Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee
Council Chamber, 2nd Floor - City Hall
Agenda — 79 items
- 1 Committee Members in Attendance
- 2 The Honorable Nicole Jones – Chair The Honorable Ellen Robertson – Vice Chair The Honorable Andrew Breton – Member
- 3 Staff and Others in Attendance
- 4 Chamber Emergency Evacuation Plan Announcement and Public Speaker Guidelines
- 4 The Honorable Katherine Jordan - Council Vice President The Honorable Stephanie Lynch - Councilmember Kiley Kesecker, Deputy City Clerk Candice Reid, City Clerk Danielle Smith, Assistant City Attorney Steve Taylor, Council Policy Analyst
- 5 Public Comment Period
- 5 Call to Order
- 6 Approval of Minutes
- 6 Chair Nicole Jones called the meeting to order at 3:06 p.m. and presided.
- 7 September 16, 2025 - Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee Meeting Minutes
- 8 Presentation(s)
- 8 Upon the Chair’s request, Deputy City Clerk Kiley Kesecker provided information on the appropriate way to evacuate the Council Chamber in an emergency along with public speaker guidelines.
- 1. Fall Line Trail Status Updates ~ Dironna Moore Clarke, Deputy Director of Public Works
- 10 October 21, 2025 - Fall Line Trail Status Update
- 10 There were no amendments or corrections to the minutes of the September 16, 2025 committee meeting, and the minutes were approved as presented.
- 2. Richmond Connects: People Riding Bikes ~ Andy Boenau, DPW Transportation Engineering Program Manager
- 12 October 21, 2025 - Richmond Connects: People Riding Bikes
- 3. Parks and Recreation Trail Briefing ~ Chris Frelke, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
- 13 There was no one present who wished to speak.
- 14 October 21, 2025 - Parks and Recreation Trail Briefing
- 14 Board Vacancies
- 4. Future Affordable Housing: 212 N. 18th Street and 911 & 913 Hull Street ~ Merrick Malone, Director of Department of Housing and Community Development
- 15 Pamela Nichols, Council Management Analyst, reviewed board vacancies and applications for consideration by the committee.
- 16 October 21, 2025 - Future Affordable Housing - 12 N. 18th Street and 911 & 913 Hull Street Presentation
- 17 Paper(s) for Consideration
- 17 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 18 PARKS, RECREATION, AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES
- 18 Chair Nicole Jones stated that the committee would consider the appointment to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Supervisory Board during the next round of quarterly appointments.
- 1. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Lease Agreement between the City of Richmond, as landlord, and Richmond Community ToolBank, as tenant, for the purpose of storing tools, materials, and equipment at Broad Rock Sports Complex located at 4385 Old Warwick Road. (9th District)
- 19 Member Andrew Breton moved to forward the following board appointment applications to Council with a recommendation to approve, which was seconded and unanimously approved:
- 20 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW
- 20 Board of Building Code Appeals Charles Field Commission of Architectural Review: Nicholas Peck Community Transportation Advisory Committee: Andrew Bunn Sera Erickson PlanRVA: Priscilla Eddings Safe and Healthy Streets Commission Louise Lockett Gordon Kirk Millikan
- 2. To reverse in part the decision of the Commission of Architectural Review partially denying an application for a retroactive certificate of appropriateness for the property located at 510 West 20th Street in the city of Richmond, regarding replacement of main and front porch roofs, by fully approving such application. (5th District)
- 3. To declare a public necessity to amend ch. 30 of the City Code and to initiate an amendment to the City’s zoning ordinance to make such lawful changes as may be necessary to establish a civil penalty for the razing, demolition, or moving of a building or structure that is located in a City old and historic district in violation of the City’s zoning ordinance, as authorized by Va. Code § 15.2-2306(F).
- 22 The following ordinance was considered:
- 23 Public Hearing
- 4. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Deed of Temporary Utility Easement between the City of Richmond and the County of Henrico for the purpose of granting non-exclusive easements over, under, through, upon, and across certain portions of the property known as Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue.
- 24 Chris Frelke, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, provided an introduction and a brief overview of the proposed ordinance, stating that it would allow for the leasing of a city-owned property to Richmond Community ToolBank for the storage of tools and equipment.
- 5. To declare surplus, and to authorize and request the Chief Administrative Officer to seek offers, bids, or proposals by solicitation for the City-owned property located at 8790 Strath Road for the purpose of facilitating the solicitation of offers by invitation for bids or request for proposals pursuant to and in accordance with either City Code §§ 8-61 or 8-62.
