A rendering of the planned Shops at Fairfield building planned at Mechanicsville Turnpike and Fairfield Way. (Courtesy Lawrence Ellis Williams)
Lombardy apartments, East End mixed-use building on city council agenda
Richmond City Council meets Tuesday this week, a change from its regular schedule due to the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday on Monday.
On the consent agenda for the 6 p.m. regular meeting is a special-use request from Jean Carlos of Hispanos Unidos for a 161-unit apartment building at 2423 N. Lombardy St. and an 88-apartment mixed-use building at 2412 N. Lombardy St. and 2414 Seminary Ave. The two five-story buildings were first proposed to the city in 2023 and would replace the former Animal Motel building and a row of car garages, dealerships and parts shops on the properties.
Apple 6 LLC, an entity tied to Mustafa Alashwal, seeks special-use approval for a new mixed-use building at Mechanicsville Turnpike and Fairfield Way that would include street-level storefronts below offices and apartments. The three-story building would replace an existing building at 1534-1538 and 1540 Mechanicsville Turnpike.
On the regular agenda is a special-use request for D.C.-based Audeo Partners’ plan for a townhome project on a 0.75-acre Virginia Home-owned lot at 901-923 Meadow St. The 21 proposed townhomes – reduced from an earlier plan that called for 31 units – are part of a larger Audeo project that includes converting the nearby Virginia Home building into 131 apartments.
Also on the agenda is a resolution to execute a joint memorandum of understanding for a working group for the planned transformation of Gilpin Court. The MOU between the city and the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority would establish the intended roles of the parties as partners in the redevelopment of the housing community and could be repeated for redevelopments of Richmond’s other public housing communities.
The full meeting agenda can be found here.
Westwood-area apartments on Henrico supervisors agenda
A conceptual site plan shows the building layout with parking deck access off Jacques Street. (County documents)
Henrico supervisors meet in regular session Tuesday at 6 p.m. Full agenda here.
On the agenda and deferred from the Sept. 8 meeting is a proposal from Spy Rock Real Estate for a seven-story building with 224 apartments and retail space at 1921-1925 Westmoreland St. in the Westwood area. The project would include a six-story parking deck and replace two single-story buildings on the site.
Other public hearing items include a rezoning request from Dexstar LLC for a new location for local dog care chain DogServices at Springfield Church Lane and Tom Leonard Drive.
‘Cactus House’ subdivision, Hadad’s Lake venue on Henrico planning agenda
A conceptual site plan shows the new homes filling the site where the Cactus House has stood for decades. (County documents)
The Henrico Planning Commission meets Thursday at 6 p.m. Agenda here.
Business includes a rezoning request from an LLC tied to StyleCraft Homes for a 20-home subdivision at the former “Cactus House” property at 10816 Staples Mill Road. The new homes would replace the nearly 50-year-old house, officially known as Saguaro Hill, which StyleCraft purchased in 2024.
Deferred from last month are requests for Oasis Point, an outdoor recreation and event venue proposed for the former Hadad’s Lake site at 7900 Osborne Turnpike. The proposal comes about three years after Hadad’s Lake closed after decades in business.
Henrico police, Richmond mayor say they’ll end use of Flock cameras
Henrico Police will not renew its contract with Flock Safety for the controversial cameras. (Image courtesy Henrico)
Henrico County announced its police division is terminating its contract with Flock Safety due to privacy concerns about the company’s system of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras.
“As a county, we have listened as our residents have shared legitimate concerns about Flock Safety, the proliferation of its cameras across the nation and whether the data collected is sufficiently safeguarded to protect the privacy of individuals in our community,” said Henrico Supervisors Chairman Roscoe Cooper III said in the announcement.
“While we are confident that Henrico Police has used ALPR data appropriately for legitimate law-enforcement purposes only, we cannot ignore the potential for misuse of system data by others,” Cooper said. “Ending this contract is the right thing to do for our residents and community.”
The announcement said Henrico Police intends to cut ties with Flock Safety by Oct. 13, and that officials will review other options to “continue the division’s operational effectiveness.”
In an Instagram post four days later, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula announced that the city will not move forward with its Flock ALPR contract when it’s up for renewal.
“The commitment I made to you all last month was to listen well and make a full, community-informed decision about the city’s use of ALPR technology,” Avula said in the clip. “So, while I’ve made a decision about the Flock contract, we have more work to do to ensure we’ve heard from residents who care deeply about this issue.”
Hanover board to be briefed on economic development activity, road projects
The Hanover Board of Supervisors is slated to receive staff presentations on several topics at its meeting Wednesday, including economic development and transportation items.
Economic Development Director Brandon Turner is scheduled to deliver his department’s annual report to the supervisors. Deputy County Administrator Todd Kilduff and Tom Innes, senior vice president of All Points Broadband, are expected to provide a quarterly update on the county’s Connect Hanover broadband initiative.
Transportation Program Director Joe Vidunas will provide status updates on all road projects that are currently active in Hanover. A VDOT representative is also scheduled to discuss the state transportation department’s recent activity within the county in a separate presentation.
The full meeting agenda can be found here.
Powhatan taps Goochland planning director to lead its department
Jamie Sherry
Powhatan County hired Jamie Sherry as its next planning director.
Sherry, whose first day with Powhatan was Oct. 1, was previously with Goochland County, where she worked for the last seven years, most recently as planning and zoning director and community development director. He has 25 years of experience in planning, including stints with Dinwiddie County, Colonial Heights, Henrico County and the City of Richmond.
In her new role with Powhatan, Sherry will oversee the county’s planning and zoning functions, as well as the Powhatan County Permit Center.
Sherry holds bachelor and master degrees in urban and regional planning from VCU, has credentials with the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a certified zoning administrator. She is a member of the American Planning Association and the Virginia Association of Zoning Officials. She is also a 2024 alumnus of the LEAD Program at the UVA’s Weldon Cooper School of Public Service.
“I am thrilled to be part of the Powhatan County team and look forward to getting to know the community as Planning Director,” Sherry said in a prepared statement. “Throughout my career, I have believed that good planning goes hand in hand with good customer service and I look forward to working with staff, County leadership, and our citizens to build on Powhatan’s strengths and help shape its future.”
The post The Agenda: Local government briefs for 10.12.26 appeared first on Richmond BizSense.
