[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6678058,"mediaKeyId","2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051","parentId",2156194,"title","Richmond City Council adopts $500,000 to fund tenant legal assistance in eviction cases","audioSeconds",1143,"startMs",1632000,"endMs",2775000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051&start=1632&end=2775","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051/thumbnail_1632000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6678058/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Richmond-City-Council-adopts-500000-to-fund-tenant-legal-assistance-in-eviction-cases","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6678058-500859791dfae18dcf2d810afd1f7f64/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185210&Signature=QiNdL4WZifCgdn1JoU9e4NZ3GpLMD29I-zbuiaFA1pe8h9~IjCMUQSWkSYGT~LU-TmgJkx~XBUY6NvEUxVQ0FRO13n9vWLOHeWUUNpo~uX0TpBmYPG9nFxY75n6r91OWkGhQOQ8A2bdP1HdAL4ZjFaMEjKKcKa~~J7D6Pd0pzDvIeqMezSE6M9MSryx~x0zQlcaWOszTU6pg-5oUv3FkRUWr9yf32Dzb7OGh6NLKr-fuR99frCtpiPtpJi53YXam8vss-kiGJ7y8OepN9R5e0lZ5gENY0aj3ZJCEQlb5UEBqbKGmhci8kQeYjJE6bOONLyCe50iMm8RSZlMWtHm1IA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Richmond City","date","2025-01-27T00:00:00Z","article","Richmond City Council adopted a consent-agenda ordinance to provide $500,000 to the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS) to fund attorneys for tenants facing eviction in Richmond General District Court.

Martin Regbreit, identified in remarks as an emeritus pro bono attorney and retired director of litigation at CVLAS, told council the funding will help hundreds of families and invited council members to observe eviction court to see how outcomes differ for tenants with and without counsel. “This funding will keep them more stably housed going forward,” Regbreit said. Steve Dickinson, CVLAS executive director, accompanied Regbreit and was available to answer questions.

Council members speaking in favor described the allocation as an important but limited step. Councilwoman Gibson said the city should continue oversight to ensure the funds meet needs and asked whether the funding amount would be sufficient. Councilwoman Lynch and Vice President Jordan urged continued investment, with Lynch calling the $500,000 an important start but noting it is not enough given monthly eviction dockets that can include around 200 families.

The item was on the meeting’s consent agenda (Item 3, listed by the clerk as ordinance 20 25 0 0 1) and was adopted when the council approved the consent agenda by roll call. The consent vote as recorded on the transcript shows a unanimous roll call with nine council members recorded as voting yes. The transcript contains no subsequent amendment or separate roll-call tally for the individual ordinance.

Why it matters: Local funding for tenant representation can change eviction outcomes and housing stability. Advocates told council that many tenants in eviction court lack counsel and that providing representation improves equity in proceedings.

Action recorded: Ordinance (consent agenda item 3) allocating $500,000 to Central Virginia Legal Aid Society to provide eviction-court attorneys was adopted as part of the consent agenda; recorded roll-call vote on the consent agenda showed unanimous approval by council members present.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Richmond City - Richmond City Council Formal Meeting on 2025-01-27 6:00 PM - Jan 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","As part of the consent agenda, City Council approved an ordinance that allocates $500,000 to the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society to provide attorneys for tenants facing eviction in Richmond General District Court. Advocates and several council members highlighted the program as an initial, limited step toward broader right-to-counsel goals.","taxTitle","Richmond City (Independent City), Virginia","taxId",5755,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6678062,"Residents urge enforcement as VMFA foundation seeks parcel use change in Museum District",120,816000,936000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051&start=816&end=936","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051/thumbnail_816000.jpg","/articles/6678062/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Residents-urge-enforcement-as-VMFA-foundation-seeks-parcel-use-change-in-Museum-District","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6678062-25314f10a695ff3a1236161e9307f454/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185210&Signature=DGmXpbyyFDopCx2h-RsNFo1NP9Eic6yUTR1gO93qIu0PqL6bdII~NCBADNygAV-GKKAi7tgXivNv7C92uAPryFOIRXM87IVg-eo~Wgk-1lquy-Kd~LVLHHsk~t5IUFadsRiKRmHfMyz7AleWoVlTVjr7WNL6SucSFwk5eKClwXw5fX7-ZOsYUDPCDb4jlhpTZv6Uz4xWosF0R6Yb9jLbcx0c4-v3BuaotcnVcIGVMw92eXqC5uPhvX8-m08ZoI8Dg~1Q8ko3nrbqQD7puz8xnmx-zvwX9RM5k-XqZqQVei8M3WyCkGt7gT-YkgCRkT6bsg0bPRSr6ZfDU6hiMTrMlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Thomas Courtney, speaking during public comment as a neighborhood representative, asked Richmond City Council to review and enforce earlier ordinances that, he said, limited a parcel in the Museum District to parking and landscaping for the benefit of a commercial corner property.

