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There's a new coffee shop in Church Hill North.

Why it matters: That part of the city has long been a bit of a coffee shop desert, especially after Rise closed in 2024. 

The big picture: Peaberry Coffeehouse opened last week at 1301 N. 32nd St., a few blocks from Oakwood Playground and Soul N' Vinegar.

And it's owned by Alexa Schuett, who also runs Riverbend and Liberty Public House — affectionally dubbed the Lesbian Pancake House.

Bright cafe with large windows overlooking a street of houses. Beige curved sofa, wooden chairs, and a coffee table. A man in a red jacket uses a tablet; a woman works on a laptop. Potted plants and colorful wall art.

I need that couch and those chairs in my house, expeditiously. Photo: Sabrina Moreno/Axios

The star: The decor, which feels straight out of an Architectural Digest magazine.

Its bright blue exterior is matched with a comfy mustard yellow sofa and rose-colored velvet seats placed beside the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows.

There's ample seating, including some outside, and each table has yellow or red flowers in colorful vases. 

Plus: There's a lift outside for wheelchair access or anyone who can't take stairs.

On the menu: Specialty lattes ($5.50 for small, $6 for medium) like a cookie butter shaken espresso, banana bread latte and a blueberry chai with cold foam.

There are also pastries, including biscuits with a honey blueberry spread. 

If you go: Its soft opening hours are 6am-5pm on weekdays and 7am-5pm on weekends.

A new coffee shop just opened in Church Hill

Peaberry Coffeehouse is from the same owner behind Riverbend and Liberty Public House.

View of a light blue storefront with a glass door reading Peaberry Coffeehouse, 1301A. A wooden railing with a flower pot by the sidewalk; a leafless tree, parked cars, and row houses line the street; a white dog sits by the railing.

Peaberry Coffeehouse has been in the works since at least December 2024, per its Instagram. Photo: Sabrina Moreno/Axios

There&#x27;s a new coffee shop in Church Hill North.Why it matters: That part of the city has long been a bit of a coffee shop desert, especially after Rise closed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="in 2024" data-vars-click-url="https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_48e3fa3c-4543-11ef-94ee-e35bf8559c58.html" data-vars-content-id="0ccd45f8-eb2f-45ee-803f-4dfca8c51a5f" data-vars-headline="A new coffee shop just opened in Church Hill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_48e3fa3c-4543-11ef-94ee-e35bf8559c58.html" target="_blank">in 2024</a>.

News

Food and Drink

Richmond's proposed budget could reshape how people walk across the city, from replacing a 75-year-old bridge to adding more sidewalks on Hull Street.

Why it matters: The spending shows how city leaders, who are facing growing pressure to respond to pedestrian deaths, plan to make streets safer over the next five years.

The big picture: The investments, some of which include projects already underway, are part of a capital plan to overhaul Richmond streets through 2031 — backed by regional, state and federal dollars.

It comes as the city aims to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2030.

Zoom in: Mayor Danny Avula's budget leans heavily on the "Complete Streets" approach that the city adopted over a decade ago, allocating $105 million through 2031 for adding or repairing sidewalks, pedestrian crossing improvements, more visible crosswalks and other traffic calming measures.

It separately targets major high-risk corridors — like Hull and Leigh streets and Richmond Highway — to add pedestrian signals, fill sidewalk gaps, improve lighting and more.

It would fund new sidewalks, long cited by residents as a top need, around Chimborazo Park and Jahnke Road.

Zoom in: Some of the largest projects include building new pedestrian bridges by:

Replacing the 75-year-old Arthur Ashe Bridge that connects Scott's Addition to the Diamond District, starting this fall.

Connecting Semmes Avenue to the Potterfield Bridge. 

Replacing the Lombardy Street Bridge that connects Northside and VUU to Broad Street, starting in winter 2027.

What we're watching: Many of the projects are still in early phases, meaning construction will roll out over the next several years.

