Government

“We will not open another business in the city of Richmond,” one restaurant owner said after dealing with snowballing penalties and interest on meals tax payments that have plagued other operators for years.

Richmond officials confirmed Friday that the city had closed on its nearly $15 million purchase of the long-desired island, which is planned to become part of the James River Park System.

The funds were authorized as part of a contract that gives the ownership group of the Richmond Flying Squirrels more say in the new stadium’s design.

The amended grant agreement requires an investment of at least $75 million. The agreement previously required a $30 million minimum investment at Stonebridge.

The locations open today as the first part of a larger plan to establish additional shelters across the city. Business owners opposed to the Chamberlayne Avenue site have maintained that the plan was rushed without adequate engagement.

The effort to extend Fairground Road in Goochland continues to move forward after the completion of a roundabout at its intersection with Sandy Hook Road.

The county has extended the expiration date of the Route 1 Revitalization Incentive Program for projects along the corridor between the city limit and Old Bermuda Hundred Road.

The 150-page document in the works since 2020 aims to balance development and preservation interests as a supplement to the citywide Richmond 300 plan.

According to the city, the signs couldn’t be turned on even if underway repair work was finished, due to a lingering permitting issue that remains unresolved.

The approvals are first steps in what councilmembers have described as a larger, long-term plan to increase capacity across the city with potentially a shelter in each of its nine magisterial districts.