A recent conceptual rendering of the Diamond District along Arthur Ashe Boulevard. (City documents)
Diamond District bonds, CDA on City Council committee agenda
Several high-dollar items are to be reviewed by Richmond City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Standing Committee this week.
Ordinances to be reviewed include acceptance of $100 million in state grant funds for the city’s combined sewer overflow project, and a $988,000 appropriation from $9 million in increased revenues from estimated interest income in the current city budget for parks improvement projects,
The committee will also review ordinances tied to a change in approach to financing the first phase of the Diamond District project, including the new ballpark that would anchor the development. The ordinances would authorize the city to issue $170 million in bonds to finance the total phase, create a community development authority (CDA) for future phases, amend the project’s development agreement
The full meeting agenda can be found here.
Chesterfield approves FY25 budget, makes tax rate reductions
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors last week approved the county’s budget for fiscal year 2025.
The $2 billion budget goes into effect July 1 and is a $100 million increase compared with the current FY24 budget. The FY25 general fund, the budget’s main operating fund, is $998.9 million, or a roughly $47 million increase compared to FY24.
Part of the FY25 budget plan but not yet approved is a $300 million bonds issuance for road projects, with roughly half the funds to be used to build the first phase of the Powhite Parkway extension project.
The bonds package is subject to a separate vote slated for May 15.
Supervisors approved a 1-cent cut to the real estate tax rate to 90 cents per $100 assessed value. Chesterfield has projected it will collect $701.7 million in general property taxes, which includes real estate and personal property taxes, a nearly 7% increase compared to the $656.5 million anticipated in the adopted FY24 budget.
The board also cut 25 cents off the county’s personal property tax rate, setting it at $3.35 per $100 of assessed value. The county board also increased the personal property tax relief threshold from 39% to 44%.
County officials adjusted upward the budget’s general fund by about $499,000 after it was originally proposed.
StyleCraft townhomes project in Rockwood area up for Planning Commission vote
A conceptual plan of the Rockwood Grove project. (County documents)
The Chesterfield Planning Commission is scheduled Tuesday to consider a residential project in the Rockwood area of the county.
StyleCraft Homes is seeking zoning approval for a mixed-use project of up to 260 townhomes and office space near Rockwood Park.
The proposed development, called Rockwood Grove, would rise on a 35-acre assemblage that includes the parcel at 9701 Hull Street Road.
The project has evolved in the runup to its review by the Planning Commission. StyleCraft in May 2023 had planned a denser project of up to 420 units split between apartments and townhomes. The latest version of the project features only townhomes on the residential side, and also introduces a proposed office use for the site.
The company is seeking to rezone the project site to Residential Townhouse (R-TH) with conditional use planned development, and also is seeking exceptions to permit the office development and remove the requirement to build a bikeway, according to a staff report.
The development is planned to be built within the part of the county subject to the Rockwood Special Focus Area plan, which is intended to guide redevelopment of the aging retail centers at Hull Street and Courthouse roads and the surrounding area.
The Planning Commission will decide whether to recommend the Board of Supervisors should provide final approval of the project. The board will consider the case at a later date.
The Planning Commission’s full agenda can be found here.
Henrico commission advances 600-acre data centers project, Costco expansion
At its meeting last week, the Henrico County Planning Commission recommended approval of a previously deferred request to rezone 622 acres southeast of the Interstate 64-295 interchange in Varina for an industrial development including advanced manufacturing and data centers. The request stems from an earlier proposal from Atlantic Crossing LLC, which includes Texas-based Hillwood Development.
The commission also supported Costco’s plan to expand the footprint of its warehouse store at 9650 W. Broad St. and relocate its gas station to the neighboring plot at 9700-9750 W. Broad St.
Both cases now go to county supervisors for a final vote.
Ashland makes in-house promotions to fill assistant town manager positions
Ashland announced last week that two current employees are moving up in the town government.
Martha Miller
Martha Miller has been named assistant town manager of external operations and Doug Goodman has been tapped to serve as assistant town manager of internal operations. Miller and Goodman will assume their new posts effective June 25, according to a town news release.
Doug Goodman
As the external operations manager, Miller will lead community engagement efforts, manage parks and recreation and oversee legislative affairs. Miller is the town’s community engagement manager, where she handles civic participation initiatives and tourism marketing. She has degrees from James Madison University and Johns Hopkins University.
Goodman, a former Ashland police chief, is the town’s administrative services coordinator. In that role, he oversees grant projects tied to the American Rescue Plan Act and is the town clerk. Goodman has degrees from Virginia Tech and VCU.
Goodman as the internal operations manager will continue to handle those responsibilities, as well as manage IT and HR operations among other duties.