But since the city is combining quick fixes with longer-term upgrades, residents might first see the changes through a new pedestrian beacon in their neighborhood or new traffic signals near schools.

What's next: City Council meets Monday for a budget work session — an early step ahead of their May 29 deadline to approve the budget. 

How Richmond's proposed budget targets pedestrian safety

The projects range from quick fixes to new pedestrian bridges.

A wide pedestrian walkway beside a busy highway, with dark gray metal frame canopies, planters of yellow flowers, people walking and biking, and a man with a dog; a green SUV is on the road.

What the new Arthur Ashe Bridge might look like. Rendering: Courtesy of the city of Richmond

Richmond&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="proposed budget" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/03/12/richmond-budget-2027-avula-utility-bills-rps" data-vars-content-id="26d1c830-0ad2-4b73-8129-1d75ad96b337" data-vars-headline="How Richmond&#x27;s proposed budget targets pedestrian safety" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/03/12/richmond-budget-2027-avula-utility-bills-rps" target="_self">proposed budget</a> could reshape how people walk across the city, from replacing a 75-year-old bridge to adding more sidewalks on Hull Street.Why it matters: The spending shows how city leaders, who are facing growing pressure to respond to pedestrian deaths, plan to make streets safer over the next five years.

Transit

It's been over three months since Mayor Avula and RRHA struck a deal to work together on redeveloping Gilpin Court, the city's largest public housing complex.

Why it matters: Officials hailed it as a move that put residents first. Residents say they're still waiting to see what's actually changed.

State of play: In a statement last week, the resident-led Gilpin Informed Residents group called for "immediate accountability" on the standards Avula set for the project last fall, saying they haven't been met. 

The group wants those promises in writing and an immediate pause on evictions until that happens.

Their conditions include a tenants' bill of rights, resident-involved oversight committee and guaranteed one-for-one, on-site replacement of all 781 Gilpin units.

The latest: The city and the public housing authority haven't signed off on the agreements needed to make the plan legally binding, city spokesperson Ross Catrow confirmed.

But Catrow told Axios that they expect to introduce it to City Council "in the coming weeks," where it'll later be up for public comment. 

RRHA (the public housing authority) and the tenants group didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment.

What they're saying: "This is not just a public housing issue," the group wrote, warning that displacement "creates a ripple effect of housing instability" that affects Richmond's schools, workforce and social fabric.

Zoom out: Tensions have been building for years over how to redevelop Gilpin, which houses over 2,000 people and is part of the broader plan to reshape Jackson Ward without displacing residents.

Avula has also repeatedly cited public housing redevelopment and anti-displacement efforts as major priorities in his affordable housing agenda. 

Yes, but: The group of Gilpin residents wrote last week that "the current 'Jackson Ward Redevelopment' risks becoming a story of erasure rather than restoration."

Why tensions are rising over Richmond's Gilpin Court

Richmond's largest public housing project faces mayor's opposition

Gilpin residents demand eviction pause as redevelopment lags

Gilpin Court residents say key protections still aren't in place months after a major deal.

Two people walking on a sidewalk with an apartment complex in the back.

Gilpin Court, the oldest public housing complex in Virginia, back in 1998. Photo: Douglas Graham/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images

It&#x27;s been over three months since Mayor Avula and RRHA struck a deal to work together on redeveloping Gilpin Court, the city&#x27;s largest public housing complex.Why it matters: Officials <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hailed it" data-vars-click-url="https://rva.gov/press-releases-and-announcements/news/mayor-avula-welcomes-rrhas-approval-joint-governance" data-vars-content-id="867482ff-da03-4197-842a-7556187182cf" data-vars-headline="Gilpin residents demand eviction pause as redevelopment lags" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://rva.gov/press-releases-and-announcements/news/mayor-avula-welcomes-rrhas-approval-joint-governance" target="_blank">hailed it</a> as a move that put residents first. Residents say they&#x27;re still waiting to see what&#x27;s actually changed.

