The Richmond City Council held a formal meeting on May 26, 2026, beginning at approximately 11:15 AM. The meeting included public comments, amendments to the agenda, public hearings, votes on several ordinances and resolutions, and council member announcements. Key topics included a zoning dispute over a VMFA storage facility, concerns about housing affordability and parking, approval of a special use permit for residential development on West Franklin Street, and amendments to studies on affordable housing and collective bargaining.
Good evening, everyone. Good evening. The formal meeting of the Richmond City Council will now come to order. Madam Clerk, if you would give us allow for direction regarding Spanish interpretation at this time. Spanish interpretation is available in the council chamber. Please see a representative at the rear of the room to receive the appropriate equipment. Spanish interpretation is also available through Microsoft Teams for virtual attendees in need of this service. Thank you. At this time, we'll have the invocation provided by Pastor Ashon Williams of Broomfield Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, after which we will have the pledge of allegiance. Welcome, Pastor. Thank you for the opportunity. Almighty God, we want to say thank you for bringing us here on this beautiful day. We ask now God to fill our hearts with your love and keep your presence always with us. We ask that you continue to strengthen the leaves of this great city, help them to do what you have called them to do, place the everlasting protection over them wherever they may go, help them to transform this city to make a great impact in our lives and help us to give them the support they need to move forward. It was by your authority that allowed us to have this opportunity to acknowledge you for all the things that you do. You have been so good to us, so please, please help us be good to one another at this time. We love you and we thank you for listening to our prayer on this day. Amen. Thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or south stairwells outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. After exiting the building, security will direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets. Able persons should assist visually and hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building. Individuals speaking during public hearings in the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before council are not allowed to campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties, or address or question staff members directly. All questions are to be directed to the president of council. Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which could include barring from attendance at future meetings of City Council for a period of six months. And Madam President, for the record, all members of Council are in attendance this evening, except for Councillor Jones, you do have a quorum. Also, if there are individuals standing in the rear of the chamber that are unauthorized, they are asked to be seated where seats are available. Also, applause is not permitted during the course of tonight's meeting. Thank you. Thank you. At this time, let's proceed with our speakers for the public comment period. The first speaker is Thomas Courtney. Welcome, Mr. Courtney. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Thomas Courtney from the first district. I'm a nearby resident, and I also serve as registered agent for Floyd Grove Shepherd LLC, a small neighborhood group formed by impacted nearby residents. The timer, by the way. I'm here to provide a brief public update regarding the VMFA Grove Avenue storage facility and unresolved land use questions now reaching the certificate of occupancy stage. The timeline is straightforward. In 2024, the project was approved by Director Vonk after objections were raised. In March of 2025, during the BZA process, the project was defended on the premise that it would operate as an institutional accessory connected to the VMFA and Commonwealth Control. The facility has now reached the certificate of occupancy stage, while the public record still does not appear to confirm that institutional control condition. The basic issue is simple. If the facility is controlled and used by the VMFA or the Commonwealth, there should be records to support that.