21 Homes Denied: What Richmond Lost on South Meadow Street

Richmond City Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to reject a special-use permit for 21 for-sale townhomes on a vacant lot at 901-923 S. Meadow St., near Byrd Park in the Randolph neighborhood.

The decision came despite a recommendation for approval from the Planning Commission and no opposition from the Randolph Neighborhood Association. Councilwoman Ellen Robertson cast the lone vote in favor.

The project

The proposal came from Audeo Partners, a Washington, D.C.-based developer that has been active in Richmond in recent years. Audeo converted a former Dominion Energy warehouse in the Fan into apartments and is planning a similar conversion of The Virginia Home's Byrd Park facility, which council already approved in September.

The Meadow Street townhomes were meant to go up on a grassy 0.8-acre lot near that building. Audeo first filed plans last fall for 31 three-story townhomes. After meeting with neighbors, it cut the count to 21 units with about 50 parking spaces, roughly 30 of them on site.

The homes would have ranged from 1,400 to 2,000 square feet and been listed at around $500,000. An Audeo partner told council the firm had reshaped the plan around residents' feedback.

A heated public comment period

The item drew more than an hour of public comment and deliberation, with residents speaking both for and against. Most spoke in person, and a few joined online to speak against the project.

Supporters who tuned in online never got their turn. Council President Cynthia Newbille closed public comment before virtual speakers in favor could be heard, in what BizSense described as an apparent procedural mistake.

Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch, whose 5th District includes the site, called it the "least-favorite SUP" she has worked on. She pointed to neighborhood worries about traffic safety, parking and gentrification, some tied to the project and some to broader issues in the area. Council members Reva Trammell, Andrew "Gumby" Breton and Kenya Gibson also cited the opposition in voting no.

What's next for the lot

The future of the property is unclear. The Virginia Home, a nonprofit, has owned the land since 2008 and had not yet sold it to Audeo.

That ownership matters. Virginia's new Faith in Housing law, passed this year, lets religious and nonprofit groups build affordable housing on land they own without following local zoning. Lynch acknowledged The Virginia Home could pursue that route with a development partner, though she warned it could bring even more cars and strain on neighborhood infrastructure than the townhomes would have.

The same night, council approved other projects: 249 apartments with retail across two buildings on North Lombardy Street, a mixed-use building on Mechanicsville Turnpike, and a rezoning for a mixed-income redevelopment of the Jefferson Townhomes on Venable Street.

My take

From reading the article, it seems that no one was allowed to speak in favor of the project virtually, which is a huge red flag to me. Opponents got to make their case online, but supporters who joined the same way never had the chance before the vote. Whether it was a mistake or not, a decision this significant should hear from both sides.

I also agree with the comments raised about housing concerns in the city. More homes built on this lot would help level out pricing. The fewer homes we allow, the more prices go up, and that is not what our city needs.

Source

Platania, Mike. "City council nixes townhome project near Byrd Park." Richmond BizSense, October 15, 2026.