Overview
- Commissioners voted down CEO Steven Nesmith’s bid to submit a Section 18 application that would have secured Tenant Protection Vouchers and begun a phased transfer of Gilpin Court.
- The board instead passed a narrower measure authorizing Nesmith to keep negotiating with Mayor Danny Avula and City Council, with no date set for a new vote.
- City leaders have said the project requires a City Council action to designate Gilpin Court a redevelopment area, and they want governance questions about the Richmond Development Corporation addressed first.
- Several commissioners cited an incomplete application and missing details, including relocation planning, while some Gilpin residents supported delaying a decision.
- Following the contentious meeting, Commissioner Barrett Hardiman urged a leadership change, but the board chair reported a strong-majority vote of confidence in Nesmith.