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Richmond committee begins town plan housing update with 2026 Act 47 deadline looming
Summary
At an Oct. 30 meeting, Richmond’s Housing Committee began reviewing the 2018 town plan’s housing sections ahead of a 2026 reauthorization required by Act 47, discussing outreach, developer engagement, zoning changes and the contested Jolina Court density proposal.
The Richmond Housing Committee on Oct. 30 began a months-long effort to update the housing sections of the town’s 2018 plan, aiming to align the document with new state requirements under Act 47 and meet a 2026 reauthorization deadline.
Virginia, speaking as a member of the Planning Commission, said the town plan must be reauthorized every eight years and that the regional Planning Commission will review any revisions. "We want to be sure this time that we reauthorize it in a timely fashion, which is by 2026," she said, noting that failing to reauthorize could limit eligibility for municipal grants.
The meeting centered on three parallel tasks: inventorying completed action items, identifying new housing goals and preparing for statutory additions the regional commission will require. The committee agreed to re-send the questionnaire the regional Planning Commission previously used to collect updates from town committees and to circulate a 2021 report prepared under former housing committee chair Sarah (report to be shared with the group).
Members debated the practical role the housing committee should play. Several urged the committee to provide concrete support for developers and planners—by doing outreach, compiling a clear guide to resources for prospective builders, attending DRB and Planning Commission meetings, and performing targeted grassroots engagement such as tabling at the farmers market. "The grassroots process is probably more powerful than most anything else that we would be able to do," said Andrew, arguing the committee could help make multifamily projects more acceptable to residents.
The Planning Commission update—delivered by Virginia—covered three zoning efforts that intersect with the town plan work. First, the commission is revising village residential neighborhood rules to reflect Act 47 requirements that allow duplexes and small multiunit buildings wherever single-family homes are allowed and that set minimum densities in areas served by water and sewer. Second, planners are rewriting park and flood-hazard rules to enable moving pre-existing playground, restroom and band-shell structures up onto a plateau to reduce repeated flood damage while guarding against new construction in the floodway. Third, the commission is continuing discussions about the Jolina Court project and a related density-bonus scheme.
On Jolina Court, speakers described a 31-unit building proposal and a compromise that ties additional density to developer concessions: options include providing permanently affordable units, delivering adaptable (accessible) units, or leasing public parking to the town. Virginia summarized the bonus structure: certain mixes of affordable or adaptable units would permit additional market-rate units. Committee members cautioned that some bonus options could still make financing difficult for developers and said some developers have grown frustrated with the pace and complexity of local approvals.
Committee members also discussed how to respond to the regional Planning Commission’s forthcoming housing targets, which several participants described as ambitious and potentially difficult for a small town to meet. The group agreed the town plan should be candid about constraints and propose realistic local strategies—such as improving developer support and community outreach—that could make achieving higher housing targets more feasible.
Next steps set at the meeting included: circulating Sarah’s prior report to committee members, re-sending the questionnaire to responsible committees so action items can be updated, drafting recommended housing goals and action items over the next months, and reviewing the regional Planning Commission’s feedback when it is released. The committee confirmed its next meeting date for Nov. 14 and said it would continue refinements to its charter, outreach strategy and draft goals at subsequent sessions.
No formal motions or votes were recorded on Oct. 30; the meeting adjourned after confirming next steps.
