Public commenters press Zoning Advisory Council to allow duplexes by right and guard against displacement

Public commenters at the Zoning Advisory Council meeting on June 13 urged the body to prioritize by-right duplexes and protections to prevent displacement as staff and consultants prepare Draft 3 of the city's zoning code.

Homes for All Our Neighbors presented survey results—commissioned from Embold Research and cited by Anukica Shun—that surveyed 621 registered Richmond voters and found 58% meet the cost-burden threshold (paying more than 30% of income for housing) and nearly 25% are severely cost-burdened. The survey showed 73% of respondents say Richmond lacks enough housing for all family sizes and income levels, and 91% said addressing housing affordability should be a priority.

Shun, who identified herself as a housing-policy advocate with the Homes for All Our Neighbors Coalition, told the council the coalition supports allowing duplexes by right in detached residential areas if each unit is limited to about 1,500 square feet, expanding mid-size apartment opportunities on higher-capacity streets, and avoiding a regressive definition of family that would limit roommates and family-sharing arrangements. "Building market-rate housing is not necessarily going to be enough to fully solve our housing crisis, but it's a key strategy," she said, urging pairing zoning changes with displacement-prevention programs and funding.

Tenant organizer Gustavos Pinosa of the Legal Aid Justice Center urged council members to recognize how opposition to density can reflect class- and race-based exclusion. "If you don't want to live near poor people or Black people, you can just say that," he told the council, calling for an equity-centered approach that both opens some neighborhoods to more density and protects others from displacement.

Speakers representing neighborhood associations and nonprofit builders added nuance. Kathy Hamre, representing West Grace Street residents, recounted the neighborhood's history and presented local estimates that roughly 60% of properties in her area are rentals, arguing for a middle-ground approach such as making duplexes by right and grandfathering existing apartment buildings. Lauren Marshall of Richmond Habitat for Humanity said permitting delays and special-use processes slow nonprofit production of affordable homeownership units, and that duplexes by right with reasonable size limits would allow organizations like Habitat to serve more families faster.

Why it matters: Council members and staff repeatedly linked land-use choices to displacement risk and access to starter homes. Several members asked staff and the consultant team to model the impacts of specific proposals—such as the proposed 1,500-square-foot unit cap—on potential sale prices and on preservation of neighborhood character, and to clarify whether zoning changes alone would be sufficient to deliver more affordable-for-sale housing.

Next steps: Staff said Draft 3 will include additional sections of the ordinance (administration, general standards, definitions) and that the city will post consolidated analyses and revised reports; the council asked staff to ensure the planning commission receives a transparent summary of the advisory council's discussions and the range of minority viewpoints to inform subsequent public hearings.