Williamsburg council approves special-use permit for 1006 Richmond Road with conditions on parking and ground-floor use

The Williamsburg City Council on Thursday approved PCR 24-026, a special-use permit that allows the owner of 1006 Richmond Road to add multifamily apartments in the LB-2 (Limited Business Neighborhood) district and increase density from 8 to 14 units per net acre to permit 11 apartments on the second and third floors.

City planner Ms. Griffin told the council the LB-2 zoning allows apartments only by special-use permit and that staff and the Planning Commission had concluded the proposal met the six criteria in the zoning ordinance, including conformance with the comprehensive plan and adequacy of public services. “Staff recommends approval of PCR 24-026 because it meets the criteria to approve special use permits according to the zoning ordinance,” Ms. Griffin said.

The proposal keeps commercial use on the first floor and converts the upper floors to housing: two one-bedroom and four studios on the second floor (one ADA-accessible) and five one-bedrooms on the third floor. The property sits in the Midtown Parking District and currently has 56 parking spaces; staff reported required parking for the proposed mix would total 33 spaces, so parking was judged adequate unless…