RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond city planners have unveiled the third and potentially final draft of Code Refresh, the city's first major zoning overhaul in 50 years.
While some residents say they are encouraged by the new draft, others are skeptical that affordability will be sustained in communities growing in popularity — including the historic Westwood neighborhood, where several generations of families have remained in the same homes.
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula says the city's growth has created a housing crisis.
"Tens of thousands of new residents have found their way to Richmond. The problem is we haven't built tens of thousands of new homes, and that has driven up the cost of housing precipitously," Avula said.
Avula and city planners introduced the third draft of Code Refresh on Monday.
It is a major component of the Richmond 300 plan to address affordability and responsible growth in the city.
Avula says the draft was a culmination of months of work by city planners, council members, and community and civic groups.
The third draft contains several new provisions:
Eliminates the controversial provision allowing duplexes by right in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Creates contextual height limits to prevent towering buildings from overshadowing existing homes.
Creates infrastructure protections to address parking, narrow streets, and aging utilities.
Ensures environmental protections to preserve tree canopies and green spaces.
Maintains existing city codes in historic districts to ensure longevity in Richmond's most architecturally significant neighborhoods.
Avula also emphasized that planners have corrected inequitable over-zoning in historically African American neighborhoods like Westwood, to protect future growth and affordability.
"The rules that govern how we design and build our city matter tremendously and we are long overdue to write new ones," Avula said.
Bruce Tyler, a former City Council member and strong advocate for protecting Richmond's single-family neighborhoods, praised the community's involvement in shaping the new draft.
"A lot of neighbors got together, and a lot of people worked very hard to let their voices be heard," Tyler said. "It will never be perfect, but this one goes a long way to solving a lot of the problems that we've been dealing with through special use permits for years and years. When I look at this thing as a whole, it really does make a lot of sense."
Despite those changes, Tyler and other Richmond residents still have concerns about packing multiple units into already dense neighborhoods like Oregon Hill, Church Hill, the Museum District, and the Fan.
In Westwood, residents say the neighborhood's close-knit character is under threat.
Westwood resident Norwood Thornton described the community's tight bonds.
"Everyone knows everyone by name, just like Cheers," Thornton said.
Thornton and several neighbors have been vocal over the past year as city leaders drafted Code Refresh plans.
He says fears began when developers started buying up parcels in Westwood and dividing the land into multiple accessory dwelling units, known as ADUs.
The expansion of condos and businesses along the nearby Libbie, Grove, and Patterson corridors have also made the neighborhood a prime target for investors.
"When we grew up in this community, everybody owned their own home," Thornton said. "Now they are coming in and making it a rental community, and we don't want a rental community."
Thornton also raised concerns about the long-term impact on the middle class.
"There are good starter homes here. But if you have large corporations coming up and buying homes, these will no longer be great starter homes. Everything will be a rental, and the middle class will be out the window," Thornton said.
Lingering questions remain about whether the new zoning will actually create affordable housing, especially for families living on incomes below $50,000.
"We have to figure out what's affordable and who are we talking about when we say affordable? Those questions have to be answered," Westwood resident Tammy Rose said.
The updated proposal is now under formal consideration by city leaders. Several public comment sessions will be held before city leaders vote on the final draft. Residents can view the full mapping updates and track the approval timeline on the RVA.gov Code Refresh page or submit further feedback via the city's zoning channels.
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