Richmond Council to Vote on Gilpin Court Agreement as Central Virginia Boards Meet This Week

Local governments across Central Virginia are scheduled to take up housing, land use, taxes and street naming in meetings this week, with Richmond carrying the heaviest slate.

Richmond City Council meets Monday, informally at 4 p.m. and formally at 6 p.m., at City Hall. In the informal session, councilors will pass along service delivery problems to city administration. The formal agenda includes a vote directing Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The document would set out what role each body plays in redeveloping the Gilpin Court housing community, and council is also asking for similar agreements for future redevelopment of other public housing communities.

The consent agenda carries several special use permits. One covers four single attached homes along Rear Monument Avenue in the 1st District, and another is a conditional permit for live music at Bingo Beer Co. in the 2nd District.

Also on Monday at 6 p.m., the School Board Legislative Committee will discuss the upcoming 1% sales tax referendum and possible revenue from a future cannabis tax. Members will also outline legislative priorities for the 2027 General Assembly session.

On Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Richmond Planning Commission will again review plans for Little John Park. It will then discuss an ordinance on redeveloping 1209 Overbrook Road, the former Richmond Community Hospital site. Virginia Union University is also asking the city to approve a residential apartment complex of roughly 100 units.

On Wednesday, the Finance and Economic Development Standing Committee meets at 2 p.m. It will consider a license agreement allowing the Friends of East End to keep up grounds maintenance, such as clearing overgrowth and documenting gravestones. Another item renews calls to lower the city's tax rate by four cents, from $1.20 to $1.16 per $100 of assessed property value. That evening at 6 p.m., the RPS Facilities & Vacant Property Committee will hear a summer facilities update and school-specific concerns. It will also review proposals for creative reuse of vacant space tied to Swansboro Elementary and Lois Harrison-Jones Elementary.

In Charlottesville, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meets Monday at 5 p.m. at CitySpace. After an update on the Charlottesville Parks Foundation, it will take public comment and vote on a proposed policy for allocating reservations of courts, fields and pools. The Economic Development Authority meets Tuesday at 4 p.m. for updates on the innovation corridor, the Commonwealth Bioaccelerator, and outdoor recreation and economic development. The Housing Advisory Committee meets Wednesday at noon, though no agenda had been posted before publication. Albemarle County's Board of Supervisors meets Wednesday at 2 p.m. to hear from the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau and receive an update on the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission's Regional Transit Service Prioritization and Implementation Project. A preliminary year-end financial report for fiscal year 2026 is also planned.

Hanover County's Planning Commission holds a public hearing and vote Tuesday at 7 p.m. on amendments to the comprehensive plan. The changes would alter the boundaries of the suburban service area, the part of the county designated for economic growth, and rezone properties countywide. Chesterfield County's Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. on two rezoning requests: 4.31 acres at 2611 Goodes Bridge Road in Midlothian, which would move to "corridor commercial" with a conditional use permit for parking and storage, and nearly 42 acres at 6200 Claypoint Road in Matoaca, which would change from "suburban community" to "agricultural." Henrico County has no public meetings scheduled.

In Petersburg, City Council meets Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the library. It is expected to consider starting the process of renaming Johnson Road, between High Pearl Street and Flank Road, as Moses Malone Boulevard. The honor would go to the basketball legend and Petersburg native who led the city's high school team to multiple state titles. Council will also hear a resident's appeal of the Architectural Review Board's denial of rooftop solar panels in the Folly Castle Historic District.