RICHMOND, Va. – A vacant school in Richmond’s East End will be replaced with home ownership opportunities, as part of a grant whose funding will also create around 220 “affordable” rental units on the 20-acres where the vacant Armstrong High School sits.
On Wednesday, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, joined by Mayor Dwight Jones and several state and local housing authority officials, announced that Richmond will receive a $2.5 million grant from the Vibrant Community Initiative (VCI).
A project in Montgomery County also received a $2.5 million grant.
The grant required a community-based strategy that would expand the availability of affordable housing and create more opportunity for community residents to succeed.
Richmond Housing and Redevelopment Authority (RRHA) and the Community Builders received funding for the city of Richmond project, which is focused on the Church Hill North and East End Revitalization.
The entire project, the Church Hill East End Revitalization Project, encompasses a larger portion of the community, including Creighton Court and the Nine-Mile Corridor, as well as down to the Community Hospital.
The project capitalizes on ongoing economic and community development work and leverages existing plans to address the East End business corridor’s needs and lack of community amenities.
The VCI investment will fund the development of 220 units of rental housing for a mixed-income community, including 128 units of replacement public housing for residents of the nearby Creighton Court Public Housing development.
In addition, the VCI resources will be allocated to support homeownership opportunities for residents located on the site of the currently vacant old Armstrong High School.
“This comprehensive approach will not only address affordable housing needs but also assist the development and execution of an economic and community development strategy that will create an overall better quality of life for their residents,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones.
A tiered application process was utilized to solicit proposals, and applicants were required to submit a letter of interest to identify the project and its key characteristics. A panel evaluated the proposals.
Site visits were conducted for the five highest-rated projects, and those five applicants all submitted final proposals for the $5 million program.
The project in Montgomery County is the Old Prices Fork School Comprehensive Community Revitalization Project.
This project is a multi-phased project involving the historic revitalization and renovation of the former elementary school to incorporate 32 units of mixed-income, multi-generational housing and new and innovative economic development opportunities through the establishment of the Old School Food Center.
The housing units will provide an opportunity for mixed generational living and support the sense of community and learning that has been a hallmark of the Old Prices Fork School.
