Planning commission continues Hanover/Reveille special-use permit after large neighborhood protest

The City of Richmond Planning Commission on Monday continued consideration of a special-use permit for 3801 and 3803 Hanover Avenue after more than an hour of public testimony opposing the proposal.

Cheyenne Trump, a planner with the Department of Planning and Development, presented an amended application by Baker Development Resources that would retain two existing single-family houses on the Hanover frontage and add six new single-family detached dwellings on the rear of the combined parcels. Trump said the applicant had withdrawn an earlier plan for eight attached homes and submitted new elevations and landscaping. Staff recommended approval, finding the proposal consistent with the Richmond 300 master plan’s guidance for denser development near mixed-use streets and noting required sidewalks and new street trees in the plan.

The application prompted extensive public comment. Dozens of residents and nearby property owners said the scale and density are inappropriate for the small lot and the block’s character. Mary Meadows, a nearby resident, summarized a common complaint: “The proposed density results in 21.44 units per acre.” Other speakers presented a neighborhood petition they said had roughly 450 signatures opposing backyard infill on the scale proposed. Neighbors cited traffic and parking congestion on narrow streets, loss of tree canopy, and the loss of private yard space and wildlife habitat.

The applicant, Alejandro Negatia of Baker Development Resources, said the project responds to Richmond 300 guidance for locating added housing near major mixed-use corridors and transit. “This proposal is responding to specific Richmond 300 plan guidance,” Negatia said, noting the proximity of a Grove/Hamilton bus stop and other higher-density development nearby. He also told commissioners the team conducted an on-street parking study and had worked with Public Works to open six additional on-street spaces on Hamilton Street.

Commissioners and neighbors debated several technical points: whether the subject parcels’ designation (residential across the street from a community mixed-use area) supports an increase in density; how parking demand calculations were performed; and the appropriate yard setbacks and building massing. Multiple speakers pointed to the Grove on Hamilton and other recent infill projects that have had slow sales as evidence that market demand for the proposed product in this neighborhood may be limited.

After discussion the commission voted to continue the item to the July 1 meeting so the applicant can consider alternative layouts. Commissioners asked the applicant to return with a plan showing four new units, all fronting Hamilton Street, and to consult further with neighbors about the scale, layout, and parking strategy. The motion to continue passed on roll call.

Why it matters: The case highlights a repeated planning tension in Richmond—how to accommodate the Richmond 300 master plan’s call for added housing near major mixed‑use streets while protecting the scale and character of adjacent, lower‑density blocks. Neighbors said they support in‑fill in principle but not in their backyards at the density proposed.

What’s next: The applicant will return July 1 with revised drawings and the same packet of materials will be before the commission again. If the applicant does not make the requested changes, commissioners may choose to vote on the existing application then.

Votes and formal action

- Motion: Continue consideration of Ordinance 20‑25‑o79 (special use permit for 3801 & 3803 Hanover Avenue) to the July 1 Planning Commission meeting for potential amendment by the applicant. - Mover/Seconder: not specified on the record for the motion; a second was recorded. - Outcome: Continued/postponed to July 1 (motion passed by roll call).