Support the Richmond Code Refresh: A Smarter, Fairer, More Affordable Future for Our City

Richmond is at a crossroads. Our outdated zoning code - written decades ago - limits what kinds of homes can be built and where. It drives up housing costs, pushes people out of the city, and reinforces racist and classist policies of the 1900s. The Richmond Code Refresh is our chance to fix that.

We're calling on Richmond City Council to adopt a new zoning code that reflects our values of equity, sustainability, and affordability.

Why This Matters:

✅ More Homes, More Choices: Richmond’s current code bans most affordable housing types - like duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes - in huge swaths of the city. The Code Refresh would allow more diverse housing options so that teachers, baristas, young families, and seniors can all find a place to live here.

✅ Lower Costs Through Supply: By limiting what can be built, the current code forces people to compete for a limited number of homes. This empowers landlords to raise the rent, forces homebuyers into bidding wars. By adding more homes to more neighborhoods - especially near transit and jobs - we help bring prices down and relieve pressure on renters and first-time buyers.

✅ A More Equitable Richmond: Our current zoning code reflects a legacy of racist and exclusionary housing policy. Reforming it is a concrete step toward racial and economic justice by giving more people access to high-opportunity neighborhoods.

✅ Climate Resilience: Allowing more homes near jobs, schools, and transit reduces long commutes and car dependency. That means less pollution, cleaner air, and a healthier Richmond.

✅ A City That Grows Together: Today, the zoning code prohibits new homes in the most opportunity-rich neighborhoods. As the city grows, this forces Richmond's most vulnerable communities to experience the most change and critically, doesn't allow for enough new homes to eliminate the bidding wars and rent hikes. This results in long time residents being priced out of the neighborhoods they call home. The Code Refresh ends the prohibition on new and affordable home types in all neighborhoods, allowing the city to grow more equitably.

We love Richmond and want to see it thrive - for everyone. That means building homes for the future, not holding onto zoning rules from the past.