Arlington residents sue over ‘missing middle’ zoning
Ten Arlington County residents filed a lawsuit against the county in April that claims Arlington’s new “missing middle” zoning ordinance was passed in March without proper notice and violates Virginia law. “Missing middle” refers to the range of options that fall between affordable housing and single-family homes, including duplexes and other higher-density residences. On March [&hel[...]
Truist grants $500k to aid Richmond Community Wealth Building office
Truist Foundation announced it has made a $500,000 grant that will ultimately help Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building provide further financial, education and employment coaching to city families, the philanthropic arm of Truist Financial Corp. announced in a press conference Friday. “At Truist, our purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities, and […]
Petersburg approves Cordish Cos. for possible casino
Petersburg City Council is taking a gamble on Maryland-based The Cordish Cos. to develop a casino there — even though Petersburg doesn’t yet have permission to build a casino, according to state law. Council members voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of Cordish,, a commercial real estate company that has developed casinos across the mid-Atlantic and […]
Va. Beach honors Ramon W. Breeden Jr.
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer proclaimed Aug. 9, 2022, as Ramon W. Breeden Jr. Day, in honor of the real estate mogul. Since starting The Breeden Co. in 1961 out of the trunk of his Pontiac convertible and the back room of a grocery store, Breeden has led his company to be a vertically integrated […]
Richmond pares down Diamond District developer pool
Story updated, March 24 at 11:45 a.m. The city of Richmond announced Wednesday that six competing development teams have been chosen out of 15 applicants to continue in the competition to redevelop the Diamond District area near the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ stadium. The city requested applications late last year for the 67.57-acre site, which would […]
Salem names new economic development director
Salem’s new economic development director, Tommy Miller, says he has “the entrepreneurial gene,” a trait that should come in handy with his new role. Miller established Richmond Brewery Tours, a venture he ran from 2012 through 2020 to highlight the burgeoning craft beer industry. “Any entrepreneurial venture should be both calculated and gut driven,” he […]
30 Va. projects awarded $24.5M in flood prep grants
The Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund has awarded $24.5 million in grants for 30 projects statewide, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. “The Community Flood Preparedness Fund will provide an estimated $75 million a year to improve the resilience of our commonwealth, including targeted funding for Virginia’s most vulnerable and underserved communities,” Northam said in a [&he[...]
Stafford supervisor elected to head VACo
Stafford County Supervisor Meg Bohmke was elected the next president of the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) at the group’s annual conference in Norfolk on Nov. 16. Bohmke succeeds Fairfax County Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay and becomes the second president from Stafford to lead the association, following Ferris M. Belman who led the group from […]
Prince George County administrator headed to King William County
Prince George County Administrator Percy C. Ashcraft is leaving to take the same role in King William County, county board chairman Floyd Brown Jr. announced Monday. Ashcraft’s last day in Prince George will be Dec. 3 and he will start in his next role on Dec. 6. “As chairman, I am saddened by his announcement, […]
Henrico green-lights $2.3B GreenCity project
The Henrico County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved rezoning the 204-acre former Best Products headquarters campus into the $2.3 billion GreenCity project, a major mixed-used development that will feature a 17,000-seat arena. GreenCity, which was proposed in December 2020, is also expected to include two hotels with 600 rooms, about 2.2 million square […]
Pittsylvania, Danville governments see labor gap, too
Businesses aren’t the only organizations finding it difficult to hire employees. Amid dropping state unemployment rates and a nationwide labor shortage, Danville and Pittsylvania County have been seeking new ways to interest people in working for local government. Pittsylvania’s Board of Supervisors approved $1,000 employee referral and sign-on bonuses in July, says Holly E. Stanfield,[...]
Richmond mandates vaccinations for city employees
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Wednesday that all city employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, becoming the first Virginia locality to mandate vaccination. Fairfax County has taken steps in recent weeks toward a vaccination mandate for its 12,000 employees, but the county executive must make the final decision. Gov. Ralph Northam has […]