- 25 There were no comments or discussions, and Vice Chair Ellen Robertson moved to forward ORD. 2025-239 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 26 The following resolution was considered:
- 27 October 21, 2025 - Land Use, Housing and Transportation Board Vacancy Report
- 28 Discussion Item(s)
- 28 Councilor Stephanie Lynch provided an introduction and additional background information on the proposed resolution, stating that it would essentially request a waiver for an applicant who had unknowingly fallen out of compliance with Commission of Architectural Review (CAR) specifications regarding roofs, to prevent the applicant from having to spend a large amount of money on redoing their roof to be incompliance with CAR guidelines.
- 29 There were no discussion items.
- 29 Public Hearing
- 30 Staff Report
- 30 Alex Dandridge, Commission of Architectural Review Secretary, spoke in opposition to the proposed resolution, noting how the installation of asphalt shingles is not in compliance with the guidelines, nor is it congruous with the environs of the historic district.
- 31 October 21, 2025 - Land Use, Housing and Transportation Staff Report
- 31 Austin Farrell, applicant, spoke in support of the proposed resolution and the approval of the appeal, explaining their cooperation with the process and other procedural issues surrounding the denial of the application.
- 32 There were no further comments or discussions, and Vice Chair Ellen Robertson moved to forward RES. 2025-R044 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 33 The following resolution was considered:
- 35 Council Vice President Katherine Jordan provided an introduction to the proposed resolution and its alignment with the historic preservation goals of the Richmond 300 Master Plan.
- 36 Chair Nicole Jones asked how much the fine increase is, which Vice President Jordan explained as up to twice the assessed value of the structure.
- 37 At the request of Vice Chair Ellen Robertson, Kevin Vonck, Director of Planning and Development Review, clarified several points regarding the functionality of the proposed amendment and the process of applying for a demolition in an old and historic district.
- 38 Vice Chair Robertson stated that the amendment is important to ensure the city is doing what it can to preserve old structures within the city.
- 40 Cyane Crump, Historic Richmond Executive Director, spoke in support of the proposed resolution, stating that it would help reduce the perverse incentives to disobey various laws.
- 41 There were no further comments or discussions, and Vice Chair Ellen Robertson moved to continue RES. 2025-R045 to the November 18, 2025 Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee meeting, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 42 The following ordinance was considered:
- 44 Chris Frelke, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, provided a brief introduction to the proposed ordinance, noting the procedural nature of the request therein.
- 45 There were no further comments or discussions, and Vice Chair Ellen Robertson moved to forward ORD. 2025-238 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 46 The following resolution was considered:
- 48 Chris Nizamis, Economic Development Programs Administrator, provided an introduction and additional background information regarding the proposed resolution and the solicitation process for city-owned property.
- 49 There were no further comments or discussions, and Vice Chair Ellen Robertson moved to continue RES. 2025-R046 to the November 18, 2025 Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee meeting, which was seconded and unanimously approved.
- 53 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 54 Dironna Moore Clarke, Deputy Director of Public Works, provided an overview of the Fall Line Trail, including status updates on each fully-funded segment and funding strategies for unfunded segments.
- 57 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 58 Andy Boenau, Department of Public Works Transportation Engineering Program Manager, gave a presentation on Richmond Connects, including roadway conversions, ebikes, youth programs, multimodal transportation options, bike share and voucher programs, and low versus high-stress streets.
- 59 Member Andrew Breton asked how the city's bike network is primarily funded.
- 60 Mr. Boenau stated that they receive federal, state and regional funding, as well as grants for specific items or objectives.
- 61 Chair Nicole Jones stated that specific areas should be assessed for bike accessibility and use potential to ensure the city is being equitable in regards to other modes of transportation.
- 62 Mr. Boenau agreed and stated that they are utilizing community input to inform decision making about what will work best for different areas of the city.
- 65 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 66 Chris Frelke, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, provided a high-level overview of the Richmond Trails system, including development history and plans for the future.
- 69 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 70 Merrick Malone, Director of Department of Housing and Community Development, gave a presentation on the strategic use of surplus property for the development of affordable housing in the city.
- 71 Chair Nicole Jones asked if community input will be factored into the evaluation criteria or if that will come later as the community benefit agreement is developed.
- 72 Mr. Malone confirmed the latter.
- 77 There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 4:57 p.m.