Council OKs heavy penalties for unauthorized demolitions in historic districts
Unauthorized building demolitions in certain parts of Richmond just got pricier.
Under a new ordinance passed by the City Council last night, anyone who tears down a structure in a designated Old and Historic District without permission will face a civil penalty of twice the market value of the demolished building.
The law, which follows a resolution this fall declaring the necessity of increasing the penalty, cleared both Richmond’s Planning Commission and City Council without comment and is one of four major goals outlined in the latest version of the city’s Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan.
The ordinance goes into effect immediately. It does not apply citywide or to all demolitions — only to those that occur in Old and Historic Districts (a specific designation that is granted by the City Council) and have been carried out without the approval of the Commission for Architectural Review.
Sarah Vogelsong
Roughly 4,000 buildings in Richmond would be subject to the fines if torn down improperly.
“Enhanced fines will provide a more effective deterrent against the willful or negligent unpermitted demolition of contributing historic structures throughout our City’s Old and Historic Districts,” wrote city staff in a memo on the proposal this November.
The ordinance’s chief patron, City Councilor Katherine Jordan (2nd District), has pointed to the 2023 teardown of two old storefronts near Chimborazo Park as evidence for why higher penalties were needed. In that case, a developer demolished two century-old commercial structures even though the Commission for Architectural Review had ordered preservation of their facades.
While the city issued the developer a zoning violation, state law at the time capped the penalty it could impose at $200.
That case prompted Richmond Del. Delores McQuinn to carry a state law allowing cities to levy a penalty of up to twice the market value of the property in the case of unauthorized historic demolitions.
Richmond has chosen to set its penalty at the maximum value, “equivalent to twice the market value of the razed, demolished, or moved building or structure on the property as determined by the assessed value of the property at the time of the razing, demolition, or moving of the building or structure.”
Jordan said the city had “not heard any concern about that threshold from industry stakeholders” but could amend the ordinance if needed.
“With our General Assembly about to start their session, it’s a timely reminder of how important the GA is for providing tools for local issues,” she wrote in an email.
Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org
