Creighton Court residents opened the doors to a new chapter Tuesday as housing, city and state officials reintroduced the neighborhood as the Creighton Renaissance.

The new name, developed with input from the community, was unveiled during a ceremony hosted by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority to celebrate the end of Phase A of redevelopment and the first residents moving into 68 new apartments.

“I’m just so happy and so grateful to have a place to go and grow and just prosper,” former Creighton Court resident Yvette Ross said as she and other residents were handed symbolic keys during the ceremony. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

The ceremony marked the culmination of years of work in Creighton, which welcomed its first resident, Frances “Granny” Jones, in November 1952. She lived there with her family until her death in 2017. Jones now lends her name to one of Creighton’s new streets and is remembered as one of many longtime residents of a neighborhood originally designed to provide affordable housing.

Over the decades, Creighton has faced disinvestment, segregation and isolation from the rest of the city, which took a toll on the community’s and job opportunities. Throughwell-being as well as educational out the ceremony, residents and community members emphasized the need to address these challenges. 

“All of you here that are involved with this right here, never forget,” Jones’ son Alpheus Jones said during the ceremony. “You need to do something for the people more than just put them in brand-new buildings.” 

Creighton’s redevelopment began with the former Armstrong High School site in 2017, followed by the demolition of housing units starting in 2022. 

The process has not been without controversy, as residents and housing advocates have questioned RRHA’s handling of resident displacement during demolition, limits on the amount of new low-income housing units and other aspects of their plans. Creighton’s redevelopment also continues as plans for other public housing neighborhoods like Gilpin Court have seen scrutiny from residents and city officials. 

RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith, speaking to reporters after the ceremony, saw Creighton as an example of how collaboration with residents, partner organizations and the city can benefit other public housing redevelopment efforts. 

“The way we make sure what happened today happens at Gilpin Court is that we make sure we move forward in partnership,” Nesmith said. 

Mayor Danny Avula, who attended the ceremony with other city officials, praised the results of Phase A during a news conference at City Hall later that day. He also acknowledged mistakes, noting that some Creighton residents were not adequately informed or prepared for the changes brought by redevelopment, and stressed the importance of avoiding similar issues in other neighborhoods. 

“I really believe that any redevelopment work that we do going forward has to be resident-focused,” Avula said. 

With Phase A complete, the next phase of Creighton’s redevelopment focuses on constructing 72 additional units, expected to be finished this fall. 

 Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press 

Newly constructed units at Creighton Renaissance unveiled Sept. 16 by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, in partnership with The Community Builders and the City of Richmond.