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Richmond’s zoning rewrite is in its final stages. The debate has been fierce, but most public comments are rooted in fear: fear of change, fear of losing character, fear that new growth will overwhelm neighborhoods. What’s needed is an honest assessment of how our outdated zoning has shaped the city since 1970, and why modernizing it now is crucial.

Because Richmond has no actual plan for growth, neighbors at Special Use Permit hearings often demand that every developer address decades of deferred maintenance, repair the pipes, improve traffic flow and fix the broken sidewalks. Their concerns aren’t wrong; they are rational. However, their demands reflect a city not yet ready to grow rather than an argument against the need for growth itself.

That’s t

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