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Committee directs city planning to prepare master plan amendment for Riverside/Cowardin node
Summary
Council committee voted to forward a resolution directing the City Planning Commission and several departments to prepare a small-area amendment to the Richmond 300 master plan to identify the area bounded by Riverside Drive, Cowardin Avenue, Hall Street and West 24th Street as a neighborhood node for focused planning.
The committee voted to forward resolution 2025 R007 directing the City Planning Commission, working with Planning and Development Review, Public Works, Economic Development and Housing and Community Development, to prepare and submit for public hearing a master plan amendment identifying the area generally bounded by Riverside Drive, Cowardin Avenue, Hall Street and West 24th Street as a neighborhood node.
Council sponsor Liz Lynch said the action responds to an omission in the Richmond 300 master plan and aims to provide a focused but relatively quick planning process to address development pressure at a gateway to the south side. Kevin J. Bond, director of planning and development review, said the amendment would be more targeted than a full small-area plan and would emphasize a set of strategic "big moves" informed by market data, permit activity and community input.
Bond described the city's five-year update cadence for the master plan and said staff will coordinate public engagement and may use consultants to support outreach. He said this node-focused approach differs from ongoing small-area plans for Oak Grove, Hillside, Bellemeade and Greater Jackson Ward and is intended to identify priorities such as housing, infrastructure and city-owned land uses for the area.
The committee voted to forward the resolution to counsel with a recommendation to approve (Mr. Brenton — Aye; Vice Chair Robertson — Aye; Chair Jones — Aye). Members asked that staff return with an engagement plan and that council members be consulted about preferred engagement methods for their districts.
The resolution directs interdepartmental collaboration to prepare amendment language and to bring the draft for public hearing as part of the master plan update process; it does not itself adopt zoning changes or final design decisions.
