
The top floor of a four-story building proposed to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building would be office space that also has an outdoor terrace. (BizSense file photos)
Four-story building at Patterson and Libbie on city planning agenda
The Richmond Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Continued from last month is a special-use request for a four-story commercial building planned to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building at 5728 Patterson Ave. The building at the corner of Patterson and Libbie avenues also houses gift shops Gild and Ash and Relics to Rhinestones.
The new structure would include three stories of office space above ground-floor retail space. The 74-year-old bakery is likely to be part of the new project and continue to operate there. Planning the project are the building’s landlord, the Robins family, and Tyler Currie, a local real estate investor.
Also continued from January is a special-use request for a restaurant at 3401 Patterson Ave. in the Museum District. Plans show a restaurant called “Antonelli’s Deli” would use the former dry cleaners building, which previously had been floated for a PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans location.
Other business includes a special-use request to add six townhomes beside an existing four-unit multifamily dwelling at 3618 Hawthorne Ave., beside Laburnum Avenue. Baker Development Resources is handling the request for an LLC tied to Stephen Brown.
The full meeting agenda can be viewed here.
Richmond code refresh is topic of panel discussion, open houses next week
The City of Richmond will host a panel discussion and open houses next week on the city’s code refresh effort.
The panel discussion will be held Feb. 11 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Panelists will discuss economics of housing, housing attainability in Richmond, and the code refresh process and its implications for the future development of Richmond.
Panelists include Marion Cake, VP of affordable housing development at project:HOMES; Thomas Fitzpatrick, executive director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of VA; Peter Tatian, senior fellow and research director for urban-greater D.C. at Urban Institute; and Toccarra Nicole Thomas, director of land use and development at Smart Growth America. The panel will be moderated by Traci Deshazor, Richmond’s deputy chief administrative officer for human services.
Open houses on the code refresh’s draft pattern book and potential zoning districts are scheduled Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at City Hall and from 4-7 p.m. at Huguenot Community Center at 7945 Forest Hill Ave., and on Feb. 13 from 4-7 p.m. at the Main Library Branch at 101 E. Franklin St.
More on the code refresh effort is available on the city’s website.
Henrico board OK’s plan for 41 townhomes near Shire Walk
At their meeting last week, Henrico supervisors approved a request from Main Street Homes to rezone 6.5 acres on the north side of Church Road west of its intersection with John Rolfe Parkway to allow 41 two-story townhomes. The site is across Church from Shire Walk, an 81-townhome development also led by Main Street Homes.
Also approved was Johnny Giavos’ request for a provisional-use permit to allow outdoor seating at the Stella’s Grocery at River Road Shopping Center.
Chesterfield tourism office launches history-focused campaign

Henricus Historical Park is a living history museum dedicated to the Citie of Henricus, which was founded in 1611.
Chesterfield’s relatively new, tourism-focused department has rolled out a program about the county’s history.
The Sports, Visitation and Entertainment Department last week announced the launch of History Happened Here, which explores 400-plus years of Chesterfield’s history.
The campaign includes a video that provides an overview of Chesterfield’s history and blog posts about major historic events and attractions. The project also includes radio spots, billboards, events and history quizzes on social media platforms, according to a county news release.
The campaign is intended to raise awareness of Chesterfield’s role in national history for residents and visitors. Highlights include Henricus Historical Park, which is a historical site near Chester devoted to the English settlement founded in 1611 and Powhatan town of Arrohateck, as well as Pleasant View School, which was an early 20th century schoolhouse for black children.
The campaign is part of Experience Chesterfield, a program that promotes restaurants and recreational amenities in Chesterfield.
“Experience Chesterfield was created to educate and inform residents about our endless assets when it comes to fun, entertainment, outdoor activities and history,” tourism department director J.C. Poma said in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to elevate Chesterfield’s compelling stories and guide residents and visitors to the places they can visit to experience our county’s historic milestones.”
An arm of the county department that also oversees sports tourism efforts, Experience Chesterfield’s programming also includes the county’s restaurant week event.

