RCA Newsletter: March 2025

Jol Silversmith
Apr 29
2 min read

Updated: May 9

March 20th RCA Meeting

Thanks to all who attended the RCA’s March 20 meeting. Senator Adam Ebbin and Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker provided an update on this spring’s legislative session in Richmond; John Hill, on behalf of, Joelle Jordan provided an update on plans for the revision of the RCA website.

PELT Committee Update

HELP! Do I have lead pipes?

What is Happening?

The City is undertaking a public process to update the Housing Master Plan, an element of the City’s Master Plan which was approved in 2013 and intended to guide City decision-making through 2025. The Housing Master Plan establishes a vision, policy recommendations, and tools to address the City’s housing needs. The scope of the update to the Housing Master Plan includes further evolution of the Principles and Goals of the plan, and the outlining of a workplan for the City’s housing programs through 2040, among other items.

City programs and policies that are guided by the existing Housing Master Plan include the leveraging several existing City funds to support gap financing for new committed affordable housing developments, preservation of existing market-rate affordable housing, and several affordable homeownership programs. The update would evaluate these programs and expand upon them with new policy priorities, initiatives and tools.

How Can You Engage?

The City has held two engagements on this update, the latest of which was on March 18. At this meeting, draft Principles and Goalswere released for public comment.

Last September, the City completed and presented a Housing Needs Analysis. The next step will be to develop Draft Housing 2040 Housing Affordability Targets, which is targeted for completion in the early Summer. The City is targeting completion of the Housing Master Plan update by the end of the calendar year, though workplan items such as evaluating financial tools and renter resources will run into 2026.

If you’d like to leave a comment on the draft material, you may do so at this link.

Next RCA Meeting

The next RCA meeting will be on Tuesday, May 20th at 7pm at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 100 West Luray Avenue. The agenda for the meeting is still being set and will be publicized on social media before the meeting.