New affordable housing complex opens on Richmond’s Southside

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A ribbon cutting Thursday, Oct. 30 marks progress Richmond is making in solving its affordable housing crisis.

Noon Ingram apartments are now open in Richmond’s Oak Grove neighborhood where an abandoned elementary school once stood.

The development features 243 units equipped with granite countertops, new finishings, a gym, community center, a pool and more.

Marcelle Williams is one of the first tenants at the complex. She previously lived a couple of blocks away but wanted something more low-maintenance.

“It’s wonderful to have the amenities because I never had a washer dryer in my place,” Williams said.

Williams lives with her sister and while she admits the rent is actually a bit more than she used to pay, she says she never would have been able to afford a place with all of the amenities Noon Ingram has before this.

“For a two bedroom with all the accessories. The rent is cheap,” Williams said.

The project is one of the first completed with help from the city’s Affordable Housing Performance Grant, an initiative that keeps luxury units more cost-friendly than similar developments.

The city held a groundbreaking at the site in June 2024 and got it all ready for move in by August 2025.

“What you guys have done here is creating that kind of community and that kind of possibility for us to meet the housing needs of our city,” Mayor Danny Avula said.

The City got the land for the project from Richmond Public Schools. When neighbors first heard about the housing plans, there was some pushback as people feared an increase in traffic.

John Gregory with Lynx Ventures, one of the groups behind the apartments, made sure to go door-to-door and worked with Councilmember Reva Trammell to find compromises to make the project happen.

“Here we are today, this beautiful site and so many things that John said, he listened to the people what they wanted. With our names out there, with the walkway, a community room that we said ‘we need a community room so we can have the meetings’ and we have parking out there. Did y’all notice that?” Trammell said.

Williams now says she hopes the city’s other affordable housing projects are similar to Noon Ingram as she believes the development is making her neighborhood even better.

“It might cut down on crime and hopefully that everybody can get to get along with each other and be family,” Williams said.