Code Refresh Open House

My comment is this; Stop any inclination to mess up RVA's nicer neighborhoods by jamming oversized apartment complexes and other disproportional housing into them. The huge apartment complex going up at Grove and Thompson is absurd: It's way too big, obviously; it overwhelms the street corner where it is being constructed and it is way out of proportion to the rest of the neighborhood. It's ridiculous. The massive apartment complex going up at Allen and Leigh is also ridiculous. Massive apartment structures are not unattractive and an aesthetic blight on neighborhoods. Build where there is space; stop trying to jam housing into areas that are already tight with housing. Richard Ernsberger

Can we have garbage cans installed by the city or property owner for businesses that provide take out. Too often people will sit nearby and litter. It ends up in the street or on adjacent property owners property.

-As the 2009 RIchmond 300 looked to other city grids for inspiration (see Richmond in comparison to Savannah, GA) Richmond should set aside local blocks for parks, or work with developers to create community spaces, specifically playgrounds within new development. - Where possible, encourage developers to build underground parking.

- Please look also to the 2013 Hull Street Revitalization Masterplan which called out permeable bus stop infrastructure. As well as protected cycleways, specifically putting trees as a barrier between pedestrians and cyclists and cars. Richmond 300 fails to do that in most planned examples. - The Richmond300 also fails to take into account major infrastructure upgrades that the city needs: lead free pipes, replacing aging sewage infrastructure and the need to bury power lines for increased grid reliability and climate resilience. If we're going to redo streets, lets plan to do Complete Streets that make the city stronger and safer.

More than just streets, Mobility and Transit are shaped by zoning. Dense residential without mixed use encourages driving, creating additional burden for the city and costs to residents. Zoning should be the guide for building that supports long term city goals.

Does the pattern book also include references to lost neighborhoods? Highways, housing projects, and mega blocks removed historic neighborhoods. What opportunities exist to restore or respectfully honor?

Does the code address the differences between priority nodes with small area plans, the neighborhoods and spaces between those nodes and the growth, transition or emergence of new nodes?

Proximity, availability of essential goods, services, and facilities is missing from this list. Second to housing affordability, this might be one of the most significant ways that zoning impacts the average resident.

Is there a working draft of the pattern book available at the moment? Is this being created in conjunction with the city-wide cultural resources stewardship plan?

No need to rub it in.

The height and bulk of buildings should be determined by the demand for square footage on a given site (evidenced by the land price) rather than determined unilaterally by planners, as was the case when most of the buildings in the city were constructed.

current zoning and set backs make it illegal to build the Fan, which is what everyone wants. Every lot needs a SUP and 3 variances. This is ridiculous, legalize building the fan by right