City FOIA records show nearly 14,000 apartments built since 2020, yet rents jumped 62%
We keep hearing the argument that Richmond's current zoning rules make it "almost impossible" to build housing. The city's own records tell a very different story.
13,900 new apartment units (nearly 16,000 housing units total) have been completed or permitted in Richmond since January 1, 2020.
This data, derived from an internal City Planning memo from June 26 (obtained through a FOIA request), shows the current code is clearly not stopping development.
Similarily, HUD data shows median 1-bedroom rents in Richmond went from $932 a month up to over $1,500. That 62% jump ranks Richmond 19th highest in rent growth across the entire country.
- Building high volumes of market-rate apartments didn't bring prices down.
- What broad upzoning actually does is drive up underlying land values.
- That gives commercial developers an incentive to buy up existing, naturally affordable apartments ($1,400–$1,800/mo).
- These 800-1,700 square foot homes (now zoned RD-C and RM) are incentivized to tear down and replace with high-density units charging $2,000+ a month.
- Richmond loses the affordable housing we already have.
Under state law (Va. Code § 15.2-2284), city zoning updates are required to be based on actual local growth trends and economic data.
City Hall should release full numbers on how much housing can already be built under our existing code before pushing Draft 3 forward.
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.
