Planning commission approves two rezones, three plats; Regency Circle final plat contingent on bond

The Richmond City Planning & Zoning Commission on Jan. 15 approved three development plats and two zoning map amendments and accepted the minutes from its Dec. 18, 2024 meeting. The final plat for Regency Circle was approved with a condition that a bond (or equivalent security) be provided to guarantee completion of a roadway; two separate zone changes — one for a 0.68-acre lot at the corner of Barnes Mill Road and Robins Court (Peyton Holmes LLC) and one for 818 Barns Mill Road (Van Winkle Real Estate Holdings LLC) — were approved following public hearings; and the final plat for Parkview Heights Phase 2 was recorded contingent on standard platting requirements.

Why it matters: The actions permit new residential development in multiple parts of the city and resolve outstanding subdivision questions about road ownership and maintenance. The Regency Circle approval specifically ties recordation to a financial guarantee to finish a roadway that developers and staff said cannot be paved until weather permits and the plat is finalized.

Regency Circle final plat approved, subject to bond Tyler Spencer, representing the applicant for Regency Circle, told the commission the project involves converting 24 condominium units (built in February 2007) to townhomes with new lot lines running down the firewall between each unit and access easements for driveways. “We’re not proposing any physical changes,” Spencer said, and described the submission as a final plat that creates deeded lots rather than a horizontal property regime.

City staff and counsel raised a maintenance and completion concern: the plat as drawn creates a new tract that is essentially the…