The Agenda: Local government briefs for 4.28.25

The top floor of the building proposed at Patterson and Libbie would be office space that also has an outdoor terrace. (City documents)

Libbie-Patterson mixed-use project, BPOL tax exemption hike on City Council agenda

Richmond City Council meets Monday starting with a budget workshop at 1 p.m. and an informal session at 4 p.m.

Business on the 6 p.m. regular meeting agenda includes a special-use request for a four-story commercial building planned to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building at 5728 Patterson Ave.

Hype Counseling Services seeks special-use approval to use the building at 2701 Garland Ave. for adult transitional housing. Nearby, Troy Holdings LLC seeks a special-use permit for an adult outpatient therapy at 2700 North Ave.

Deferred from previous meetings is a proposal to increase the exemption threshold for the city’s Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax from $250,000 to $500,000. The BPOL exemption was last increased from $100,000 in 2022.

The full meeting agendas can be found here.

Grant approved for income-based housing development in Chester

The proposed Colbrook Community is an income-based residential project that would feature apartments and townhomes. (County documents)

The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors last week signed off on a performance grant for an income-based housing development in Chester, per a county news release.

Better Housing Coalition is planning to build a 165-unit development at 2500 Colbrook St., off Route 1. The nearly 10-acre property is the site of the now-demolished Colbrook Motel.

The $38 million project would have a mixture of apartments and townhomes. The development would feature a community center and other amenities.

The project is now set to get 80% of its incremental real estate taxes back as a grant for seven years, and then receive 60%, 40% and then 20% per year in incremental taxes back for the last three years of a 10-year grant period, according to the agreement.

The reimbursement-based grant is provided under the Route 1 Incentive Policy, which was created in 2019 to encourage redevelopment in the area.

The Colbrook Motel was among the accommodations listed in “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” a segregation-era traveler’s guide that identified businesses where black people wouldn’t be discriminated against. The project is planned to feature the Colbrook Motel’s sign and other features to commemorate the site’s history.

The board approved a rezoning request tied to the project in January 2021, and later that year Better Housing Coalition acquired the project site for $1.2 million.

Hanover opens new fire station in Mechanicsville

Hanover County officials cut the ribbon on the county’s new fire station in Mechanicsville. (Courtesy Hanover County)

Hanover County officials gathered last week to commemorate the opening of Fire Station 17 in Mechanicsville.

The new 15,000-square-foot station is on a 3.5-acre site adjacent to Laurel Meadow Elementary School. The station’s facilities include specialized laundry equipment, a gym and decontamination room.

The station is located in a part of Hanover that is experiencing a growing demand for emergency services, and is intended to help handle call volume being seen by nearby fire stations. It is the first new station to be built in Hanover since 1987, according to a county news release.

“Station 17’s opening is an exciting and historic moment for our department and the community. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to strengthening emergency services across Hanover,” Hanover Fire-EMS Chief Christopher Anderson said.

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