This quiet street, made up of mostly 2-story owned and rented homes, has now been zoned mixed-use 5 stories allowing 6 units by right. Investors are enticed, and local home buyers lose out.
An analysis submitted by a resident of Southside shows conflicts and missing data in RKG Associates' study that claims "...even under the most intense development scenario, Richmond’s citywide rezoning would lead to the addition of new units on just under 300 lots in existing single family neighborhoods annually."
"The Richmonder March 19 report on the RKG Associates study presents an incomplete dataset by focusing on 'subdivision feasibility' rather than volumetric density increases. While the study grounds its findings in RD lot constraints, it fails to account for the by-right density shifts in the RA (Residential Attached) and that Code Refresh made them RM-A (6 units), RM-B (12 units), and RM-C (unlimited Residential Mixed-use) districts.
1. The 1,200% Volumetric Loophole
The study calculates impact based on "new lots" created, ignoring unit-counts per existing lot. In the RA-C district (prevalent in the 23223 and 23220 zip codes), the 2026 Code Refresh allows for "Stacked Flats" of up to 12 units per building by-right. Replacing a single-family structure with a 12-unit multi-family building represents a localized density spike that requires no subdivision. By removing the Special Use Permit (SUP) requirement, the City eliminates the public's ability to audit the infrastructure load of these 1,200% increases before approval.2. Fiscal and Infrastructure Incompatibility
The RKG study ignores the correlation between by-right density and the $47.6 million Department of Public Utilities (DPU) debt anchor.
- Administrative Incapacity: The Finance Department currently reports a 1/3 vacancy rate.
- The Gap: A city that cannot project its own surplus—revising its $22M estimate down to $12.6M in February—cannot be trusted to monitor the tax compliance or physical load of 12-unit developments in neighborhoods where utility infrastructure is already failing to recover costs.
3. Forensic Conflict: The 897-Page Nexus
The "independent" nature of the RKG study is contradicted by SCC filing history. On October 4, 2013, an 897-page batch filing moved RKG Associates and thousands of development entities to a centralized administrative hub at 100 Shockoe Slip under Commonwealth Legal Services Corporation (a subsidiary of CSC).
RKG Associates shares the exact same Registered Agent and administrative infrastructure as the entities currently land-banking parcels in Blackwell, a significant conflict of interest. The firm providing the "limited impact" analysis is structurally linked to the organizations benefiting from the rezoning.
Furthermore, the August 13, 2015, Articles of Domestication for RKG is missing its digital image in the SCC portal, preventing verification of the signatures that link these out-of-state principals to Richmond land-holders.
The RKG study is an analysis of lot layouts, not community impact.
For Southside residents, a 1,200% density increase on 19th-century infrastructure is not "limited." It is a fundamental restructuring of our blocks without a corresponding plan to address the $47.6M utility deficit."
| District | Pre Code Refresh | Post Code Refresh 2026 | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RA-B | 1-2 units, duplex | Up to 6 units BY RIGHT | +300% density BY RIGHT |
| RA-C | 1-4 units (Limited) | Up to 12 units BY RIGHT | Multi-Family By-Right Consolidation |
| RX-4 | Variable height | Up to 4 Stories BY RIGHT | Commercial VERTICALITY |
About the Author
I live in a historically Black neighborhood south of the James River with my wife and kids, where the sound of the river rapids and the 19th century train trestles are our daily backdrop. We walk our dog, Lucy, past the brick building of the old Dunbar School and through the streets of Blackwell, while our cat, Tobi, stays home in our historic house. As a member of the Richmond Civic League, I value the preservation of these actual blocks over the abstract models used to justify citywide rezoning. I remain anonymous to keep the focus on the data, but I am a neighbor who sees the consequences of city planning every time I cross the T-Pott bridge.
I live in a historically Black neighborhood south of the James River with my wife and kids, where the sound of the river rapids and the 19th century train trestles are our daily backdrop. We walk our dog, Lucy, past the brick building of the old Dunbar School and through the streets of Blackwell, while our cat, Tobi, stays home in our historic house. As a member of the Richmond Civic League, I value the preservation of these actual blocks over the abstract models used to justify citywide rezoning. I remain anonymous to keep the focus on the data, but I am a neighbor who sees the consequences of city planning every time I cross the T-Pott bridge.
