Planning commission approves rezoning of 324 East Irving Street to allow multifamily use

The Richmond Planning and Zoning Commission voted to rezone 324 East Irving Street from B-2 (business) to R-3 (multifamily), approving the applicant’s request by voice vote with Commissioners Short, Miles and Estelle in favor and Commissioner Miller opposed.

The rezoning was requested by attorney Corey Isaacs on behalf of the property owner, who appeared as Dawson Miller. Isaacs told the commission the parcel is vacant, surrounded largely by multifamily uses and “it’s appropriate for residential use.” He said the owner intends to build a single multifamily building and expects to return with a development plan showing vehicle access from both Hill Street and East Irving Street.

Why it matters: changing the zoning designation removes the commercial (B-2) designation and allows residential densities associated with R-3 zoning if the site plan and subsequent approvals are granted. The applicant told commissioners that, if approved, the property could yield up to 13 units on the tract as currently drawn.

During the public hearing commissioners and the applicant discussed traffic and access. Several commissioners expressed concern about the narrowness of Hill Street; planning staff and the applicant said final driveway locations and turning movements will be addressed at the site-plan review stage. Isaacs also described a pending foreclosure/probate issue affecting adjacent lots that the applicant expects the bank to resolve before final conveyance; he said ownership issues are in process and did not prevent the rezoning request.

Commissioners debated whether the change could be considered spot zoning because R-3 is not mapped uniformly across the immediate area, but staff and the applicant noted that multifamily uses already exist nearby and characterized the parcel as consistent with adjacent residential development.

The commission approved the motion to rezone with the following recorded votes: Commissioner Short — yes; Commissioner Miller — no; Commissioner Miles — yes; Commissioner Estelle — yes. The applicant will need to submit a site-development plan and obtain the required permits and any access approvals before construction can begin.

Motions and next steps recorded at the meeting show the rezoning as an approved municipal land-use action; the commission’s approval does not itself authorize construction and the owner must return with a development plan for review.