Planning commission backs Veritas School tennis courts with sound‑mitigation, hours and parking conditions

The Richmond City Planning Commission voted 5–2 to recommend approval of a community unit plan amendment and a final plan to allow six tennis courts at 1402 Westwood Avenue, a parcel owned by Veritas School.

The proposal amends an existing community unit plan adopted in 2003 and 2008 and seeks to replace an underutilized surface parking lot with six non‑lit tennis courts, landscaping and associated walkways. The applicant also sought an amendment that would reduce the total off‑street parking credited to the overall community unit plan from the historical 575 spaces to 200.

Jennifer Mullen, an attorney representing Veritas, said the courts would be fenced with a 10‑foot powder‑coated fence and that, beyond a typical windscreen, the applicant will install a sound‑suppression system “in or on the fence” to reduce ball noise. Mullen said…