Community members said the ebbs and flows of the years-long process have strained what already is a difficult proposition for residents of Creighton Court, a 504-unit public housing community that opened in 1952.

Planners have pledged a one-for-one replacement ensuring all Creighton families will have a place to go, but what that will entail is not yet clear.

A few Creighton residents said they worried what would happen to the support networks built up over a lifetime in the community. Others said they were happy to see momentum gathering around what they hoped would be a net positive.

“The state that Creighton is in now, I wouldn’t want young minds to be exposed to any more of the environment,” said Marilyn B. Olds, who lives in Creighton and is a member of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s board of commissioners.

“It’s time for a cultural change, and an environmental change and a chance that (the youth) have a chance beyond public housing,” she continued. “If it was to be successful then I think we would be blessed by it, I’m just very very concerned about what’s going to happen.”

RRHA CEO T.K. Somanath asked for patience and pledged support for affected residents.