Tomorrow’s Richmond

City leaders seek public input on a master plan to guide economic development and public infrastructure over the next two decades

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Destiny’s Child and OutKast were still together, and the Motorola Razr flip phone was three years from hitting the market the last time Richmond’s master plan was updated. That was back in 2001, and just as denim-on-denim outfits are no longer considered “on trend,” Richmond’s master plan isn’t relevant anymore, either.

Coined “Richmond 300” to honor the city’s 300th birthday in 2037, the updated plan will be used to guide land rezonings, capital funding allocations, public infrastructure and economic development projects — including new neighborhoods — over the next 20 years, and the city administration, staff and consultant teams want as much public input as possible.

“The voices at the table will create what the city looks like in 2037, and it cannot look like one race, one gender or one economic background,” Mayor Levar Stoney said at a June 28 news conference announcing the effort to update the master plan. “Cities don’t grow, neighborhoods don’t grow and aren’t created or designed by accident. People need to get around tables, get in rooms together to create the vision they want to see.”

Just since 2010, the population within the city’s 62.5-square-mile footprint has grown by more than 27,000 residents, with an 8 percent increase from 2010 to 2015 alone.

Mark Olinger, director of the city’s Department of Planning and Development Review, says the Richmond 300 team has laid out an ideal metric of having 6,600 people, roughly 3 percent of the city’s population, participate in crafting the new master plan through a series of “community consultations” beginning this fall.

“It’s been 18 years; the city is radically different today than it was when the last master plan was adopted, and we need to think critically about what that investment strategy is and continue the momentum,” Olinger says.

An initial series of five “open houses” will take place over a two-week period from Sept. 16-29, where the community is encouraged to attend and share their perspective on “what land-use issues are important to them.” The open house locations have not yet been announced, but will have flexible hours, provide child care on site and have Spanish translators available.

“The city is size-constrained … so if we want to continue to serve the residents, and the other customers and stakeholders of the city, we’re going to need to use that precious resource of real estate to its fullest advantage to create the best city possible,” Olinger says. “I think we can do that without damaging our existing neighborhoods, but we can also create new neighborhoods for the next century.”

Stoney is also encouraging residents to consider becoming volunteer “ambassadors” for the project by spreading public awareness and serving as facilitators, scribes, greeters and ushers at community events. Olinger says the first round of ambassador trainings just recently took place, and more will be scheduled soon.

Currently, the Richmond 300 team comprises city administration and staff, as well as a slew of consultants:

A 21-member advisory council will also serve as a subcommittee to the Richmond Planning Commission in guiding the priorities and focus of the plan’s development, in addition to increasing public visibility and awareness of the project and its goals.

The advisory council members were selected from a pool of more than 150 applications, and they include young, diverse voices: 15 members are younger than 45, 12 are women, and 11 are minorities (see the full list below).

The tentative project timeline is still in its early stages. The planning department does not anticipate a final draft presentation to the Planning Commission or City Council until around 2020, but the process is already underway.

City planners have developed three existing conditions documents to prepare for the master plan process, including a pre-final draft of the department’s “Insights Report,” which serves as a summary of scope and mission for the project. The planning department also commissioned Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) to produce the “Urban Design Typology Report” and the “Land Use, Housing, and Demographic Analysis Report,” both published in September 2017.

Parking consultant DESMAN also conducted a series of “parking forums” in six areas of the city the week of June 12-16. The presentation materials and findings from the Brookland Park/Six Points, Carytown, Fan, Scott’s Addition, Manchester, Downtown and Libbie/Grove/Patterson neighborhoods are posted online, and the Richmond 300 team is seeking residents’ feedback via an online survey through Sunday,  July 8.

“This does not happen by accident,” Stoney said during the news conference. “This is about your city and the love for your city. And it’s my hope that you take the time out of your busy day to get involved some way, somehow, at one of our community meetings or also by becoming an ambassador as well.”

Advisory Council members:

  • Rodney M. Poole (chairman)
  • Max Hepp-Buchanan (vice chairman)
  • Burt Pinnock (vice chairman)
  • Jonathan Bibbs
  • Cyane Crump
  • LaToya Gray
  • Bernard Harkless
  • Ashley Hawkins
  • Elyana Javaheri
  • Joyce M. Knight
  • Preston Lloyd
  • Louise Lockett
  • Monica Lozano
  • Jer’Mykeal McCoy
  • Jennifer Mullen
  • Kendra Norrell
  • Gray O’Dwyer
  • Damian Pitt
  • Ted Ukrop
  • Meredith Weiss
  • Olivya Wilson