Gilpin residents demand eviction pause as redevelopment lags

State of play: In a statement last week, the resident-led Gilpin Informed Residents group called for "immediate accountability" on the standards Avula set for the project last fall, saying they haven't been met.

• The group wants those promises in writing and an immediate pause on evictions until that happens.
• Their conditions include a tenants' bill of rights, resident-involved oversight committee and guaranteed one-for-one, on-site replacement of all 781 Gilpin units.

The latest: The city and the public housing authority haven't signed off on the agreements needed to make the plan legally binding, city spokesperson Ross Catrow confirmed.

• But Catrow told Axios that they expect to introduce it to City Council "in the coming weeks," where it'll later be up for public comment.
• RRHA (the public housing authority) and the tenants group didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment.

What they're saying: "This is not just a public housing issue," the group wrote, warning that displacement "creates a ripple effect of housing instability" that affects Richmond's schools, workforce and social fabric.

Zoom out: Tensions have been building for years over how to redevelop Gilpin, which houses over 2,000 people and is part of the broader plan to reshape Jackson Ward without displacing residents.

• Avula has also repeatedly cited public housing redevelopment and anti-displacement efforts as major priorities in his affordable housing agenda.

Yes, but: The group of Gilpin residents wrote last week that "the current 'Jackson Ward Redevelopment' risks becoming a story of erasure rather than restoration."

Go deeper:

• Why tensions are rising over Richmond's Gilpin Court
• Richmond's largest public housing project faces mayor's opposition