Controversial Grove Ave. development wins permit after scaling back plans
A scaled-down plan to develop denser housing alongside a historic farmhouse on Grove Avenue won approval from Richmond’s City Council Monday night after developer changes led neighbors to drop their opposition.
The special use permit will allow Center Creek Homes to build four single family detached homes and six single family attached homes on a large lot at 3923 Grove Ave. that already has a farmhouse that may date back to 1775. That structure will remain.
“Both parties are satisfied with the final plan,” wrote Gwynne Cunningham in a letter on behalf of the Henry Place Neighborhood Association, whose footprint includes the site.
A previous plan put forward by Center Creek would have added 16 new homes to the lot. That proposal secured unanimous support from the Planning Commission, with some members saying it offered an appropriate “step-down” in density from the adjacent Malvern Manor apartments.
Neighbors, however, vehemently objected to the plan as too dense and incongruous with the surrounding area. Councilor Andrew Breton, whose 1st District includes the property, also withheld his support until more negotiations between Center Creek and the neighborhood occurred.
“I believe we can add needed housing in Richmond without losing what people love about their neighborhoods,” said Breton. “I couldn’t support this project until it struck that balance. The result is 10 new homes that fit the block, avoid new curb cuts, and respect the scale of surrounding houses. Gentle, incremental density doesn’t have to mean disruption.”
Greg Shron, chief operating officer for Center Creek, praised Breton for finding “a couple of community members who were genuinely committed to rolling up their sleeves” to come to a resolution but said that if Richmond is to produce more housing, “We have to be able to move projects through the process more quickly than this.”
Center Creek hopes to break ground on the homes this spring.
Both the Henry Place Civic Association and the Westhampton Civic Association — which also dropped its opposition to the project after the changes — sharply criticized the way the SUP process had unfolded over the past year.
“If such negotiations had occurred prior to the City Planning Commission vote … this process could have concluded many months ago,” said Cunningham.
“We encourage Center Creek and other Richmond developers to reach out to their property's neighbors to have meaningful discussions in which all concerns and input are considered,” she continued. “Richmond residents are reasonable people who recognize that change is part of urban living, yet considering our input is integral to creating attractive and harmonious incremental growth that we can all accept and enjoy.”
The Westhampton group said in a Feb. 8 letter the Planning Commission “appears biased toward the interests of developers over existing residents” and accused Center Creek’s earlier community outreach of being “performative versus authentic.”
“Authentic and rigorous community outreach matters and it should be completed at the outset of a project,” wrote WCA President Patty Merrill.
Shron said he didn’t think those criticisms were valid, pointing out that even before the project went to the Planning Commission, the company made significant changes to its plans in response to neighbor concerns. Those changes included preserving the 18th-century home, which it had initially intended to demolish.
“For crying out loud, we revised the entire site plan,” he said, adding, “Sometimes people tend to criticize the process when they aren’t seeing the results they want.”
Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org
