Make Your Voice Heard
Add your voice on the proposed rezoning from R-2 to RD-A ("Code Refresh"). Write and call the City using our sample letter as a starting point, or say it in your own words — the more residents who speak up, the harder we are to ignore. New here? Start with Background & Resources.
Write and call our elected officials
Express your own views, or use our sample letter below as a starting point — the more residents who speak up, the harder we are to ignore. Here's the quickest way to send it:
- Copy our sample letter — grab it from the letter below, or use the Copy the letter button for one-click copying.
- Click Email all officials at once — it opens an email already addressed to all fifteen City officials.
- Paste it in, make it your own, add your name, and send.
City official email addresses
- RVAMayor@rva.gov
- sarah.abubaker@rva.gov
- Timmy.Siverd@rva.gov
- Kevin.Vonck@rva.gov
- Marianne.Pitts3@rva.gov
- PDRLandUseAdmin@rva.gov
- richmond300@rva.gov
- andrew.breton@rva.gov
- katherine.jordan@rva.gov
- kenya.gibson@rva.gov
- stephanie.lynch@rva.gov
- ellen.robertson@rva.gov
- cynthia.newbille@rva.gov
- reva.trammell@rva.gov
- nicole.jones@rva.gov
Sample letter
Copy the text below into your email, edit it to reflect your own views, and add your name at the bottom.
Hello Mayor Avula, Councilmember Sarah Abubaker, Director Vonck and Deputy Director Pitts,
I am writing as a resident of Stratford Hills and a member of Stratford Hills Civic Association to express two very serious concerns about the process used to develop the proposed Code Refresh zoning recommendations.
1) Neighborhoods in the 4th District are among the communities most directly affected by the proposed rezoning from R-2 to RD-A. Yet:
- NO representation on the Zoning Advisory Committee (ZAC) from the 4th district
- NO representation on the City Planning Commission from the 4th district
- NO engagement with Stratford Hills neighbors until we reached out to inquire
This raises a fundamental question: How can the City justify major zoning changes affecting our neighborhoods when those neighborhoods had no meaningful representation during the process? Public engagement should not occur only after recommendations have already been developed. Residents deserve a genuine opportunity to participate while decisions are being formed, not simply react after the fact.
2) The City has acknowledged that NO representatives involved in the process have any environmental expertise. In addition to not representing the 4th District, there has not been a single serious environmental voice at the table. This is reprehensible for a proposal that frames itself as a sustainable zoning change. Environmental impact is especially relevant for the 4th district residential neighborhoods including Stratford Hills. Not only are we in the James River and Chesapeake Bay watershed, but additionally ours is the densest tree canopy in the City providing tremendous ecosystem services for the entire City — in terms of improved air quality, stormwater absorption, erosion control, urban heat reduction and wildlife habitat.
Not to mention that the City of Richmond frequently leverages images of Pony Pasture and Huguenot Flatwater (both located within our neighborhood) in marketing pieces promoting Richmond as a beautiful place to live. We could enumerate the many concerns we have with the specifics of the zoning proposal, but our priority today is expressing the shock and dismay at the City's total lack of consideration for residents, neighborhoods or the environment in this process.
I respectfully request that City leaders:
- Maintain the existing R2 zoning ordinances and halt all proposed rezoning that would change R2 to RD-A for existing neighborhoods.
- Delay codification and implementation until all impacted neighborhoods have had meaningful communication from and engagement with the City.
- Ensure that the 4th District is immediately represented on both the ZAC and Planning Commission as well as any future Commissions / committees.
- Ensure environmental expertise is represented on the ZAC and Planning Commission as well as any future Commissions / committees.
- Delay codification and implementation until environmental impact studies to evaluate the impacts and environmental tradeoffs are completed and discussed with the full community.
Good planning depends on public trust. Many residents feel that trust has been weakened by the absence of representation from our community. I hope the City will take steps to address these concerns before moving forward.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
The full letter we sent to the City on May 11, 2026 is on the Background & Resources page, for the record.