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To authorize a Mosby Court South Redevelopment preliminary community unit plan permitting the development of a residential community of up to 500 dwelling units and up to 25,000 square feet of ground floor commercial area on approximately 12.84 acres of land located at 1804 P Street and 1930 P Street, upon certain terms and conditions, and to repeal Ord. No. 1961-164-144, and all amendatory ordinances thereto. (7th District)
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WHEREAS, the properties known as 1804 P Street and 1930 P Street and identified as Tax Parcels Nos. E000-0465/001 and E000-0465/002, respectively, in the 2026 records of the City Assessor, as shown on Sheets 1-7 of the survey entitled “Plat Showing a Boundary Survey of 12.746 Acres & 0.094 Acres Lying to the East of Mosby Street,” prepared by Timmons Group, and dated April 26, 2024, hereinafter referred to as the “Property”; and
WHEREAS, the owner of the Property has submitted to the City Planning Commission a plan to develop a residential community of up to 500 dwelling units and up to 25,000 square feet of ground floor commercial on the Property; and
WHEREAS, the City Planning Commission, after holding a public hearing on the proposed community unit plan, approved that plan as a preliminary community unit plan, based upon written findings of fact as set out in a formal resolution, which has been transmitted to the City Council pursuant to section 30-456.5 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended; and
WHEREAS, the City Council concurs in the findings of fact made by the City Planning Commission;
NOW, THEREFORE,
THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That pursuant to section 17.10(g) of the Charter of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, and Chapter 30, Article IV, Division 30 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, the development and use of the Property, generally in accordance with a plan entitled “Mosby Court South, 1804 P Street, Richmond, VA 23223,” prepared by Hooker DeJong Inc., with Sheet PR-1 dated March 27, 2026, and Sheets PR-1.1 through PR-2.5 dated July 3, 2025 (the “Preliminary Plan”), a copy of which plan is attached to and made a part of this ordinance, is hereby approved as the preliminary community unit plan for the Property, subject to the following standards, terms and conditions:
I. DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT:
A. The preliminary community unit plan for development of the Property shall be as generally depicted on the Preliminary Plan.
B. Where specific standards set forth in this ordinance exceed or modify standards for features shown on the Preliminary Plan, this ordinance shall prevail. Notwithstanding anything in section 30-456.7 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, to the contrary, any approval, without conditions, of a subdivision plat depicting the final lot layout for any multifamily dwellings, community common areas, open space, and adjacent roads for one or more phases of the development of the Property shall be deemed, for purposes of this ordinance, to be approval of the final plan for such phase or phases. Any final community unit plan approved for the Property, including any approved subdivision plat for any portion of the Property, is referred to herein as a “Final Plan.” Any final plan submitted for approval shall include as much detail as necessary to show compliance with all development concepts and standards, either as shown on the Preliminary Plan or as included in this ordinance.
II. MAXIMUM RESIDENTIAL DENSITY: Residential use of the Property shall be limited to a maximum of 500 dwelling units, generally as shown on the Preliminary Plan. Notwithstanding anything in the Preliminary Plan to the contrary, each multifamily dwelling on the Property shall be permitted to be either a “walk-up” or an “elevator building.”
III. PHASING: Development of the Property in phases shall be permitted, generally as shown on the Preliminary Plan.
IV. DWELLING UNIT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS:
A. GENERALLY: The dwelling uses on the Property shall be configured, designed, and constructed generally in conformance with the Preliminary Plan and shall adhere to the following standards:
1. Multifamily dwellings. There shall be a front yard with a depth of not less than 10 feet. In the case of corner lots, the front yard shall be required only on one street frontage. There shall be side yards of not less than five feet in width, including without limitation on corner lots. The distance between two buildings erected on the same lot shall not be less than six feet, except where buildings are attached. There shall be a rear yard with a depth of not less than five feet. Lot coverage shall not exceed 80 percent of the area of the lot.