The top floor of a four-story building proposed to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building would be office space that also has an outdoor terrace. (BizSense file photos)
Four-story building at Patterson and Libbie on city planning agenda
The Richmond Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Continued from last month is a special-use request for a four-story commercial building planned to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building at 5728 Patterson Ave. The building at the corner of Patterson and Libbie avenues also houses gift shops Gild and Ash and Relics to Rhinestones.
The new structure would include three stories of office space above ground-floor retail space. The 74-year-old bakery is likely to be part of the new project and continue to operate there. Planning the project are the building’s landlord, the Robins family, and Tyler Currie, a local real estate investor.
Also continued from January is a special-use request for a restaurant at 3401 Patterson Ave. in the Museum District. Plans show a restaurant called “Antonelli’s Deli” would use the former dry cleaners building, which previously had been floated for a PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans location.
Other business includes a special-use request to add six townhomes beside an existing four-unit multifamily dwelling at 3618 Hawthorne Ave., beside Laburnum Avenue. Baker Development Resources is handling the request for an LLC tied to Stephen Brown.
The full meeting agenda can be viewed here.
Richmond code refresh is topic of panel discussion, open houses next week
The City of Richmond will host a panel discussion and open houses next week on the city’s code refresh effort.
The panel discussion will be held Feb. 11 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Panelists will discuss economics of housing, housing attainability in Richmond, and the code refresh process and its implications for the future development of Richmond.
Panelists include Marion Cake, VP of affordable housing development at project:HOMES; Thomas Fitzpatrick, executive director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of VA; Peter Tatian, senior fellow and research director for urban-greater D.C. at Urban Institute; and Toccarra Nicole Thomas, director of land use and development at Smart Growth America. The panel will be moderated by Traci Deshazor, Richmond’s deputy chief administrative officer for human services.
Open houses on the code refresh’s draft pattern book and potential zoning districts are scheduled Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at City Hall and from 4-7 p.m. at Huguenot Community Center at 7945 Forest Hill Ave., and on Feb. 13 from 4-7 p.m. at the Main Library Branch at 101 E. Franklin St.
More on the code refresh effort is available on the city’s website.
Henrico board OK’s plan for 41 townhomes near Shire Walk
At their meeting last week, Henrico supervisors approved a request from Main Street Homes to rezone 6.5 acres on the north side of Church Road west of its intersection with John Rolfe Parkway to allow 41 two-story townhomes. The site is across Church from Shire Walk, an 81-townhome development also led by Main Street Homes.
Also approved was Johnny Giavos’ request for a provisional-use permit to allow outdoor seating at the Stella’s Grocery at River Road Shopping Center.
Chesterfield tourism office launches history-focused campaign

Henricus Historical Park is a living history museum dedicated to the Citie of Henricus, which was founded in 1611.
Chesterfield’s relatively new, tourism-focused department has rolled out a program about the county’s history.
The Sports, Visitation and Entertainment Department last week announced the launch of History Happened Here, which explores 400-plus years of Chesterfield’s history.
The campaign includes a video that provides an overview of Chesterfield’s history and blog posts about major historic events and attractions. The project also includes radio spots, billboards, events and history quizzes on social media platforms, according to a county news release.
The campaign is intended to raise awareness of Chesterfield’s role in national history for residents and visitors. Highlights include Henricus Historical Park, which is a historical site near Chester devoted to the English settlement founded in 1611 and Powhatan town of Arrohateck, as well as Pleasant View School, which was an early 20th century schoolhouse for black children.
The campaign is part of Experience Chesterfield, a program that promotes restaurants and recreational amenities in Chesterfield.
“Experience Chesterfield was created to educate and inform residents about our endless assets when it comes to fun, entertainment, outdoor activities and history,” tourism department director J.C. Poma said in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to elevate Chesterfield’s compelling stories and guide residents and visitors to the places they can visit to experience our county’s historic milestones.”
An arm of the county department that also oversees sports tourism efforts, Experience Chesterfield’s programming also includes the county’s restaurant week event.