Planning Commission passes plan meant to safeguard historical Richmond sites, heads to city council for approval

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond's Planning Commission passed a plan intended to safeguard historical sites across the city earlier this week after initially delaying a vote on the plan back in late May. Now, the plan will head to the city council for approval.

According to a Nov. 21 release from the city, the Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan (CHSP) helps the city to identify, recognize and safeguard places of cultural and historical importance. The plan was developed collaboratively between city departments, the Virginia Department of Historical Resources and other stakeholders.

"This Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plan is exactly the kind of guiding document we need to fulfill our commitment to being a City that tells its stories and tells the truth about its past," said Mayor Danny Avula in the release. "As I've shared in my Mayoral Action Plan, we cannot move forward as a community without honestly reckoning with our history—all of it—and this plan gives us the roadmap to do that work thoughtfully and inclusively. This is how we build a Richmond where every resident sees themselves reflected in the story of our city."

The plan builds on the Richmond 300 Master Plan, a roadmap for Richmond's growth to "preserve culturally, historically, and architecturally significant buildings, sites, structures, neighborhoods, cemeteries, and landscapes that contribute to Richmond's authenticity."

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Following the Planning Commission's approval, the CHSP plan now advances to the city council for final adoption. The plan, once adopted, will guide city policies, programs and investments related to cultural and historical importance.

The development of the plan included community engagement and input sessions in the city, as well as discussions with longtime residents, historians and other community advocates to "ensure the plan reflects Richmond's full diversity of experiences and perspectives," per a release.

"This plan represents an evolution in how we think about historic preservation," said authentiCITY Studio Senior Manager Kimberly Chen, who contributed to the plan's development. "It's not just about buildings and monuments, it's about the living culture of our neighborhoods, the stories of our diverse communities, and ensuring that preservation serves all Richmonders, not just a privileged few."

The city initially delayed voting on the plan during the Richmond City Council’s Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 20, after the Planning Commission discussed the proposed plan at length.

The 202-page draft of the CHSP presented at the May Planning Commission meeting was developed by a consulting firm, the Commonwealth Preservation Group.

Those who were opposed to the idea of recommending the CHSP argued that more research and study were required to be performed on the plan before it could be recommended to the city council.

As previously reported, anything in the plan that the city decided to carry out would require separate ordinances to be drafted, separate reviews to be performed and separate votes to be taken since the plan is not costly. The CHSP itself does not laws and implements no actual changes.

To read the final CHSP, click here.