The Agenda: Local government briefs for 7.7.25

Council President Cynthia Newbille, center, presided over last week’s joint meeting with Henrico County with Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Roscoe Cooper, second from left. (BizSense file)

Water service issues, regional advisory group on Richmond agenda Monday

Richmond City Council is set to continue discussions about water service challenges in a committee meeting scheduled Monday.

Council’s Organizational Development Standing Committee meets at 4 p.m. and will receive reports from staff on the water treatment plant, Virginia Department of Health consent order progress and service enhancements, as well as on an emergency incident response assessment from Hagerty Consulting.

The city entered into a consent order with the Virginia Department of Health relating to the water outage in January. The order summarizes findings and alleged regulatory violations, documents corrective actions the city has taken in response, and confirms a corrective action plan agreed to by the parties, according to a city release.

The committee also is scheduled to go into closed session for legal consultation on a regional water advisory group. Mayor Danny Avula has proposed the group, which council discussed last week in a joint meeting with the Henrico Board of Supervisors.

Council on Monday will also meet in an informal session immediately following the committee meeting. On the agenda is a code amendment to modify the city’s residency requirement for certain officers and employees, and a request to rezone 2.4 acres in the Chimborazo area for a residential development with a mix of single-family attached and two-family homes.

The Chimborazo site is between M and Glenwood streets across from Bill Robinson Park. The request is from Glenwood To M Street LLC, an entity registered to Elizabeth Wood.

The full meeting agendas can be found here.

Richmond names interim finance DCAO; deputy county manager returns to Henrico

Brandon Hinton

Mayor Danny Avula announced that Brandon Hinton, who has been on loan from Henrico County serving as Richmond’s acting deputy chief administrative officer for finance and administration, has concluded his assignment and is returning to Henrico at the request of the county. Hinton had been filling in since the departure of former DCAO Sabrina Joy-Hogg, who resigned in May.

Avula named Rene Almaraz, the city’s procurement director, as interim DCAO for finance and administration. A long-term DCAO is planned to be named later this month.

In a release, Avula said of Hinton: “I am so thankful for Brandon and for the time he spent in City Hall with me and my team. It takes a special person to come into a completely unfamiliar work setting and dig in for the greater good. I appreciate his dedication and willingness to roll up his sleeves to move the work forward.”

Joy-Hogg had been serving as interim CAO since Lincoln Saunders’ resignation in December. The city’s new CAO, Odie Donald II, is scheduled to start July 9.

Highland Springs-area subdivision plan on Henrico planning agenda

The Henrico Planning Commission meets Thursday at 6 p.m.

On the agenda is a request from Dorado Capital to rezone 36 acres northwest of the I-295/Airport Drive interchange for a 49-home subdivision.

SCC LLC requests a rezoning to convert a former bank building at 1415 Eastridge Road into a drive-thru soda store.

Full agenda here.

Powhite extension, other road projects near Brandermill to start this fall

The Powhite Parkway extension project would continue the parkway from its terminus near Brandermill. (Photo courtesy Chesterfield County)

Chesterfield is preparing to start several road projects in the western part of the county, including the long-planned extension of the Powhite Parkway.

A four-lane extension of Wooldridge Road is expected to be underway by the fall, according to a Chesterfield news release last week. The extension would connect Old Hundred Road and Route 288, and run parallel with Otterdale Road.

Also planned is a widening of Woolridge Road to four lanes from two lanes where it currently runs between Genito and Lacoc roads.

The Woolridge widening project is expected to kick off next spring, the same time Chesterfield anticipates it will start construction on the first phase of the long-planned Powhite Parkway extension project.

Phase one of the Powhite Parkway extension is a 2.25-mile segment that would extend the roadway from its current terminus at Little Tomahawk Creek to Woolridge Road. County officials plan to eventually extend Powhite to Hull Street Road.

The projects are intended to improve the movement of vehicle traffic western Chesterfield, which is a growing area of the county. Chesterfield said the projects would give residents west of Swift Creek Reservoir better access to Powhite Parkway and Route 288. The new road infrastructure is expected to redirect traffic in the area and reduce congestion on Hull Street Road during commuting hours.

Also planned is an extension of Center Pointe Parkway to meet Old Hundred Road.

Chesterfield held a community meeting in mid-June to share information about the first phase of the Powhite extension project and gather feedback on that project and the other nearby transportation initiatives. More information about the projects, including a map, can be found here.

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