The planned new home for Rudlin Torah Academy at 1701 E. Parham Road. (Jackie DiBartolomeo photo)
A local Jewish private school is headed west in search of more space and increased enrollment.
Rudlin Torah Academy, currently a K-8 school, plans to relocate from its current home on Patterson Avenue to a new, larger facility at 1701 E. Parham Road to allow for a new campus that would expand its services up to K-12 students.
The school is currently located at 3809 Patterson Ave. in the West End, where it has around 110 students. The new school would be able to enroll up to 175 students and employ 35 full-time employees.
If its plans are approved by Henrico County, RTA would purchase the Parham property and its existing 24,500-square-foot, three-story office building and 10,000-square-foot warehouse, both of which would be repurposed by the school. The office building would be converted into classrooms and ancillary administrative facilities, while the warehouse at the rear of the property would become a gym and multi-purpose facility.
Adam Shor of S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co., who is representing RTA in its effort to rezone the Parham property, said the school was outgrowing its current home on Patterson Avenue and led it to look for a new location where it can expand and open opportunities up to older students.
He said the school liked the East Parham Road property for its location and the existence of a building that fit the school’s needs.
“Buildings that are suitable for a school are few and far between right now,” Shor said. “This one fits a lot of the boxes from a location standpoint, from a pre-existing building standpoint … it gives us the opportunity to invest our funds properly to make it a 21st century school and beyond.”
RTA must first rezone the property to allow for the school to operate. It received a recommendation of approval earlier this month from county planning commissioners and the request will go before the Henrico County Board of Supervisors in mid-November for a final vote.
Shor said that if the plan is approved by supervisors, the school will look to close on its purchase of the property in early 2027 and construction would begin shortly thereafter.
He said the current hope is to be operational in the new space by the 2027-2028 school year, though he added that is subject to change. The school would operate at the site from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, per project plans.
The three-story office building was constructed in 1975 for REBCOR offices and was later owned and used by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College from the 1980s into the mid-2000s.
The property is currently owned by Bailey Investment Holdings LLC, an entity tied to DeJuna Adkins, who is both a real estate agent and the co-owner of Behavioral Health Services of Virginia, which is located within the office building. The LLC purchased the property in 2020 for $3.2 million. It was most recently assessed at roughly $2.7 million.
Adkins confirmed to BizSense last week that if the rezoning is approved, she will sell the property to RTA and Behavioral Health Services of Virginia will relocate.
Shor said Rudlin Torah is still working on finalizing project partners and costs. The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond recently received a $6 million, five-year commitment from local couple Josh and Elly Goldberg that, per a release from the foundation, will go in large part toward helping RTA expand into high school offerings.
The school’s existing location is within a one-story building that, per property records, is owned by an entity tied to the Patterson Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church, which operates a church across the street.
RTA was founded in 1966 as the Richmond Hebrew Day School, and was renamed in 1979 following the receipt of an endowment from Joseph and Fannie Rudlin. Per the school’s website, its curriculum focuses both on Jewish culture and faith as well as STEAM, art, music and physical education.
The school has served over 1,500 students since opening its doors 60 years ago. The school has moved several times since its founding, and has been in its Patterson Avenue space since 2014.
Tuition ranges from $11,300 to $15,000 for the 2026-2027 school year.
Elsewhere in the local nonprofit sector, a new 24-hour YMCA childcare option geared toward Richmond International Airport workers could soon open up in eastern Henrico in a former Volunteer Rescue Squad station, while out in Goochland, the Benedictine Schools of Richmond recently received approvals for the plan of development on a new athletic campus.
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