Just over 300 people have provided comments on draft maps of how Richmond could be rezoned, but most of that feedback is coming from north of the James River. 

As Richmond moves forward with overhauling its 1970s-era zoning code, the Planning Department has put out a draft zoning map that any member of the public can comment on through Sept. 28.

To date, that map has gotten just over 2,000 comments and replies from 306 unique commenters, according to Rene Biberstein of Code Studio, a consultancy Richmond has hired to help with the code refresh process. (Many commenters offer more than one piece of feedback.) 

Code Studio’s analysis shows that about one-third of that input has focused on five neighborhoods: the Fan, Shockoe Bottom, Bellevue, the Museum District and Ginter Park. 

But 38 neighborhoods in Southside, particularly around the Broad Rock and Midlothian areas, have garnered no feedback at all. 

“We’d love to see more comments, particularly from those areas,” said Biberstein during a Sept. 10 meeting of the Zoning Advisory Council. 

While members of the Planning Department have been attending neighborhood association meetings to discuss the code refresh over the past few months — city spokesperson Michael Hinkle said officials have been to nearly 30 such meetings to date — Southside has fewer established neighborhood groups, meaning other outreach strategies are necessary. 

Asked about the city’s approach, Hinkle said the Planning Department has used community ambassadors and worked with Southside City Council members and community organizations like Virginia Community Voice and Southside Releaf to hold feedback sessions “in an effort to meet these communities where they are.” 

Because many residents speak Spanish as their primary language, bilingual staff at Richmond’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement and with Brick & Story, a public engagement firm hired by the city for the zoning overhaul, have been offering assistance. A bilingual virtual office hour on the refresh is scheduled for Sept. 17.

Moving forward, Hinkle said the Planning Department is considering running paid advertisements on the code refresh and will be doing dedicated mailings related to the next draft of the zoning maps. 

For the more online crowd, a Reddit AMA with Planning Director Kevin Vonck will take place on Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m.

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org