Only dirt remains where the former Armstrong High School once stood at 1611 N. 31st in the East End. Heavy equipment now is preparing the site for the construction of 175 mixed-income and senior apartments. Construction is to begin this summer. Another 81 single-family homes also are planned for the site. The public-private development is the first step in the grand plan to attack poverty by replacing the nearby 504-unit Creighton Court public housing community that fronts Nine Mile Road. Once the new units on the Armstrong site are completed in 2018, the units will be marketed, with some Creighton Court residents to move in. That will allow demolition to begin in Creighton Court, which is also is slated for redevelopment. Former Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones pushed the redevelopment plan, which is being spearheaded for the city by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The city is funding infrastructure changes, while the private partner in the project is The Community Builders, a Boston-based nonprofit.