B. NON-DWELLING USES:
1. A maximum of 25,000 square feet of ground floor commercial area shall be provided.
2. Amenities that serve the Property as a whole shall be permitted as principal uses provided that such amenities are located in a community amenity building substantially as shown on the Preliminary Plan.
3. Accessory structures that are customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to the dwelling uses permitted by this ordinance shall be permitted, provided that such accessory structures do not exceed 12 feet in height. Notwithstanding the foregoing, playground equipment that exceeds 12 feet in height shall be permitted.
4. Accessory structures located within a required rear yard shall be permitted, except that (i) no such accessory structures shall be located within five feet of an alley, and (ii) where the rear yard abuts a side lot line of an adjoining lot, no such accessory structure shall be located nearer such side lot line than a distance equal to the minimum side yard required on the adjoining lot.
5. Accessory structures located within the portion of a required side yard situated within 30 feet of the rear lot line shall be permitted, provided that no such accessory structure shall be closer than two feet to the side lot line, unless such accessory structure is attached to an accessory structure on the adjacent lot by a common wall.
6. Accessory structures and attached additions that increase the height, floor area, or building footprint of any multifamily dwelling shall not be subject to approval or disapproval pursuant to section 30-456.7 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended.
C. BUILDING HEIGHT: No building shall exceed the lesser of five stories or 60 feet in height.
D. EXTERIOR BUILDING MATERIALS: The exteriors of the multifamily dwellings and non-dwelling uses shall be constructed with brick, brick veneer, stone, cementitious siding, wood, vinyl, or an equivalent material as approved in the Final Plan. Vinyl siding shall have a minimum wall thickness of 0.044 inches, as evidenced by the manufacturer’s printed literature. Exterior trim, windows, and soffits shall be constructed with three coat smooth finish stucco, wood siding, vinyl cladding, or aluminum cladding. Roofing materials shall consist of architectural asphalt shingles, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), or an equivalent material as approved in the Final Plan.
E. DOORS: Each at-grade townhome-style multifamily dwelling unit shall have a secondary egress door to either the side yard or rear yard of the lot.
F. HVAC: All heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment serving individual lots shall be located or screened so as not to be visible from any adjoining public right-of-way.
G. LANDSCAPING: Any landscaping and hardscaping in the open space areas shall be generally as shown on the Preliminary Plan. For each phase of the development of the Property, the first Final Plan approved after the adoption of this ordinance shall include a landscaping plan.
V. PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS: Public improvements depicted on the Preliminary Plan shall be provided following their approval as part of a Final Plan.
A. STREETS: All streets shall be dedicated public right-of-way and shall be configured substantially as shown on the Preliminary Plan, including without limitation utilizing reduced road centerline radii, intersection spacing, and alternative street sections. Prior to the issuance of any building permit for the Property, the owner of the Property shall convey to the City a sixty-foot-wide public right-of-way over, under, and across that portion of the Property labeled as “19TH STREET” on the Preliminary Plan, which conveyance shall be by deed of special or general warranty that is approved as to form by the City Attorney and acceptable to the Director of the Department of Public Works as to terms. The Chief Administrative Officer or designee thereof is hereby authorized to execute such deed for the acceptance of such right-of-way.
B. ALLEYS: The Preliminary Plan depicts certain alleys, which shall be dedicated public right-of-way with an eighteen-foot minimum paved width and a twenty-foot minimum right-of-way width. Alley configuration shall be generally as shown on the Preliminary Plan, including without limitation reduced alley centerline radii, intersection spacing, and alternative turnarounds. Prior to the issuance of any building permit for the Property, the owner of the Property shall convey to the City five public rights-of-way over, under, and across those portions of the Property shown and labeled as “ALLEY” on the Preliminary Plan, which conveyance shall be by deed of special or general warranty that is approved as to form by the City Attorney and acceptable to the Director of Public Works as to terms. The Chief Administrative Officer or the designee thereof is hereby authorized to execute such deed for the acceptance of such rights-of-way.
