Richmond officials announced this week that the third draft of the proposed citywide rezoning will be released Aug. 17.

The third draft will likely be the final proposal of the code refresh that is sent to the Planning Commission and City Council for their verdict, although Mayor Danny Avula’s administration has said it is open to further revisions as needed. 

Among the key decisions the draft will resolve are how many housing units will be allowed on a single residential lot, how places of worship should be zoned and how many unrelated people can make up a household. 

In a round of hearings on those questions this summer, some members of the City Council and Planning Commission appeared to be moving away from the idea of giving property owners more flexibility to construct duplexes on residential lots in addition to the accessory dwelling unit already allowed. 

Councilor Andrew Breton (1st District), who has been generally positive in public comments about the idea of increasing housing options, recently told constituents in his newsletter that “allowing three units on any single-family property … is too controversial a proposal, one that threatens to derail the many other benefits of updating our antiquated zoning code.”  

READ MORE: Richmonder coverage of code refresh

The Richmonder has provided extensive coverage of the effort to rewrite the city’s zoning code. Read some of our past stories here: Project overview: THE NEXT 50 YEARS: Richmond’s zoning overhaul envisions a denser city. What will that look like?Leaders of the effort say density will mean

The RichmonderSarah Vogelsong

The duplex proposal has been one of the most controversial of the rezoning and has evolved over the past year. 

The first draft of the refresh would have allowed a duplex on all residential lots. After pushback from residents in single family neighborhoods and concerns about incentivizing teardowns, the second draft revised the proposal to what it called the “preservation bonus," a plan that only allows a second unit if the existing home remains in place and the new unit is located behind or within the current home.  

Both drafts have continued to allow accessory dwelling units in all residential areas, a decision made by the City Council in 2023 and now backed by a state law that will require all local governments to permit ADUs in single family residential districts with limited regulatory powers beginning July 1, 2027. 

No new zoning plan can go into effect until it gets the endorsement of the City Council in a formal vote. 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org