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Historic Richmond and committee warn Chaco Valley plan widens highway footprint and reduces developable land
Summary
Historic Richmond and UDC members said the project’s Oliver Hill Way widening and dual roundabouts risk extending the highway character into adjacent neighborhoods, take roughly 30 feet of developable land at the Broad Street intersection, and should be redesigned to preserve historic urban character.
Historic Richmond’s executive director, Sian Crump (Speaker 4), told the committee the Chaco Valley Streets project has repeatedly privileged vehicle throughput in its evolution and urged a redesign to preserve the city’s historic grid and walkability. Crump said the proposed widening at the Oliver Hill Way/Broad Street intersection would consume roughly 30 feet of developable land and "create a sinuous suburban style road in place of the historic rectilinear grid."
"Throughout this project process and project, we have seen that the priority has been given to cars," Crump said, and she urged the committee to require narrower curb layouts and to move two‑way bike lanes farther west so the street edge better supports future commercial and residential development. Several committee members echoed concerns about long‑term placemaking at the city entrance and urged a redesign that integrates art and public‑space design at the outset rather than as a deferred addition.
Applicants and staff responded that engineering constraints, floodplain mapping, and SmartScale funding requirements limit the scope of late changes and that some residual‑land work could be delivered via a separate parks or gateway project. The committee nevertheless included the historical and placemaking concerns in its denial justification and requested stronger integration of design and urban public‑space planning if the project returns.
