Housing and land use actions advanced
At a glance
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The committee forwarded six measures to the July 27 Council meeting, including a Virginia Friendly Landscapes code change, an update to the Master Plan for Oak Grove, Hillside, and Bellemeade, and a Gilpin Court redevelopment memorandum with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
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What this means
The committee recommended moving six land use, housing, and transportation items to the full Council. Those items would loosen rules for certain native-friendly landscaping, fold the Oak Grove Hillside Bellemeade Community Plan into the city’s Master Plan, and set up neighborhood planning work for Westwood. It also backed support for transportation funding requests in Chesterfield County and Henrico County, plus an agreement for planning Gilpin Court redevelopment and similar public housing efforts in the future.
Key decisions
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- Forwarded ORD. 2026-113 to the July 27, 2026 Council meeting with recommendation to approve with amendment.
- Forwarded ORD. 2026-166 to the July 27, 2026 Council meeting with recommendation to approve.
- Forwarded RES. 2026-R024 to the July 27, 2026 Council meeting with recommendation to approve with amendment.
- Forwarded RES. 2026-R026 to the July 27, 2026 Council meeting with recommendation to approve.
- Forwarded RES. 2026-R027 to the July 27, 2026 Council meeting with recommendation to approve.
- Forwarded RES. 2026-R029 to the July 27, 2026 Council meeting with recommendation to approve.
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Meeting information
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Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee
To access the meeting via Microsoft Teams, please use the following link: https://go.rva.gov/LUHT-JULY21 or dial *67-804-316-9457 and enter ID: 237 042 589#
Agenda
- Call to Order
- Chamber Emergency Evacuation Plan Announcement and Public Speaker Guidelines
- Public Comment Period
- Approval of Minutes
- June 16, 2026 - Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee Meeting Minutes
- Presentation(s)
- Partial Tax Exemption Program 5 Year Evaluation ~ Michelle Brown Peters, Deputy Director for Housing and Community Development (HCD)
- Partial Tax Exemption Program 5 Year Evaluation
- Paper(s) for Consideration
- PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW & OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
- To amend City Code § 11-105, concerning weeds and other vegetation, and to amend ch. 11, art. IV, by adding therein a new section numbered 11-101, concerning definitions, for the purpose of establishing exemptions for Virginia Friendly Landscapes.
- To approve an amendment to the Master Plan for the City of Richmond, adopted by the City Planning Commission on Oct. 5, 2020, and approved by the City Council by Ord. No. 2020-236, adopted Dec. 14, 2020, to incorporate the Oak Grove Hillside Bellemeade Community Plan detailing the vision, guiding principles, goals, strategies, and big moves for development of and public investment in the Oak Grove, Hillside, and Bellemeade neighborhoods.
- MISCELLANEOUS
- To request that the Chief Administrative Officer cause the Department of Planning and Development Review to (i) collaborate with the residents of and stakeholders in the Westwood neighborhood, bordered by Dunbar Street, Patterson Avenue, and Glenburnie Road, to evaluate and recommend appropriate land use, zoning, and policy tools, and (ii) develop community-informed design guidelines and strategies to preserve the cultural and historic character of the Westwood neighborhood and support neighborhood stability, and (iii) provide a written report of such findings and recommendations. (1st District)
- DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
- To express the City Council’s support for and request the Commonwealth Transportation Board to provide funding for Chesterfield County’s SMART SCALE Round 7 candidate projects for 2026.
- To express the City Council’s support for and request the Commonwealth Transportation Board to provide funding for Henrico County’s SMART SCALE Round 7 candidate projects for 2026.
- HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
- To request that the Chief Administrative Officer execute a Joint Gilpin Transformation Working Group Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Richmond and the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority to establish the intended roles of the parties as partners in the redevelopment of the Gilpin Court housing community, and to request that the Chief Administrative Officer enter similar memoranda of understanding with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority for future redevelopment of other Richmond public housing communities.
- Board Vacancies
- July 21, 2026 - Land Use Board Vacancy Report
- Discussion Item(s)
- August Committee Meeting
- Adoption of Committee Presentation Schedule 2026-2027
- Land Use, Housing and Transportation Presentation Schedule
- Staff Report
- Land Use Staff Report
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