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Owner’s daughter asks Richmond commissioners to revert 312 High Street zoning to R-3
Summary
Ellen Benzing, power of attorney for her 87‑year‑old mother, asked the commission to revert 312 High Street from R-1C back to its long-standing R-3 zoning. The request was heard during the first reading of Ordinance 25-15 and will return for a later vote.
During the first reading of Ordinance 25-15, the Richmond City Board of Commissioners heard from Ellen Benzing, who identified herself as the power of attorney for her mother, Penny Benzing, the owner of 312 High Street. Benzing asked commissioners to revert the property’s zoning from R-1C back to R-3.
Benzing said her mother, now 87, owned the house since 1983 and was not aware of the rezoning that occurred in 2022. “My mother did not submit an application for an amendment to the zone map,” Benzing told commissioners, saying her mother did not pay the application fee, attend public hearings, or sign documents associated with the 2022 change. Benzing said she had filed open-records requests to verify notices and that the property is now an outlier on High Street.
Benzing identified herself as an attorney and said she serves as her mother’s power of attorney for legal and financial matters. She asked the board to adopt the Planning and Zoning Commission’s written findings and recommendation to revert 312 High Street to R-3 so the parcel is consistent with neighboring properties.
Commissioners acknowledged the family’s presence and asked staff to review the materials; a commissioner offered words of support and said the board would work with the family. The item was a first reading and will be scheduled for a subsequent meeting for final action. No final vote on Ordinance 25-15 was taken at this meeting.
Why it matters: The requested reversion would change the property’s zoning classification and remove the single R-1C designation that Benzing said sets 312 High Street apart from adjacent properties on High Street. The board permitted the family to speak and indicated staff follow-up and continued consideration before a final decision.
