%93Igoe
Watch “The Pruitt Igoe Myth” for a very frightening look into the realities of public housing.
K. Exactly.
Thank goodness there are a few people concerned with the welfare of the public housing residents. Not nearly enough though. Church Hill has really changed and I’m hoping that more newcomers to CH will wake up and speak out about the negative effects of gentrification. Some of the comments here show a complete lack of awareness about the impact gentrification has had on the affordable housing options available in CH.
So Mary Anne you must feel good about rrha properties with no heat and the operators stealing residents utility money. Rrha is a criminal operation thanking you for your support.