Opening ceremony held for new senior living apartments in North Jackson Ward

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the grand opening of Baker Senior Apartments in Richmond’s North Jackson Ward neighborhood.

“The completion of the Baker Senior Apartments represents positive progress toward our goals of improving the quality of life for all of our residents,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “Our seniors deserve affordable, modern and dignified housing with access to services that allow them to age in place, and today I’m proud to say we are delivering on that promise.”

Baker Senior Apartments has 50 new, modern apartment homes for senior citizens. The apartments were part of a three-phase redevelopment project that re-housed 200 elderly residents from the Fay Towers, which were built in 1976.

“Today, we are celebrating what this project does for the community at large. Making sure that everyone has access to safe, affordable housing has been a priority throughout our administration. In our time in office, we have made historic investments in affordable housing. The pandemic has put an even greater spotlight on the issue. In a health crisis, ‘staying safe and healthy at home’ means you need to have a home to go to,” said Gov. Northam during his remarks. “It has been clear these past 19 months that housing and health are intertwined for individuals, yes, but also, for communities. A community is healthier when its housing is safe and when it’s affordable. This community is better off with this project.”

The building where Baker Senior Apartments apartments are was the former Baker School, which was originally constructed in 1939 to replace Richmond’s first school for African American students. It was later closed and transferred to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA).

Enterprise Community Development used $15.8 million to renovate the building. Renovations and amenities include:

Quartz countertops
Hardwood floors
On-site parking
Business and fitness centers
Onsite resident services
Adding five UFAS accessible units
Repurposing of the school’s gymnasium-auditorium into a large multi-purpose room, including a small catering kitchen for large community events

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