May 12 Newsletter: Tiny home village proposed to fight homelessness
Weather: Rain rolls in at midday today. High of 72.
On this date in 1957, Miller and Rhoades department store commemorates the 350th anniversary of the Jamestown landing with a window display that took five months to build and saw materials imported from across the country.
Tiny homes could be Richmond’s newest strategy to fight homelessness
A gated community of tiny homes earmarked for chronically homeless people could be headed to Richmond.
- Eden Village is a national group that is exploring putting a village in Richmond's Northside.
- The homes are about 400 square feet, and residents pay $350 a month for rent, utilities and other resources and support.
Read more on the proposal, and location, here.
Richmond has identified 539 vacant buildings this year. Here’s where they are.
That number is down from roughly 1,600 as reported in 2015 by the Church Hill People's News.
To be classified as vacant, a building has to be “completely unoccupied,” according to the city. And while that isn’t illegal, the city can slap owners who let their buildings fall into disrepair with code violations.
What’s coming with Richmond real estate tax bills? More growth, then a freeze
After this year's real estate tax assessments are mailed out, residents won't receive a new assessment in 2026.
- The city sends assessments in the fall, but budgets in the spring, creating a guesswork situation.
- The next assessment will be in spring 2027, syncing up the two cycles.
But skipping a year means the 2027 bill could contain an unpleasant surprise if home values keep rising. Read about the city's discussions here.
Richmond man has run on all 2,200 of the city's streets
Kirk Millikan finished his six-year quest to run every non-private street in Richmond last week.
This isn't a world record, but he hopes the quest will raise awareness for pedestrian safety, as many of Richmond's streets, particularly in Southside, don't have sidewalks.
Read more about his journey, and his final street selection, here.
In other news
- Virginia Union student walks at graduation months after being paralyzed (Times-Dispatch)
- John Marshall High announces the death of a senior student (Instagram)
- The Valentine readies a new exhibit celebrating the city’s love affair with dressing up (Style Weekly)
The editor's desk
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula has come a long way since his days as a med school student, but one thing that hasn't changed is his car. In his Church Hill neighborhood, the mayor is known for driving an old Honda Accord. But Avula announced over the weekend that it has finally reached the end of the road. It's time for a new Mayormobile in Richmond.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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