Developers Propose 200-Unit Affordable Complex in South Richmond

Plans would replace a former church site at Walmsley Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue with apartments for renters earning 60% of area median income.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Commercial

Developers Propose 200-Unit Affordable Complex in South Richmond

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Two South Richmond development firms have filed a conditional rezoning request with the city for a 200-unit apartment complex on a 6-acre site at Walmsley Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue. The Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church is selling the property, which is under contract to the developers.

Why it matters

The project would add affordable rental housing in South Richmond using state and local affordable-housing financing and grants. It would also replace an existing church building on the site, altering the neighborhood's land use.

The planned complex would include 274 pull-in parking spaces and 30 parallel spaces, along with a nearly 7,000-square-foot amenity space. The city's decision on the conditional rezoning request remains pending.

The players

Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church

A regional body of the United Methodist Church whose board of trustees owns the site and is selling it to the developers.

The details

The site was acquired two years ago by the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church from Walmsley Boulevard UMC, and an existing church building would be razed. The three planned buildings would total 200 apartments, and the filing seeks city approval through a conditional rezoning.

Two years ago: the church group acquired the land from Walmsley Boulevard UMC.
Earlier this year: the developers' Foundry Creek apartments held a ribbon cutting about a mile west.
October 2026: plans for the Walmsley Boulevard complex were filed with the city.

Market Landscape

The proposal follows a pattern of developers using state and local affordable-housing financing to build income-restricted rentals in Richmond's southern neighborhoods. It extends that approach to a former church site, adding to a growing set of projects that target renters earning 60% of area median income.

Residents near Walmsley Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue would see a large apartment complex replace a church building if the rezoning is approved. The units would be restricted to renters earning 60% of area median income, which may affect availability for households above that threshold.

The takeaway

Affordable rental projects on former institutional sites can change a neighborhood's housing mix, and residents can follow the city's rezoning process to weigh in on the outcome.