Richmond pulls back on duplex plan in zoning update
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Richmond rezoned. There's a lot going on. Visit it online to interact. Image: Courtesy of the city of Richmond
The city dropped the second draft of its massive zoning overhaul this week.
Why it matters: The controversial stipulation that would've allowed two homes to be built on every formerly single-family lot in the city is gone.
The big picture: Richmond is nearing the end of the biggest update to its building rules in a generation.
- Its goal: To create more housing, make neighborhoods more walkable and attract new businesses to the city.
Context: The biggest zoning changes unveiled in Draft One were the elimination of single-family-only neighborhoods and allowing for larger mixed-use buildings in more parts of the city.
- Many of Richmond's neighborhood associations pushed back hard and argued that the city was trying to do too much, too fast, The Richmonder reported last week.
Zoom in: Despite the outcry, those big changes were preserved in Draft Two, released Tuesday — with some caveats. The draft calls for:
🏗️ No teardowns for duplexes: Duplexes, or up to two houses, and accessory dwelling units (aka granny flats) can be built on a formerly single-family lot — but only if the existing home is preserved.
🌳 Bigger yards: New homes can still take up more of the lot than currently allowed, but how much of the lot has shrunk in some districts.
- In Draft One, residential neighborhoods zoned for medium density could have homes that covered 60% of the lot. Now, it's 40%.
Taller skylines in fewer areas: Draft One allowed for mixed-used buildings up to 13 stories tall in more parts of the city. Draft Two says building height must match what's already there.
- The same is true for residential building heights and setbacks (distance from the property line).
🤷🏻♀️ Houses have to face the street: If two primary homes are built on one lot, they both have to face the main street. (One can't face the alley or side street, which wasn't stipulated in Draft One. ADUs not included.)
🏪 More corner markets: Small neighborhood restaurants and convenience stores couldn't go in most residential neighborhoods in Draft One. Now, they can go on some corner lots in some cases.
The intrigue: Draft Two was released late Tuesday and is already drawing pushback from local affordable housing advocates, specifically for the changes to the duplexes on single-family lots.
- Richmond needs more houses and it doesn't have a lot of vacant land, so allowing a duplex to be built in place of one large home is critical for the city's housing demands, says Marion Cake with affordable housing nonprofit Project:Homes.
- More density is especially needed, he says, because zoning code currently allows someone to tear down an existing single-family home to replace it with a newer, larger single-family home.
Laura Dobbs, with Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, echoed Cake, saying that the duplex change "may limit or prevent the creation of new, more affordable homes."
How it works: The new draft reflects feedback from Richmonders through open houses, community meetings and the city's interactive maps, per the city.
What's next: The city is hosting two open houses for public comment on Thursday, Nov. 20. Anyone can review and comment on the drafts online.
- In the City Hall lobby (9am–noon)
- At the Southside Community Services Center in Southside Plaza (4–7pm)