A map of the plan’s study area, outlined in red. The area includes properties planned for the Shockoe Bottom Heritage Campus, which is prominent in the plan. (City documents)
Vote to adopt years-in-the-making Shockoe area plan on city planning agenda
The Richmond Planning Commission meets Monday at 1:30 p.m. Full agenda here.
Business includes a resolution to adopt the Shockoe Small Area Plan, a 150-page document in the works for four years that’s meant to supplement the citywide Richmond 300 master plan. The area plan focuses on Shockoe Bottom and the eastern edge of Shockoe Slip, providing a guide for development and documenting the area’s cultural resources and history.
Also on the agenda is an amendment to the commission’s rules and procedures to change its regular meeting. The amendment would add a second monthly meeting, with meetings held the first and second Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m.
RRHA hires new CFO; Johnson, Pitchford to lead board
From left: Bill Johnson Jr., Charlene Pitchford and Dyanne Broidy.
Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority hired Precious Washington as CFO and senior vice president. It also named associate lead counsel Tonise Webb as chief compliance officer.
Washington, a New Orleans native, served in top finance positions at the housing authorities of New Orleans and Baltimore City. She has a bachelor’s in accounting from Southern University at New Orleans and a master of business administration from University of Phoenix. She also is a Certified Rental Housing Development Finance Professional with the National Development Council.
The RRHA Board of Commissioners elected W.R. “Bill” Johnson Jr. as chairman and Charlene Pitchford as vice chair. Longtime Fairfield resident Dyanne Broidy was appointed to the board as a resident commissioner.
Henrico breaks ground on $15M southeastern area police station
A rendering of the new South Station facility. (Image courtesy Henrico County)
Henrico County officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for South Station, a new facility for the police division at 640 N. Airport Drive. Once completed in early 2025, the station will replace the Fair Oaks Station at Eastpark Court, where the division has leased space for its southeastern units for nearly 20 years.
Projected to cost $15.2 million, South Station will total nearly 20,000 square feet on an 11-acre site. It will house units assigned to patrol, special operations and emergency response, and include administrative offices, training and conference rooms, breakrooms, exercise and locker facilities, and a garage bay.
The facility also will feature an emergency communications training center, which could serve as a backup 911 call center, and a 5,000-square-foot K-9 training facility with a fenced, outdoor training area.
Henrico Police operates from three stations across the county. Fair Oaks Station serves areas east of Creighton Road. Central Station, at 7850 Villa Park Drive, and West Station, at 7721 E. Parham Road, focus on Henrico’s central and western areas.
‘State of the County’ address delivered at new Henrico sports arena
The State of the County address was held at the new Henrico Sports & Events Center. (Henrico County photo)
Henrico held its annual State of the County address at the new Henrico Sports & Events Center at the transforming Virginia Center Commons site.
About 400 attendees received an overview of Henrico’s accomplishments this year from County Manager John Vithoulkas, Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Amy Cashwell and other administrators in service areas including education, finance, economic development, tourism, infrastructure, housing, sustainability and public safety.
The full address can be watched here.
Hanover Planning Commission defers vote on large data center project
Denver-based company Tract in early September filed a rezoning application for 1,200 acres to establish a data center park outside Ashland and east of I-95. (Image courtesy Hanover County)
The Hanover Planning Commission has decided to delay its consideration of a proposed 1,200-acre data center park until next year.
Denver-based company Tract seeks rezoning approval for the property outside Ashland to create a shovel-ready development site for a future data center park, which would be located along Hickory Hill Road east of Interstate 95 in Hanover County.
The proposed data center park is expected to be able to accommodate several dozen facilities and hundreds of employees. Tract plans to set up the groundwork for the park and would later sell portions of the site to companies that would build their own facilities at the park, should the county approve the project.
Tract also wants a special exception to allow four buildings to be up to 140 feet tall. Proffered conditions of the project include the requirement the center could only allow data processing uses and permitted accessory uses.
In addition to the rezoning, Tract is seeking a special exception to allow four buildings to be up to 140 feet tall. Among the proffered conditions of the project is a guarantee the center would only allow data processing facilities and permitted accessory uses.
The commission voted last week to defer whether it will vote to recommend the project until January. Once the commission makes a recommendation on whether to approve the project, the Board of Supervisors will consider it for final approval.
Chesterfield Planning Commission endorses Sina Hospitality hotel proposal
The Chesterfield Planning Commission last week voted to recommend approval of a new extended-stay hotel on Providence Road.
Sina Hospitality wants to build a TownePlace Suites at 101 N. Providence Road. The company’s rezoning request now goes to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
The project entails a four-story, 90-room hotel and 90-space parking lot, according to an October concept plan. The latest plan also shows proposed 5-foot sidewalks along North Providence Road and on Buford Road, as well as a crosswalk from Twinridge Lane to North Providence Road.
A previous version of the project included a shared-use path on North Providence, which was eliminated from the project. Also new to the project is the proposed crosswalk.
There would be vehicular access to the hotel from both North Providence and Buford roads.
The hotel has been pitched for a 2.2-acre site that consists of several parcels. Sina acquired the project site for $480,000 in 2020, according to online land records.