A recent conceptual rendering of the Diamond District along Arthur Ashe Boulevard. (City documents)
Diamond District bonds, CDA on City Council committee agenda
Several high-dollar items are to be reviewed by Richmond City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Standing Committee this week.
Ordinances to be reviewed include acceptance of $100 million in state grant funds for the city’s combined sewer overflow project, and a $988,000 appropriation from $9 million in increased revenues from estimated interest income in the current city budget for parks improvement projects,
The committee will also review ordinances tied to a change in approach to financing the first phase of the Diamond District project, including the new ballpark that would anchor the development. The ordinances would authorize the city to issue $170 million in bonds to finance the total phase, create a community development authority (CDA) for future phases, amend the project’s development agreement
The full meeting agenda can be found here.
Chesterfield approves FY25 budget, makes tax rate reductions
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors last week approved the county’s budget for fiscal year 2025.
The $2 billion budget goes into effect July 1 and is a $100 million increase compared with the current FY24 budget. The FY25 general fund, the budget’s main operating fund, is $998.9 million, or a roughly $47 million increase compared to FY24.
Part of the FY25 budget plan but not yet approved is a $300 million bonds issuance for road projects, with roughly half the funds to be used to build the first phase of the Powhite Parkway extension project.
The bonds package is subject to a separate vote slated for May 15.
Supervisors approved a 1-cent cut to the real estate tax rate to 90 cents per $100 assessed value. Chesterfield has projected it will collect $701.7 million in general property taxes, which includes real estate and personal property taxes, a nearly 7% increase compared to the $656.5 million anticipated in the adopted FY24 budget.
The board also cut 25 cents off the county’s personal property tax rate, setting it at $3.35 per $100 of assessed value. The county board also increased the personal property tax relief threshold from 39% to 44%.
County officials adjusted upward the budget’s general fund by about $499,000 after it was originally proposed.
StyleCraft townhomes project in Rockwood area up for Planning Commission vote
A conceptual plan of the Rockwood Grove project. (County documents)
The Chesterfield Planning Commission is scheduled Tuesday to consider a residential project in the Rockwood area of the county.
StyleCraft Homes is seeking zoning approval for a mixed-use project of up to 260 townhomes and office space near Rockwood Park.
The proposed development, called Rockwood Grove, would rise on a 35-acre assemblage that includes the parcel at 9701 Hull Street Road.
The project has evolved in the runup to its review by the Planning Commission. StyleCraft in May 2023 had planned a denser project of up to 420 units split between apartments and townhomes. The latest version of the project features only townhomes on the residential side, and also introduces a proposed office use for the site.
The company is seeking to rezone the project site to Residential Townhouse (R-TH) with conditional use planned development, and also is seeking exceptions to permit the office development and remove the requirement to build a bikeway, according to a staff report.
The development is planned to be built within the part of the county subject to the Rockwood Special Focus Area plan, which is intended to guide redevelopment of the aging retail centers at Hull Street and Courthouse roads and the surrounding area.
The Planning Commission will decide whether to recommend the Board of Supervisors should provide final approval of the project. The board will consider the case at a later date.
The Planning Commission’s full agenda can be found here.
Henrico commission advances 600-acre data centers project, Costco expansion
At its meeting last week, the Henrico County Planning Commission recommended approval of a previously deferred request to rezone 622 acres southeast of the Interstate 64-295 interchange in Varina for an industrial development including advanced manufacturing and data centers. The request stems from an earlier proposal from Atlantic Crossing LLC, which includes Texas-based Hillwood Development.
The commission also supported Costco’s plan to expand the footprint of its warehouse store at 9650 W. Broad St. and relocate its gas station to the neighboring plot at 9700-9750 W. Broad St.
Both cases now go to county supervisors for a final vote.
Ashland makes in-house promotions to fill assistant town manager positions
Ashland announced last week that two current employees are moving up in the town government.
Martha Miller
Martha Miller has been named assistant town manager of external operations and Doug Goodman has been tapped to serve as assistant town manager of internal operations. Miller and Goodman will assume their new posts effective June 25, according to a town news release.
Doug Goodman
As the external operations manager, Miller will lead community engagement efforts, manage parks and recreation and oversee legislative affairs. Miller is the town’s community engagement manager, where she handles civic participation initiatives and tourism marketing. She has degrees from James Madison University and Johns Hopkins University.
Goodman, a former Ashland police chief, is the town’s administrative services coordinator. In that role, he oversees grant projects tied to the American Rescue Plan Act and is the town clerk. Goodman has degrees from Virginia Tech and VCU.
Goodman as the internal operations manager will continue to handle those responsibilities, as well as manage IT and HR operations among other duties.