Development

Neighborhoods

Skilled trades and construction workers saw the biggest homeownership gains in metro Richmond over the past decade, according to a new analysis shared with Axios.

Why it matters: They're outpacing teachers, police and health care workers, per the National Association of Realtors' analysis of census data comparing homeownership rates in 2014 and 2024.

Data: National Association of Realtors analysis of Census Bureau data; Chart: Sabrina Moreno/Axios

By the numbers: The Richmond occupations with the greatest increases in homeownership rates in that decade: 

Skilled trades and construction: up 7 points to 67%.

STEM and technical: up about 3 points to 73%.

Meanwhile, workers in these industries saw the greatest drops:

Sales and real estate: down 4 points to 61%.

Of note: The U.S. overall homeownership rate is around 65%.

Between the lines: Nationwide, metros where home prices match local incomes tend to have higher homeownership across jobs, the association found. 

The intrigue: STEM workers are the ones most likely to own a home in the region (73%), bucking a national trend showing managers leading homeownership rates while STEM workers lose ground.

About 71% of managers in metro Richmond owned homes, barely moving from the 70% in 2014.

Go deeper: What U.S. homeowners do for a living 

Construction workers lead Richmond homeownership gains

But they're not the ones most likely to own a home.

Illustration of smoke in the shape of a percent sign billowing from a house's chimney.

Skilled trades and construction workers saw the biggest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="homeownership" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/03/25/richmond-real-estate-2026-homebuyers-inventory-competition-mortgage-rates" data-vars-content-id="86fc5fbb-eab7-4430-b020-085567ecf1bf" data-vars-headline="Construction workers lead Richmond homeownership gains" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/03/25/richmond-real-estate-2026-homebuyers-inventory-competition-mortgage-rates" target="_self">homeownership</a> gains in metro Richmond over the past decade, according to a new analysis shared with Axios.Why it matters: They&#x27;re outpacing teachers, police and health care workers, per the National Association of Realtors&#x27; analysis of census data comparing homeownership rates in 2014 and 2024.

Real Estate

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Business

Sabrina here, back with our annual roundup of the best local April Fools' jokes that popped up on the worst holiday for gullible people.

Why it matters: I wish some of them had been real.

In a full blown hype video, VCU introduced a limited edition black and gold mayo (mostly gobs of black goo) that reps the Rams "one spread at a time."

Richmond was this close to being more European after Venture Richmond said plans had been approved for a cable system over the James River.

At $2 per ride, it would've been the cheapest romantic date around.

Richmond airport capitalized on how many people hate the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and announced a 30-minute nonstop to Norfolk — starting April 31.

Fridays at the VMFA could've been 10 times better if the "news" that the Maymont goats were moving to the museum's lawn to help trim the grass was real.

"Don't threaten us with a good time," wrote one commenter.

Richmond's Department of Transportation joked that the city is done with bike lanes and will remove them all to make way for the street designs of the 1950s.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that it's the Hampton Roads tunnel (not the Chesapeake Bay Bridge one) that Richmonders take to get to Norfolk.

Richmond's best April Fools' jokes of 2026

They include a James River cable car and black and gold mayonnaise from VCU.

Three-panel collage: a yellow jar labeled "MAY-UNAISE" with a black lid; fried chicken nuggets fly midair; a hand dips a nugget into a swirl of orange sauce in a dark bowl.

Looks scrumpdilicious. Screenshots: Courtesy of VCU

Sabrina here, back with our annual roundup of the best local April Fools&#x27; jokes that popped up on the worst holiday for gullible people.Why it matters: I wish some of them had been real.

Sabrina Moreno

Featured stories

Gilpin residents demand eviction pause as redevelopment lags

Richmond's best April Fools' jokes of 2026

How Richmond's proposed budget targets pedestrian safety

Construction workers lead Richmond homeownership gains

A new coffee shop just opened in Church Hill