Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee Meeting - June 16, 2026
Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee Meeting - June 16, 2026
The Land Use, Housing and Transportation (LUHT) Committee of the Richmond City Council met on June 16, 2026, at 4:00 PM (the meeting started at 4:00 PM based on the presentation timing mentioned). The meeting included public comments, approval of minutes, continuances, votes on several ordinances, and two informational presentations. Key actions included forwarding street naming ordinances to full council, continuing two items, and hearing updates on building permitting timelines and the disposition of surplus city properties for affordable housing.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Speaker 1 (infrastructure concerns): A member of the public expressed concerns about the process for approving large infrastructure projects, specifically regarding GRTC’s bus rapid transit (BRT) route and the Chamberlain Avenue corridor. He noted that GRTC had indicated that development projections along the route had been downgraded and that the next draft of code refresh would have less upzoning for Chamberlain Avenue. He also mentioned the Fall Line Trail and requested a briefing from the Department of Public Works (BTPW). He expressed support for strong public transit but argued the $400 million investment could be better used elsewhere.
- Speaker 2 (VMFA storage facility issues): Thomas Courtney, a resident adjacent to the VMFA Grove Avenue Storage Facility, provided an update on unresolved land use issues. He cited pending zoning confirmation letter matters, landscaping deficiencies, and observations of operational use before a certificate of occupancy or final zoning sign-off had been confirmed. He also noted that the Department of General Services lease for the facility appears to be a 10-year term, which may not match the long-term institutional control premise discussed during zoning review. He asked the committee to ensure administrative follow-through.
- Public testimony on street naming (items 3-5):
- Dr. Lisa Johnson spoke in favor of naming the 1000 block of North Laburnum Street after Coach Howard D. Hopkins (Item 4). She shared personal stories of his mentorship and impact on thousands of students over five decades as a coach, athletic director, and principal at Maggie Walker High School.
- Reverend Wendy Bullock spoke in favor of naming the 2800 block of Fendall Avenue after Reverend A. Lincoln James Jr. (Item 5). She highlighted his 50-plus years of ministry, his television ministry that reached incarcerated individuals, and his support for business owners and the less fortunate.
- Pierre Johnson spoke in favor of the Howard D. Hopkins naming, recounting his own experience as a Maggie Walker graduate and praising Hopkins’ financial management of school activities and his long-term community service.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the May 19, 2026, LUHT committee meeting were approved as presented.
- Items 1 (Ordinance 2026-113) and 6 (Resolution 2026-R024) were continued to the July 21, 2026, LUHT meeting.
Discussion Items
- Item 2: Ordinance 2026-125 – Chamberlain Avenue Paving Project. Kenny Horek of the Paving Division presented the project, which is a 100% VDOT-reimbursed state-of-good-repair resurfacing of a portion of Chamberlain Avenue. No public opposition was heard. The committee voted unanimously to forward the ordinance to full council with a recommendation to approve.
- Items 3-5: Street naming ordinances.
- Item 3: Ordinance 2026-126 – 6300 block of Hall Street Road to be designated in honor of Eugene and Vivian Mason.
- Item 4: Ordinance 2026-145 – 1000 block of North Laburnum Street to be designated in honor of Coach Howard D. Hopkins.
- Item 5: Ordinance 2026-146 – 2800 block of Fendall Avenue to be designated in honor of Reverend A. Lincoln James Jr.
- Chair Jones and Councilmember Robertson added themselves as co-patrons. After public testimony in support, the committee voted unanimously to forward all three to full council with a recommendation to approve.
- Presentation 1: Housing and Business Permitting Timelines. Kevin Vonk, Director of Planning and Development Review, presented an update on permitting timelines. He emphasized the importance of reducing carrying costs and exposure to market changes (e.g., tariffs, labor costs) for developers. He showed data on building permit processing times, noting improvements in application intake (goal of 5 business days) and plan review (goal of 10 business days for small projects). He discussed the timeline for special use permits (SUPs), which can take several months due to community outreach and legislative processes. He highlighted ongoing efforts: personnel enhancements using building code fees, two third-party review firms, a customer survey for software upgrade planning (new system live by February 2027), AI tools for application assistance, and policy changes through code refresh (e.g., reducing legislative entitlements, raising the threshold for site plan review from 3 to 6 dwelling units). Vice Chair Robertson asked about the process for smaller builders; Director Vonk described dedicated customer service, brochures (e.g., for accessory dwelling units), and pre-development meetings. Councilmember Rutten asked about partnership with the Office of Minority Business Development; Director Vonk indicated there is no formal partnership yet but noted potential with the new Office of Community Wealth Building. Members also discussed the use of third-party reviewers ensuring local code application and the need for additional attorneys in the City Attorney’s office to speed up ordinance review.
