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Richmond hoping to make the cut for Choice Neighborhood grant this time
07/05/2016 7:56 AM by John M
The application, submitted last week, marks a fifth attempt by the city to secure Choice Neighborhood dollars for the purpose of deconcentrating poverty in a section that is home to half of Richmond’s poor.
[…]
“We are prepared to move forward regardless of whether or not we get the money,” Somanath said. “We are going to do this. We have to do this. As a priority, it should be considered just as important as the city’s schools.” […] Somanath estimated that with the $30 million award, the overhaul should take five years. Without it, “Maybe seven to eight years, depending on resources,” he said.
On June 22nd we learned the Governor announced a $2.5 million grant from the state for this redevelopment. In the accompanying article it estimated the total cost of the Creighton/Armstrong project to be roughly $40 million.
This latest article seeking the $30 million dollar grants has a passage stating that to seek a grant that size the locality must be committing $90 million in funding. So that means the project costs would cost >= $120 million.
I wish the facts about the financials were a little more comprehensive in these news articles. My guess is maybe the $40 million is only for the former Armstrong site and that the redevelopment of Creighton Court is the rest of the money? Anyone know more details? It is an important project worth doing but at these high stakes of $$ we all deserve greater transparency about costs not vagueness.
Paul, the $2.5 million grant that the state just announced is for a portion of the overall project, probably considered the “1st Phase”. It is a $40 million project that involves building part of the community that is envisioned on the old Armstrong HS site. The remainder of this Creighton redevelopment is a $200+ million project which the Choice grant is connected to. It seems that they are considered different projects, but they are certainly directly connected. You are correct that a better job could be done to identify the different pieces of the project.
No disrespect, but instead of trying to acquire all this money to kick the poor people out of churchill, why not use some of this money to create better jobs and more opportunities in the city so that these people can find better work and move out on thier own? Why isn’t anyone tackling Richmond’s unfair, discriminating hiring practices that bar’s qualified people from obtaining better jobs?
I used to live in Whitcomb, but I eventually found better work by starting my own business and I was able to move my family out of rrha. I’ve been in business for myself for 7 years. I’m attended three different colleges, and I have 3 vocational trades and I used to live in Whitcomb!
Not everyone that lives in these communities are lazy and just don’t want to work, and that’s the vibe that I’m receiving from alot of the newer residents to churchill, and this vibe comes from misunderstanding, because not everyone who lives in rrha sells drugs, and have kids just to depend on the government.
There’s alot of people who work in these communities, but their is alot of biases in Richmond’s job market that prevents some of these residents from finding better work, and I’m not talking about felony convictions. I’ve been told by employers-I wasn’t supposed to learn of this information-that if your application has a mailing address of accomodation, ambrose, carmin, mosby street, or any of the streets associated with rrha then you won’t be hired.Employers also look at names of applicants, and make judgments of an applicants character based on their name (Tyrone, Shaquanna, Lakeisha,) etc. This is true and I’ve been told this by HR employers who work in this city.
I’ve been in this city for 35 years and Richmond has turned the blind eye to alot of the residents in the rrha community, and instead of helping them and trying to find out why are these people are in this position, Richmond just decides to kick them out.
I am in favor of redevelopment, because some, not all, of these rrha communities need to be replaced, but I sense that it’s a deeper issue. As I stated, I’m in favor of redevelopment,but instead of just kicking people out of the neighborhood, why not invest some of this money into projects that will help some of these people who are college educated find better work and end some of the unwritten, discriminating, hiring practices that takes place in this city.
@will – this doesn’t address your comment about the need for employment opportunity, but I think that you may be misinformed if you think that this development is planned as a means to “to kick the poor people out of churchill”. From the linked article:
I don’t remember any of the numbers from the various meetings, but I recall that the majority of the displaced Creighton residents would be able to stay in the East End.
Thanks for the information John. Your one of the good ones. But when I made this statement, I was referring to what I heard of of people’s own mouth’s, not what I think. Not to make it a race thing, but I’ve actually heard a few white residents say this, to me and some of my family and friends who live in mosby and creighton. I didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else, because you may not think that way, but some people do