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Jackson Ward
Click HERE to read the edited Jackson Ward Community Plan (dated July 2026).
To prepare the Jackson Ward Community Plan for City adoption as an amendment to the Richmond 300 Master Plan, the City has been working with Plan partners to edit the June 2024 (HUD-approved) version of the document. Edits include correcting typos and inconsistencies, clarifying information, and recalibrating implementation roles and responsibilities amongst Plan partners.
To view the full Summary of Edits between the June 2024 HUD-approved version and the July 2026 edited version, click HERE.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY MEETING
Join us for a community meeting to learn more about the edits to the Plan and share ideas.
Thursday, August 13th, 2026 at 6pm
UNOS Conference Room
700 N. 4th Street, Richmond VA, 23220
Please RSVP here.
The Jackson Ward Community Plan brings Gilpin Court and Jackson Ward residents, planning experts, elected officials, and community members together to reach an informed, shared vision for the future of the neighborhood. We’re thankful for our engaged community.
The final plan was submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday, November 17, 2023. A revised final plan was resubmitted in June 2024, and approved by HUD in August 2024. We are proud to reach this milestone together with all of you. See links below to access these previous versions of the plan.
Jackson Ward Community Plan previous versions:
Impacts of Housing & Highway Projects
Post-Reconstruction Era, “Jackson Ward” was created as a political boundary meant to neutralize the new voting power of the recently emancipated Blacks. Jackson Ward was known as “Black Wall Street” and “Harlem of the South” due to the thriving Black businesses and entertainment venues located throughout Jackson Ward. During its heyday from the 1920s through the 1940s, Jackson Ward was one of the most active and well-known centers of African-American life throughout the U.S., and the hub of black professional and entrepreneurial activities in the city and the state.
Urban renewal or “slum clearance” & highway projects, largely funded by state & federal programs, altered the socio-spatial landscape of many U.S. cities throughout the 20th Century. Richmond, Virginia utilized this funding and eminent domain in many of the older areas of the city at the expense of the mostly black communities living there. Overlaying outlines of the block configurations from 1924 Sanborn Insurance Maps over today’s infrastructure shows how much the urban landscape was changed.
1) Public Housing: Gilpin Court
- Built in 1942, expanded in 1957 and 1970
- Funded by United States Housing Act of 1937
- First public housing site in Richmond
- First instance of slum clearance in Richmond
- Altered street network
- Displaced 100s of black residents of Apostle Town neighborhood
2) Highway Construction: Interstate 95/64
- Built in 1955
- Funded by Commonwealth of Virginia
- Displaced 10% of city’s black population at the time
- Physically split once-thriving black neighborhood Jackson Ward
- Destroyed dozens of mixed-use streets and completely disrupted street network
- Decentralized the city and incentivized white flight to the suburbs
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Jackson Ward Community Plan
The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development awarded a $450,000 Choice Neighborhood planning grant to RRHA and the City of Richmond to initiate a community planning process for Gilpin Court and Jackson Ward. The Community Plan will explore land use, housing, community engagement, and other strategies to reach a shared vision for the future of Jackson Ward and the transformation of Gilpin Court. We will start the community planning process in 2022.
Let's Celebrate!
Jackson Ward Community Plan Symposium
Saturday, October 18th, 2025 | 10AM - 1PM
UNOS Building | 700 N. 4th Street, Richmond, VA 23219
To celebrate all of the collaborative work that went into the creation of this Plan and build excitement for the upcoming adoption of the Plan by the City, the City of Richmond organized the Jackson Ward Community Plan Symposium, an expo-style event where Jackson Ward residents, organizations, community members, and Plan partners gathered to learn about all of the projects currently underway in the Jackson Ward neighborhood and socialize together with fellow neighbors.
Reconnect Jackson Ward
The Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI), in coordination with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the City of Richmond, has officially launched the Reconnect Jackson Ward Feasibility Study. The Reconnecting Jackson Ward Feasibility Study will help determine solutions to physically re-connect Jackson Ward and Gilpin Court. The Community Visioning phase is now underway. Visit www.ReconnectJacksonWard.com to learn more about the study and participate in shaping Jackson Ward’s future!
2nd Street Summit Update - March 2025
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2nd Street Summit Community Meeting on the evening of March 3, 2025. Your participation will help the City and the community prioritize projects, programs, and efforts during the implementation stages of the 2nd Street planning effort. Staff is currently tallying up your votes and reviewing your comments on the revised draft strategies and will follow up in the coming weeks with more details about the results. Stay tuned!
2nd Street Summit Update - February 2025
On Monday, March 3, 2025, the City of Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review hosted the 2nd Street Summit Community Meeting at Buna Kurs Ethiopian Cafe on 2nd Street. At this meeting, attendees reviewed and discussed the revised draft strategies with fellow community members and city staff, and also voted on their favorite strategies, which will help the City and the community prioritize projects, programs, and efforts during the implementation stages.
2nd Street Summit Update - December 2024
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the draft 2nd Street Summit Strategies document and provided feedback during the public comment period.
Currently, the draft strategy document is being refined by staff based on the feedback and input we’ve received from the public. In the meantime, see what community members shared with us during the public comment period. Click HERE to access the interactive document online via Konveio, or click HERE to view a PDF copy.
2nd Street Summit Update - October 2024
The draft strategy document was posted online for review and public comment. After working with the community to develop a future vision and strategies for 2nd Street, the City wanted to gauge the public's thoughts and ideas on the strategies developed thus far. The public comment period remained open throughout the entire month of October. Click HERE to view the public comments on the document.
On Saturday, June 29, 2024, the City of Richmond hosted the 2nd Street Summit. This interactive community meeting brought residents, businesses, property owners, and community leaders together to discuss the future vision for 2nd Street and identify specific strategies that the City and community can implement to propel 2nd Street further towards that vision.
The 2nd Street Summit included:
- A walking tour of 2nd Street beginning at the Maggie Lena Walker Statue and Memorial Plaza.
- Interactive small group activities at the Speakeasy at the Hippodrome.
- A dynamic illustration session that concluded the meeting.
The insights gained from this interactive community meeting will ultimately be incorporated into the Jackson Ward Community Plan and will guide the success of 2nd Street for years to come.
To see the agenda of the 2nd Street Summit, click HERE.
To view the post-meeting report, click HERE.
https://www.vpm.org/news/2022-10-14/reconnect-jackson-ward-aims-to-make-residents-whole-again
https://www.vpm.org/news/2023-03-07/reconnect-jackson-ward-interstate-95-cap-grant
https://rictoday.6amcity.com/city/jackson-ward-community-plan-draft-comment-period-richmond-va
https://richmondfreepress.com/news/2024/mar/07/jackson-wards-restaurant-scene-helps-spur-citys-bu/
