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Jan. 14 Newsletter: Land deal for delegate paused

Weather: Highs in the mid 50s today before temperatures plummet overnight.

On this date in 2000, Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer, after a lengthy interview with Packers officials, says he will remain at the Blacksburg school instead of pursuing an NFL job.

Today's newsletter sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University: As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.

Pending land sale to state delegate on hold as Richmond officials debate process

After sitting on the Richmond City Council’s agenda for months, a pending sale of city property to a state delegate has been withdrawn as officials continue to debate how to handle unsolicited offers for publicly owned land.

  • Democratic Del. Delores McQuinn is pushing to buy a small city-owned plot next to her Henrico County home that she says is causing trouble for her and her husband because the city has left it unused and unattended.

However, several first-term Council members questioned why the city would sell a public asset without competition. That drew pushback from other Council members, who said the city shouldn’t insist on competitive bidding rules it hasn’t rigorously enforced in the past. Read more here.

Former city councilman’s group buys 14 billboards opposing Richmond’s code refresh

Marty Jewell, chair of the Richmond Civic League, characterized the project as a developer-driven “forced rezoning of 77,000 parcels in our city that we didn’t want and didn’t ask for.”

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Rewriting the zoning ordinance was one of six “Big Moves” identified in the city’s 2020 master plan. The project has been embraced by Mayor Danny Avula, who most recently included it as a key part of a housing affordability plan.

The city pushed back against some of the claims made on the billboards. Read more here.

Anne Holton among applicants for vacant 6th District school board seat

Anne Holton, a prominent lawyer, education advocate and wife of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, has thrown her hat in the ring to fill the vacant 6th District seat on the Richmond School Board. Read more here.

Council OKs heavy penalties for unauthorized demolitions in historic districts

Under a new ordinance, 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. Read more here.

Also today in The Richmonder:

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A VCU faculty member is putting addiction therapy in the hands, and headsets, of patients

Jarrod Reisweber’s self-directed virtual reality program extends the impact of professional care.

“Your therapist can’t always be there,” he said. “So we asked, what if the treatment could always be there?”

Reisweber has created a new world to address a harsh reality of addiction, it strikes at the most inconvenient times. Patients wear a VR headset and are transported to a lakeside cabin, and amid the retreat, dozens of sessions help them quiet cravings, develop coping strategies and connect with others in recovery. Read more.

In other news

The editor's desk

Douglas Wilder turns 95 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Black History Museum will display a collection of his watercolor paintings, a skillset I was not aware he possessed.

Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org

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