An illuminated logo sign on Virginia Union University’s Belgian Building tower. (Screenshot courtesy of WTVR)
VUU tower signage, City Center rezoning on Richmond council agenda
The Richmond City Council meets in regular session Monday at 6 p.m. Full agenda here.
On the regular agenda is a resolution to allow Virginia Union University to keep its “VUU” signage on its campus belltower. The illuminated signs were placed without required city and state approvals, and the city’s Commission of Architectural Review has refused to issue a needed certificate of appropriateness, which can be approved by the council on appeal.
A related special-use request to permit the signs is to be continued to the Oct. 10 meeting. An agreement between the university and the state to allow the signs despite a preservation easement was said to be ready for signatures last week.
Business on the consent agenda includes a city-initiated rezoning of the 20-block City Center area in accordance with the adopted City Center Innovation District Small Area Plan.
The council plans to direct the sale of the old Oak Grove Elementary School at 2200 Ingram Ave. for $500,000 to Oak Grove Partners LLC, led by Lynx Ventures, which is planning a $45 million development with 235 income-based residential units. The 5-acre parcel was among 77 city-owned properties declared surplus last year.
Also on the consent agenda is a special-use request for a planned conversion of The Shenandoah building at 501 N. Allen Ave. into a 75-room hotel with a restaurant and bar. Deferred from last month is Blackwood Development’s special-use request for a 250-unit mixed-use building it’s planning at 1701 Roseneath Road.
Emerson townhouse project, private school approved in Chesterfield
Emerson Ventures has received approval from the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors to build a 50-unit townhome development near Cosby High School. (BizSense file image)
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors voted last week to approve a rezoning request by Emerson Ventures for a 50-unit townhome development on about 10 acres at 16321 Hull Street Road, which is near Cosby High School.
Also at last week’s meeting, the board OK’d a request by Second Branch Baptist Church at 12217 Second Branch Road to continue to operate a tutoring program that the board originally approved in 2020.
The approved conditional-use permit expanded the days of operation for the tutoring program but maintained the previous student cap of a maximum of 150 students on premises at a time. The program was initiated early in the pandemic but has continued to be popular, hence the desire to continue to operate the program, per a staff report.
Goochland supervisor Donald Sharpe dies
Donald Sharpe
Goochland County Board of Supervisors member Donald Sharpe died earlier this month, according to a county news release.
Sharpe was elected to the board in 2019.
As a supervisor, Sharpe represented the county as a Plan RVA commissioner and as county representative for the Capital Regional Workforce Partnership.
Sharpe had also been a member of the Goochland Rotary and other groups.
The release stated that Sharpe “passed away unexpectedly” on Sept. 17.
An illuminated logo sign on Virginia Union University’s Belgian Building tower. (Screenshot courtesy of WTVR)
VUU tower signage, City Center rezoning on Richmond council agenda
The Richmond City Council meets in regular session Monday at 6 p.m. Full agenda here.
On the regular agenda is a resolution to allow Virginia Union University to keep its “VUU” signage on its campus belltower. The illuminated signs were placed without required city and state approvals, and the city’s Commission of Architectural Review has refused to issue a needed certificate of appropriateness, which can be approved by the council on appeal.
A related special-use request to permit the signs is to be continued to the Oct. 10 meeting. An agreement between the university and the state to allow the signs despite a preservation easement was said to be ready for signatures last week.
Business on the consent agenda includes a city-initiated rezoning of the 20-block City Center area in accordance with the adopted City Center Innovation District Small Area Plan.
The council plans to direct the sale of the old Oak Grove Elementary School at 2200 Ingram Ave. for $500,000 to Oak Grove Partners LLC, led by Lynx Ventures, which is planning a $45 million development with 235 income-based residential units. The 5-acre parcel was among 77 city-owned properties declared surplus last year.
Also on the consent agenda is a special-use request for a planned conversion of The Shenandoah building at 501 N. Allen Ave. into a 75-room hotel with a restaurant and bar. Deferred from last month is Blackwood Development’s special-use request for a 250-unit mixed-use building it’s planning at 1701 Roseneath Road.
Emerson townhouse project, private school approved in Chesterfield
Emerson Ventures has received approval from the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors to build a 50-unit townhome development near Cosby High School. (BizSense file image)
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors voted last week to approve a rezoning request by Emerson Ventures for a 50-unit townhome development on about 10 acres at 16321 Hull Street Road, which is near Cosby High School.
Also at last week’s meeting, the board OK’d a request by Second Branch Baptist Church at 12217 Second Branch Road to continue to operate a tutoring program that the board originally approved in 2020.
The approved conditional-use permit expanded the days of operation for the tutoring program but maintained the previous student cap of a maximum of 150 students on premises at a time. The program was initiated early in the pandemic but has continued to be popular, hence the desire to continue to operate the program, per a staff report.
Goochland supervisor Donald Sharpe dies
Donald Sharpe
Goochland County Board of Supervisors member Donald Sharpe died earlier this month, according to a county news release.
Sharpe was elected to the board in 2019.
As a supervisor, Sharpe represented the county as a Plan RVA commissioner and as county representative for the Capital Regional Workforce Partnership.
Sharpe had also been a member of the Goochland Rotary and other groups.
The release stated that Sharpe “passed away unexpectedly” on Sept. 17.