13 Responses to “rezoning meeting tonight”

1. posted by Magneto at May 23, 2008 8:27 am :
   

   Did anyone attend this meeting? If so, can we all get a summary of what was discussed?

2. posted by John Sanchez at May 27, 2008 11:24 am :
   

   Attended meeting on Thursday. Gist of meeting concerned implementation of new R-63 zoning and creation of parking overlay for 25th street. On the plus side, the new R-63 allows for corner commercial uses and waives any parking requirement. Yeah! On the negative side, restaurants are specifically excluded from using the corners. Boo - hiss! The parking overlay district is essentially the same. No parking will be required for small businesses on 25th street. Restaurants are banned from using the overlay district. The bottom line is that this is an attempt by the powers that be to prevent any further restaurant development in Churchill. The real question is, do we as a community think that the two existing sit down restaurants on the hill are enough? Allowing these zoning changes to go through means that it is very unlikely that anyone will be able to get another restaurant going on the hill. Surely, as the neighborhood matures, we could support 6-8 establisments. Am I the only one who thinks that banning further restaurant development is a bad idea?

3. posted by tiny at May 27, 2008 12:13 pm :
   

   What is the reasoning behind the parking restrictions that apply to restaurants only? Who in the city is in charge of this re-zoning effort?

4. posted by Journiyin at May 27, 2008 12:43 pm :
   

   That is a fair question, market wise, the Hill could support two to three more establishments currently, especially further down Broad, across from Chimborazoo - think of an ice cream parlor/diner across from that park - that place would be a boon!

   We just need the staff contact for the City Planning Office to know who to contact about that language.

5. posted by Gray at May 27, 2008 1:33 pm :
   

   I want something like an ET grocery store on the hill.

6. posted by Magneto at May 27, 2008 1:39 pm :
   

   I’ve contacted one of the City’s Planners regarding the rezoning on several occasions. She has been extremely helpful and encourages everyone to contact her with their thoughts and comments about the proposal. Her name is Tarisa Griffith and here is her contact information: Tarisa.Griffith@richmondgov.com
   804-646-6308

7. posted by Kristin at May 29, 2008 5:47 pm :
   

   Can someone suggest a reference that has more thorough details on this rezoning plan, time frame, specifics, etc? Thanks. John Sanchez, I’m with you- I think we could definitely support a couple more restaurants, especially in years to come. How quickly is this moving forward and what do we need to do to stop it? What is the ultimate reason for the city to stop restaurant development in this area? I can’t think of why that would in any way be a benefit to whomever is behind this rezoning plan.

8. posted by j at May 29, 2008 7:14 pm :
   

   This “ban” might just be a way for the city to make sure each restaurant in this area gets board approval.

   Zoning can take away the ability to build or open a business “by right,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the intention of the city to prevent restaurants from opening.

9. posted by LC at May 29, 2008 9:36 pm :
   

   Please explain “the ability to build or open a businness ‘by right’ “. Not being cute here, honestly want to understand what that means.

10. posted by Kristin at May 29, 2008 11:29 pm :
    

    I really wish I had been able to make this meeting last week. Again, can anyone point me in the right direction for more concrete info on this topic?

11. posted by j at May 29, 2008 11:52 pm :
    

    It just means that you have the right to build or open a business if it fits in with the type of zoning allowed. If you follow their zoning rules, they can’t really stop you.

    For example (a bit oversimplified):

    The city could rezone the entire area to only allow one house per acre.

    If you have an acre of land then the city can’t really stop you from building a house.

    But if you wanted to build a restaurant or a store or a factory or build 100 houses on that acre, then you would need a zoning variance, usually approved by the board of zoning and the city council.

    This allows the city to approve projects on a case-by-case basis.

    It can be used to keep out unwanted businesses that could hurt the neighborhood (for example a loud strip club with spotlights pointing into the air). But it also leaves room for abuse (such as racism, cronyism or bribery) and can be a real deterrent for someone trying to start a business.

12. posted by j at May 30, 2008 12:27 am :
    

    This a continuation of what was discussed in November, right?:
    http://chpn.net/news/2007/11/22/zoning-change-for-church-hillunion-hill/

13. posted by UnionHill RVA at May 30, 2008 12:44 am :
    

    Kristen, the best person to field all of your questions is Tarisa Griffith, the City Planner who ran the meeting last week. She is accessible, down-to-earth and happy to explain every little detail. I know, cause I had a boat load of questions and just picked up the phone and called her.

    Not only did she answere all my questions, but she/staff have incorporated a lot of neighborhood requests in the zoning plan (many voiced at Jan 08 Union Hill Assoc. mtg which she attended.)

    Tarisa can be reached at 646-6308.

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