- Presentation 2: Surplus Property Disposition for Affordable Housing. Merrick Malone, Director of Housing and Community Development, and Cindy Kong, Senior Project Development Manager, presented a plan to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for two city-owned surplus properties: 2503 Q Street (0.93 acres, former police precinct in Churchill, District 7) and 4929 Chamberlain Avenue (0.973 acres, former school in North Side, District 3). The goal is to transform vacant properties into affordable and mixed-income housing, increase the tax base, and reinvest proceeds. The process will involve stakeholder engagement between the RFQ and subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP) phase. The evaluation committee will include subject matter experts; Director Malone noted the future inclusion of community representatives. Chair Jones and Councilmember Rutten discussed the need to accelerate disposition of other vacant properties held by city authorities and the handling of unsolicited offers. Director Malone confirmed coordination with the Department of Economic Development on unsolicited proposal policies. The timeline targets RFQ issuance by late July/early August 2026, RFP issuance by end of 2026.
Key Outcomes
- Votes:
- Continued Items 1 and 6 to July 21, 2026 (unanimous).
- Approved forwarding Item 2 (Chamberlain Avenue paving) to full council (unanimous).
- Approved forwarding Items 3, 4, and 5 (street naming) to full council (unanimous).
- Directives:
- Staff to continue improving permitting timelines, including exploring partnerships with economic development offices for small business outreach.
- Housing and Community Development to proceed with RFQ for 2503 Q Street and 4929 Chamberlain Avenue, with stakeholder engagement before the RFP phase.
- Next Steps:
- The next LUHT committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at which presentations on partial tax exemption programs (five-year evaluation) and the annual real estate report from Economic Development will be heard, along with votes on board and commission vacancies.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Uh we will now call the land use housing and transportation committee meeting to order. Final clerk, could you please read the chamber of emergency announcements? Upon activation of the emergency on law 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 west stairwell outside of the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. At the exiting the building, security would direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets. Able persons, citizens visually hearing a pair of visitors with exiting the building. Persons wishing to speak during the public comment period and or public hearings are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Well, we just follow the agenda as is, but that's to the public comment, period. Is there anyone here that would like to speak about anything not on today's agenda? Please approach the podium and state your name for the record. Good afternoon, counselors. When last I was before you in February, I talked with you about several big infrastructure projects, smart scale funding requests, et cetera. My concerns continue to be about the process for approving these. That would normally justify such a project. GRTC had said that upzoning under code refresh would significantly increase the population density. However, in a May briefing, GRTC got ready to present a contractor study that said that development on the proposed route had been downgraded, and population wouldn't be as much as projected. This was confirmed yesterday when Mr. Vonk said that the next draft of code refresh would have less upzoning for the Chamberlain Avenue corridor. In addition, GRTC in May said that their uh projections are probably a little high because they plan on continuing the Route One bus route to provide uh disability and elderly uh access to the existing routes. So it looks like the 400 million dollars could be better invested. I'm a supporter of strong public transit. I took the bus here today, but I think that we need to resist, we need to uh do better. And also in February mentioned the uh fall line trail. I may have missed it, but I thought you had said that there was going to be a briefing from BTPW to this committee. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Thomas Courtney. I live adjacent to the VMFA Grove Avenue Storage Facility, and I want to provide a brief update on several unresolved land use issues affecting the surrounding neighborhood. First, there are still pending zoning confirmation letter matters concerning the facility, including the proper zoning classification, the relationship between the approved plan of development, the certificate of zoning compliance, the certificate of occupancy, and the later site plan activity related to the artwork or VMFA dream wall installation. Second, I have submitted a 311 notice regarding landscaping and maintenance deficiencies at the facility, which may indicate that the site has not fully transitioned into compliant operational status. These conditions matter because landscaping, screening, access, and site conditions were part of the representations relied upon during the plan of development and board of zoning appeal process. Third, there have been recent observations and a 311 report concerning apparent operational use of the facility before a temporary or final certificate of occupancy or final zoning sign-off has been publicly confirmed. That includes individuals entering and exiting the facility in a manner consistent with office or storage operations and reports of loading or unloading activity not obviously tied to construction. I'm not asking this committee to make a determination today, but I am asking that the city ensure the record is clear and that no operational use proceeds ahead of any required CO, CZC, zoning final or other applicable administrative processes. Finally, I recently obtained information showing that the Department of General Services lease term for this warehouse facility appears to be materially shorter than the long-term institutional control premise discussed during zoning review by Mr. Davidson and Mr. Vonk and later addressed through the BZA proceedings. My understanding is prior approval discussions referenced long-term commonwealth institutional control as part of the justification for treating the facility as an institutional accessory use. The lease I now I have now seen appears to be a 10-year lease, which may not match that premise. That is one reason the pending ZCL request regarding institutional use remains necessary. I'm asking the committee to ensure these items are followed closely. The pending ZCL matters, CO, CZZ status, landscaping compliance, pre-CO usage reports, and lease term issue are all administrative items that directly affect public transparency, neighborhood reliance, and confidence in the land use process. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Madam Clickless. Oh, is there anyone else here for public comment? I don't have no one I signed up prior to the 10 a.m.
openpublica.com