New zoning map charts height of compromise in Union Hill

One doesn’t often encounter a question so oddly specific as “How tall should buildings be?” Unless one works in the civil sciences, I guess. But it’s not the sort of architectural quandary most of us wrestle with on a regular basis. Some buildings are short, others are tall, and you could probably live a happy life without ever evaluating this on merit or morality.

Alas. The city of Richmond is currently amidst its first citywide rezoning campaign in half a century, and among the many questions it has pushed to the fore is—say it with me—”How tall should buildings be?” As you may recall, the city’s Planning Commission and Code Refresh Zoning Advisory Council (ZAC) issued its first draft map earlier this year with proposals on how to regulate the usage of Richmond’s tens of thousands of individual properties.

The document’s vision for Jefferson Avenue included upzoning some of the lots fronting the artery to MX-6, which would have allowed for mixed-use buildings up to six stories high. It proved to be a flashpoint among East Enders, as The Lookout reported in September. Proponents of the proposal noted the city’s well-documented, immediate need for more housing, the similar heights of buildings in the adjacent Shockoe Bottom neighborhood, and the importance of planning for the future. Opponents balked at a perceived threat to the corridor’s historic character and “architectural cohesion,” circulating a rendering of an imagined six-story apartment building plunked down on the lot next door to Alamo BBQ.¹ Comments for and against MX-6 zoning flew in the interactive portal that the city had launched to collect feedback on the first draft.

When the Planning Commission released the second draft of its map earlier this week,³ your humble Lookout editor immediately scrolled over to Jefferson Ave. to see how the body had worked said feedback into its revision. A cursory review indicates that it opted to fully erase MX-6 zoning from the corridor, bumping down those lots to MX-3 (mixed-use buildings up to three stories) instead. There is no longer an MX-6 lot proposal anywhere in Church Hill, in fact.

Early comments on the second draft of the proposal suggest that East Enders might be willing to accept this compromise—or close. As Michael Stapor wrote (all [sic], emphasis mine):

The comment got 19 upvotes and just four downvotes, and elicited agreement from others. User Zach W. chimed in:

Commenting on a parcel up the block, two other users expressed approval for the check-down. “MX-3/4 [seems] to be a good compromise, allowing the neighborhood to gradually densify,” wrote Corey Glenn. “MX-6 would have been an eye-sore for all those in this area and visiting the area,” responded Gabrielle Clapman. “MX-3 is more reasonable and would flow better with what is currently there. Thank you for having this amended from MX-6 to MX-3.”

If you’ve got feelings about the MX-3 designation along Jefferson Ave., or any of the other controversial aspects of the new draft, you can smash that button below to share with your fellow Lookout readers, or jump into the interactive portal to share them with the Planning Commission and ZAC. (Or both, I guess.) Mayor Danny Avula told The Richmonder’s that the city is aiming to wrap up feedback on this version of the map by or before the end of the first quarter of 2026 (that’s March 31st); reporter Sarah Vogelsong noted that Richmond Planning Director Kevin Vonck has committed to “at least three drafts.”

Everybody is welcome and encouraged to weigh in, but Avula, acknowledging an overrepresentation of property owners in the first feedback round, called on two groups in particular to make their voices heard. “Almost 60% of Richmond residents are renters. And clearly that is not the predominant voice that weighed in on this, but it is a voice that we need to hear from. And, you know, we have a large and growing swath of non-English-speaking residents,” Hizzoner said to Vogelsong. “So I think in these subsequent rounds of engagement, it’s also on us to get out into these communities.”

📜 Possum Poetry

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

🚧 Jefferson Ave. redesign’s final phases fleshed out

The Department of Public Works (DPW) recently published the next iteration of its long-awaited plan to redesign the rest of Jefferson Ave. Recall, Phases 1 and 2 are now complete; the work still outstanding is slated to take place on the three-block stretch of the artery between E. Marshall and E. Leigh Sts. The new 18-page document, drawn up by the city’s contractor, The Timmons Group, and known as a 60% plan, includes more detail on how exactly DPW aims to improve the corridor. Check it out in the The Lookout’s share drive to see overlays showing accommodations for bus and firetruck turning radii, proposed curb and divider structuring, gutter-pan compositions, and more.

“The finish line is now in sight,” wrote Ed Fendley and Mary Field of the Coalition for a Safer Jefferson Avenue in an email to the group shared with The Lookout. With DPW’s timeline targeting a late-summer 2026 start for Phase 3 (E. Leigh St. to E. Clay St.), and the city’s 2027 fiscal budgeting and capital improvements plan currently being hammered out, they encouraged neighbors to voice their continued support for the project to DPW Director Bobby Vincent and City Council President and 7th District representative Cynthia Newbille, and/or to swing by the Union Hill Civic Association’s next meeting at 6:30 on December 9th at Challenge Discovery Projects for more info.

🎃 Pitching “BooFest on Broad” to the Church Hill Association

This past Tuesday at the Church Hill Association’s (CHA) monthly membership meeting in St. John’s Parish House, I delivered a brief presentation about the idea of closing East Broad St. for Halloween, first laid out in my mid-October column entitled, uh, “Let's close East Broad Street for Halloween.” The ~50 members in attendance seemed interested by the event concept, which we² have taken to calling “BooFest on Broad;” the next step, as I understand it, is discussing the matter in more detail with the CHA Events committee at its next meeting on December 10th, which I am tentatively planning to attend.

The deck I presented is pretty rudimentary, basically just a chopped-up version of the column that kicked this whole thing off. But if you’re interested in leafing through it and laughing at my replacement-level PowerPoint skills, it’s in The Lookout’s share drive for your review. Big thanks to CHA President Vernon Plack for making time to present this idea to the community—and to all the Lookout readers who have voiced their support for it in the comments and on social media. Let’s close E. Broad St. for Halloween 2026! We can do it, I believe in us.

📢 Happenings on The Hill

• Find it: What you need, that is, at Del. Rae Cousins’ second-annual Community Resource Fair tomorrow (11/22) from 11am-1pm at the Annie Giles Community Center. More info here, RSVP here.

• Spin it: Friend Bar is going late tomorrow night with handmade pierogi from Ryba’s and DJ sets from 8pm-12am. Details here.

• Can it: Bring shelf-stable foods to Second Bottle now through Sunday (11/23), and they’ll help distribute those items to RVA Community Fridges citywide. More info here.

• Grab it: The Chimborazo Elementary School Parent Teacher Association’s annual holiday cookie box fundraiser is now live, and the treats always sell out. Buy your box here.

• Sip it: Oh also, The Beet Box is donating a portion of sales on Saturday and Sunday to Chimborazo PTA. Info here.

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

📸 A Very CHill Photo

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.

1  As tipster Eva C. pointed out, not only was the rendering fake, but the real-life lot it depicted was actually then being prepped for Commission of Architectural Review-approved construction on a two-story building, which is now underway.

2  That’s yours truly, and Lookout reader/The Mount Carmel Baptist Church member/local business owner Liz Petty, who’s been instrumental in laying this early groundwork for Halloween 2026. Thanks Liz!

3  This is different from, but related to, the city’s Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan (CHSP), the finalized version of which was also published this week. It’s 202 pages long, and I didn’t have time to leaf through it, but it’s available for your review, and I’ll have more on it soon.