C. SIDEWALKS: The owner of the Property shall install or improve sidewalks on both sides of all streets within the limits of the project site as approved herein, shown and labeled as “PROJECT BOUNDARY” on the Preliminary Plan (the “Project Boundary”). All such sidewalks shall have a minimum width of six feet and shall be constructed or improved in accordance with the requirements of the Director of Public Works. This requirement shall not apply to sidewalks located partially or entirely outside of the Project Boundary, including sidewalks adjacent to but not within the Project Boundary.
D. LIGHTING: New pedestrian-scale ornamental streetlight fixtures, as approved by the Department of Public Utilities, shall be installed along all streets within the Project Boundary. New cobra head light fixtures shall not be permitted, except as required within public alleys. All existing cobra head light fixtures within public streets shall be replaced with pedestrian-scale ornamental fixtures, except along Mosby Street and 20th Street, where lighting may consist of combination pole-mounted fixtures with integrated pedestrian and roadway lighting.
E. STREET TREES: Deciduous shade trees shall be planted within the right-of-way in planting strips located between the sidewalk and the curb. Such planting strips shall be a minimum of four feet wide. The location of all street trees shall be generally as shown on the Preliminary Plan and shall not conflict with the placement of utilities. The final location of all street trees shall be subject to approval by the Department of Public Works.
F. UTILITIES: Except for transformers, pedestals, junction boxes, meters, backflow prevention devices, and existing overhead utility lines, all utility lines shall be installed underground. Meters and backflow prevention devices shall be located off the alleys to the rear of the lots to the maximum extent practicable and shall have vegetative screening.
G. COMPLETION OF IMPROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY: All improvements required by this subsection (V) that will be located within public right-of-way shall be completed generally as shown on the Preliminary Plan, unless otherwise required by the Director of Public Works. These improvements may be completed in one or more phases as approved by the Director of Public Works. All improvements and work within the public right-of-way shall be (i) completed in accordance with the requirements of the Director of Public Works and any applicable requirements of the Director of Public Utilities, (ii) considered completed only upon written confirmation by the Director of Public Works or the designee thereof and the Director of Public Utilities or the designee thereof, as applicable, that such improvements and work are in accordance with such requirements, and (iii) transferred to the City, following the written confirmation by the Director of Public Works or the designee thereof and the Director of Public Utilities or the designee thereof, as applicable, pursuant to a transfer of interest document approved as to form by the City Attorney and accepted by the Chief Administrative Officer or the designee thereof on behalf of the City. The Chief Administrative Officer or the designee thereof, for and on behalf of the City, is hereby authorized to accept, in the manner for which this subsection provides, all improvements and work required by and meeting the requirements of this subsection. The final certificate of use and occupancy for the Property, or the applicable phase of the development thereof, shall not be issued until all requirements of this subsection (G) are fully satisfied.
VI. MINIMUM OPEN SPACE: Open space, as generally shown on the Preliminary Plan, shall be provided and may include active and passive recreational components. Submission of the plans for open space in phases shall be permitted.
VII. SCREENING: Facilities for the collection of refuse shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the Director of Public Works. Dumpster facilities shall be screened with opaque structural or vegetative materials so as not to be visible from adjacent properties, or from any public street or other public space. Such enclosure or screening shall be designed to prevent trash or refuse from blowing onto other areas of the Property or onto adjacent properties or public streets or spaces. Chain link fences shall not be used to satisfy this dumpster screening requirement.
VIII. PARKING: Parking shall be provided as follows:
A. Driveways shall not be permitted.
B. Where on-street parking spaces are not defined by curb bump-outs, on-street spaces shall not be within 10 feet of crosswalks, stop signs, or traffic control signals.
