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Richmond council introduces zoning change to allow smaller infill homes
Summary
Council gave first reading to ordinance 156‑35 to reduce minimum gross floor area requirements in single‑ and two‑family districts to facilitate infill and rebuilding of older lots; a second reading is scheduled at the next meeting.
Richmond’s City Council on Dec. 1 introduced ordinance 156‑35, which would amend section 5.101 of the Richmond zoning ordinance to reduce minimum gross floor‑area requirements for principal dwellings in single‑family and two‑family residential districts.
City staff said the change follows a master‑plan review and a comparison with neighboring communities, and is intended to allow smaller, more affordable infill homes and make it easier to rebuild older lots that would not meet current minimums. Staff estimated a reduction in minimum square footage averaging about 16.6 percent (roughly 200–300 square feet depending on the zoning classification).
Troy, the city planner, told council the change is unlikely to alter large, market‑driven subdivisions but will ease rebuilding and infill in older neighborhoods; a small planning‑commission survey found about 80 percent of homes in one older area were smaller than the current minimums.
Council members framed the change as a tool to improve housing affordability and to avoid requiring property owners to seek costly zoning variances to rebuild older homes. One council member said the amendment would allow a 1,000‑square‑foot home where the prior minimum was 1,200 square feet, and noted setbacks and other rules still apply.
Council voted to introduce and give first reading to the ordinance. The second reading and any final adoption were scheduled for the council’s next regular meeting.
