The second draft of the City of Richmond's Code Refresh has been published. Read the op-ed originally posted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch from Richmond Habitat CEO, Dave Neary, about why zoning is so critical for affordable housing in Richmond.
At Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity, we have spent decades building not just homes, but futures — one family, one street, and one neighborhood at a time. Through that work, we have learned something essential: how a city grows matters as much as where it grows.
For many Richmonders, especially in historically Black and working-class neighborhoods, “change” has too often meant being pushed aside in the name of progress. Entire communities have seen investment arrive without inclusion, and growth come without guarantees that long-time residents could stay and share in the benefits.
That history gives every discussion about zoning a moral dimension. Zoning has been one of the quietest, yet most powerful, tools for exclusion in our city’s past. Now, Richmond has the chance to make it a tool for inclusion and to repair, not repeat, that history.
We support the City of Richmond’s zoning review with Code Refresh because it presents an opportunity to reconnect our rules with our values: equity, sustainability, and belonging. But let’s be clear, this isn’t a blank check for development. Code Refresh is a framework for thoughtful growth that serves people first.
From Richmond Habitat’s perspective, several principles must guide that effort:
- Legalize duplexes and modest housing options, like tiny homes and manufactured homes, so more working families can afford to live in Richmond without leaving their neighborhoods.
- Affirm accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — the small backyard or carriage homes that help existing homeowners build equity while creating gentle, community-scaled housing.
- Allow incremental growth — duplexes, triplexes, and small multi-unit homes could help restore the “missing middle” that once gave Richmond its housing diversity and vitality.
- Establish real guardrails against displacement, ensuring that longtime residents benefit from neighborhood investment rather than being displaced by it.
- Encourage housing near transit, jobs, and daily needs, connecting affordability with sustainability.
These aren’t new ideas; they’re part of the neighborhood DNA that built Richmond in the first place. We’re simply making them legal again in a thoughtful, equitable way with community voices at the table.
Habitat also recognizes that trust must be earned. We understand that for many residents, zoning reform sounds like something being done to them, not with them. That is why we believe this process must prioritize listening, transparency, and targeted reinvestment in neighborhoods most vulnerable to market pressures.
We stand in alignment with, Homes for All Our Neighbors, a deeply rooted coalition of housing, community development, and advocacy organizations that have long served Richmond’s neighborhoods with humility and care. We share their belief that a more equitable zoning code must protect what people value most: their homes, their history, and their right to remain part of Richmond’s future.
For Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity, this is personal. Every nail we drive and every deed we sign is an act of partnership and a commitment to families who want nothing more than a stable, affordable home. A fair zoning code helps us keep that promise. It reduces barriers, expands opportunity, and allows us to continue building attainable homeownership options in communities where people already work, worship, and belong.
Updating our zoning code will not solve every challenge, but it can be a powerful act of repair. It can replace walls of exclusion with foundations of opportunity, ensuring that growth and equity rise together.
Richmond has the talent, the heart, and the opportunity to get this right. Let’s make sure the future of our city reflects what we want Richmond to be — diverse, welcoming, and built on the simple truth that everyone deserves a decent place to live.