C. Long-term bicycle parking requirements shall be as set forth in section 30-730.2 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, with the following clarifications and modifications:
1. Ground floor units shall be excluded from the number of dwelling units counted when determining long-term bicycle parking requirements.
2. Long-term bicycle parking requirements shall be determined for each building individually, and shall not be based on the number of dwelling units in a phase of development or the development as a whole. Notwithstanding anything in section 30-730.2 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, to the contrary, long-term bicycle parking spaces located on premises separate from the building which they are intended to serve shall be permitted, provided that such premises are accessible to the residents of the building which they are intended to serve. Groups of long-term bicycle parking spaces intended to serve multiple premises shall be permitted.
D. Short-term bicycle parking requirements shall be as set forth in section 30-730.2 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended. For the purpose of determining the required number of short-term bicycle parking spaces, each building shall be considered individually.
IX. ADMINISTRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION:
A. Except as otherwise specifically provided by this ordinance, the zoning regulations prescribed by Chapter 30 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, for the district in which the Property is situated shall apply.
B. The Final Plan application for the first phase of development of the Property must be submitted within five years after the effective date of this ordinance. In the event the required application is not submitted within five years after the effective date of this ordinance, this ordinance shall be null and void and of no further effect.
§ 2. That Ordinance No. 1961-164-144, and all amendatory ordinances thereto, be and are hereby repealed.
§ 3. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.
City of Richmond
Intracity Correspondence
DATE: April 20, 2026
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH: The Honorable Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor (by request)
(This in no way reflects a recommendation on behalf of the Mayor)
THROUGH: Odie Donald II, Chief Administrative Officer
THROUGH: Sharon L. Ebert, DCAO for Economic Development and Planning
FROM: Kevin J. Vonck, Director of Planning & Development Review
RE: To authorize a Mosby Court South Redevelopment preliminary community unit plan permitting the development of a residential community of up to 500 dwelling units and up to 25,000 square feet of ground floor commercial area on approximately 12.84 acres of land located at 1804 P Street and 1930 P Street, upon certain terms and conditions, and to repeal Ord. No. 1961-164-144, and all amendatory ordinances thereto.
ORD. OR RES. No.
PURPOSE: The applicant has submitted a preliminary community unit plan to facilitate the redevelopment of the Mosby Court South community into a mixed-use community with up to 500 dwelling units, amenity, and commercial space. The preliminary community unit plan identifies the maximum number of dwelling units and maximum amount of commercial and residential floor area proposed, the general character and location of all buildings, structures and open spaces, and the general location of all means of ingress and egress and areas for the parking and circulation of vehicles. A final community plan will be required.
BACKGROUND: Mosby South is located in the Fairmount neighborhood, bound by Mosby Street, R Street, North 20th Street, and O Street. The community was opened in 1962 by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) and currently has 438 dwelling units. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates this property as Neighborhood Mixed-Use, which is defined as existing or new highly walkable urban neighborhoods that are predominantly residential with a small, but critical, percentage of parcels providing retail, office, personal service, and institutional uses.
More importantly, the City’s Master Plan identifies the Mosby community as a Priority Neighborhood. Priority Neighborhoods consist of public housing and land owned or recently transferred by RRHA. They play an integral role in communities across the city.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The applicant is responsible for initial community outreach; additional community notification will take place after introduction.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL: Richmond 300 Master Plan
FISCAL IMPACT: $3,600 application fee.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: April 27, 2026
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: May 26, 2026
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Planning Commission May 19, 2026
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Office of Chief Administrative Officer
Law Department (for review of draft ordinance)
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: 1961-164-144 - Original Community Unit Plan for Mosby South
ATTACHMENTS: Draft Ordinance, Authorization from Property Owner, Applicant’s Report, Plans, Survey
STAFF:
Alyson Oliver, Program & Operations Supervisor, Land Use Administration, 646-3709
Shaianna Trump, Planner & Planning Commission Secretary, Land Use Administration, 646-7319