Richmond committee weighs cultural-heritage stewardship plan amid affordability, viewshed and archaeology concerns

Members of a Richmond City subcommittee and members of the public debated the proposed Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan on procedural and policy grounds, focusing on whether provisions in the plan could raise housing costs, how ‘‘viewshed’’ protections would be defined and whether archaeological rules would place new burdens on property owners.

Mike Schull, a developer of affordable housing in Richmond who identified himself as a former Virginia secretary of commerce and trade and past chairman of the Better Housing Coalition board, told the committee: “The city of Richmond has a housing crisis. The city needs an additional 18,000 affordable housing units.” He warned the stewardship plan “will inevitably create additional layers of approvals of compliance and of development limitations that will increase the cost of developing real estate projects in Richmond,” citing longer approval timelines and compliance costs.

Why it matters: Committee members said the plan could shape future zoning and regulatory work. Planning staff and public speakers debated whether protections described in the plan — including recommended viewshed, demolition, design-overlay and archaeological measures — would be advisory guidance used in planning reviews or would translate into new ordinance requirements with direct costs for property owners.

Planning staff explained the legal and procedural path any regulatory changes…