A map of the plan’s study area, outlined in red. The area includes properties planned for the Shockoe Bottom Heritage Campus, which is prominent in the plan. (City documents)
Vote to adopt years-in-the-making Shockoe area plan on city planning agenda
The Richmond Planning Commission meets Monday at 1:30 p.m. Full agenda here.
Business includes a resolution to adopt the Shockoe Small Area Plan, a 150-page document in the works for four years that’s meant to supplement the citywide Richmond 300 master plan. The area plan focuses on Shockoe Bottom and the eastern edge of Shockoe Slip, providing a guide for development and documenting the area’s cultural resources and history.
Also on the agenda is an amendment to the commission’s rules and procedures to change its regular meeting. The amendment would add a second monthly meeting, with meetings held the first and second Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m.
RRHA hires new CFO; Johnson, Pitchford to lead board
From left: Bill Johnson Jr., Charlene Pitchford and Dyanne Broidy.
Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority hired Precious Washington as CFO and senior vice president. It also named associate lead counsel Tonise Webb as chief compliance officer.
Washington, a New Orleans native, served in top finance positions at the housing authorities of New Orleans and Baltimore City. She has a bachelor’s in accounting from Southern University at New Orleans and a master of business administration from University of Phoenix. She also is a Certified Rental Housing Development Finance Professional with the National Development Council.
The RRHA Board of Commissioners elected W.R. “Bill” Johnson Jr. as chairman and Charlene Pitchford as vice chair. Longtime Fairfield resident Dyanne Broidy was appointed to the board as a resident commissioner.
Henrico breaks ground on $15M southeastern area police station
A rendering of the new South Station facility. (Image courtesy Henrico County)
Henrico County officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for South Station, a new facility for the police division at 640 N. Airport Drive. Once completed in early 2025, the station will replace the Fair Oaks Station at Eastpark Court, where the division has leased space for its southeastern units for nearly 20 years.
Projected to cost $15.2 million, South Station will total nearly 20,000 square feet on an 11-acre site. It will house units assigned to patrol, special operations and emergency response, and include administrative offices, training and conference rooms, breakrooms, exercise and locker facilities, and a garage bay.
The facility also will feature an emergency communications training center, which could serve as a backup 911 call center, and a 5,000-square-foot K-9 training facility with a fenced, outdoor training area.
Henrico Police operates from three stations across the county. Fair Oaks Station serves areas east of Creighton Road. Central Station, at 7850 Villa Park Drive, and West Station, at 7721 E. Parham Road, focus on Henrico’s central and western areas.
‘State of the County’ address delivered at new Henrico sports arena
The State of the County address was held at the new Henrico Sports & Events Center. (Henrico County photo)
Henrico held its annual State of the County address at the new Henrico Sports & Events Center at the transforming Virginia Center Commons site.
About 400 attendees received an overview of Henrico’s accomplishments this year from County Manager John Vithoulkas, Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Amy Cashwell and other administrators in service areas including education, finance, economic development, tourism, infrastructure, housing, sustainability and public safety.
The full address can be watched here.
Hanover Planning Commission defers vote on large data center project
Denver-based company Tract in early September filed a rezoning application for 1,200 acres to establish a data center park outside Ashland and east of I-95. (Image courtesy Hanover County)
The Hanover Planning Commission has decided to delay its consideration of a proposed 1,200-acre data center park until next year.
Denver-based company Tract seeks rezoning approval for the property outside Ashland to create a shovel-ready development site for a future data center park, which would be located along Hickory Hill Road east of Interstate 95 in Hanover County.
The proposed data center park is expected to be able to accommodate several dozen facilities and hundreds of employees. Tract plans to set up the groundwork for the park and would later sell portions of the site to companies that would build their own facilities at the park, should the county approve the project.
Tract also wants a special exception to allow four buildings to be up to 140 feet tall. Proffered conditions of the project include the requirement the center could only allow data processing uses and permitted accessory uses.
In addition to the rezoning, Tract is seeking a special exception to allow four buildings to be up to 140 feet tall. Among the proffered conditions of the project is a guarantee the center would only allow data processing facilities and permitted accessory uses.
The commission voted last week to defer whether it will vote to recommend the project until January. Once the commission makes a recommendation on whether to approve the project, the Board of Supervisors will consider it for final approval.
Chesterfield Planning Commission endorses Sina Hospitality hotel proposal
The Chesterfield Planning Commission last week voted to recommend approval of a new extended-stay hotel on Providence Road.
Sina Hospitality wants to build a TownePlace Suites at 101 N. Providence Road. The company’s rezoning request now goes to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
The project entails a four-story, 90-room hotel and 90-space parking lot, according to an October concept plan. The latest plan also shows proposed 5-foot sidewalks along North Providence Road and on Buford Road, as well as a crosswalk from Twinridge Lane to North Providence Road.
A previous version of the project included a shared-use path on North Providence, which was eliminated from the project. Also new to the project is the proposed crosswalk.
There would be vehicular access to the hotel from both North Providence and Buford roads.
The hotel has been pitched for a 2.2-acre site that consists of several parcels. Sina acquired the project site for $480,000 in 2020, according to online land records.