Courtney said the parcel had been governed by a 1976 and 1987 ordinance that restricted its use to parking and landscaping improvements intended to serve a commercial property at the corner (now a school). He said the VMFA foundation’s recent acquisitions of residential parcels on Grove Avenue and plans for a warehouse on residential land undermine those prior land-use commitments and were not properly publicly noticed.

“We stand before you as neighborhood representatives concerned about the construction of an industrial warehouse on residential land in the Museum District,” Courtney said. He told council the foundation had quietly acquired four residential parcels, including a bed-and-breakfast property, and that those acquisitions and the proposed warehouse serve “financial and legal interests other than the public educational purposes of the VMFA.”

Courtney urged the zoning and planning department to review the project and enforce existing ordinances; he framed the request as a question of accountability to earlier public commitments and community character. The remarks were submitted during the meeting’s public comment period; no staff response or council action appears in the transcript on the night’s agenda regarding a formal enforcement motion.

Clarifying details: Courtney cited prior ordinances from 1976 and 1987 as the legal basis restricting the parcel’s use; he asserted the foundation acquired four nearby residential parcels and that the city receives no property taxes from those parcels because of nonprofit status. The transcript does not contain copies of the ordinances, maps, purchase records, or a planning staff response to the specific parcel-level claims.","A neighborhood representative told Richmond City Council that the VMFA foundation’s plan to build a warehouse on residential land contradicts long-standing ordinances that reserved the parcel for parking and landscaping, and asked the city to enforce prior restrictions and provide public review.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6678067,"Neighborhood speaker urges Richmond City Council to revoke SUP for 615 Maple, citing alleged encroachments and false paperwork",134,603000,737000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051&start=603&end=737","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2156194-ce252bfd67007ecfe02e72c3d54eb051/thumbnail_603000.jpg","/articles/6678067/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Neighborhood-speaker-urges-Richmond-City-Council-to-revoke-SUP-for-615-Maple-citing-alleged-encroachments-and-false-paperwork","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6678067-849126e16279f28a75d476879866ae59/orig.mp4?Expires=1771185210&Signature=o36smWH2r64ZZnm2xuo7EstTsyEEO-DexUs4WdR7o6n6sT-qdzs2Z0MuYZKjSqFhRDCVbJnm5E4iQW6UNL1nqlCGfTK~EFGMWikk39SyY1TOUwxZFJNuAIqdEUWmATa9KlxBmsaIJt6PnwH8bw2cqr63L8ZNfMazTsxWbroJHXsArqa2hwfFjj6dSc-r3~28FcHbjSN1CXlGIhA2AgsHP-bHAZaLIjzwFhkGHLOEGifaukiMWieUZfaqI2JTcBY5vNTsr4enxx4Y6FHF4w~gLmwO6wwTjnytDfRmQm4MDTgMVw2MskexDZHQLVAE5iMxeyHf-LAbSE3HRSRnvSfTqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Paige Pruitt, a Richmond resident, told City Council during the public comment period that she is asking the council to revoke ordinance 20 23-283, the special-use permit (SUP) for 615 Maple, citing what she described as “dramatic new evidence” of zoning and code violations.

Pruitt said the SUP application and ordinance stated the only setback encroachment was 1.9 feet into the rear setback, and that the applicants had promised no other violations. She said subsequent documents and a pending consent order show a “massive height violation of 3 to 5 feet,” encroachment by a fireplace and other discrepancies, and that the surveyor’s as-built used planned values rather than actual measurements. “The disrespect to the public, staff, planning commission and yourselves is unfathomable,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt asked council to use the authority in Section 5(E) of ordinance 20 23-283 to revoke the SUP, identify the violations, and require corrections. She told council that the as-built plan was returned with instructions to remove an encroaching garage and fireplace, and that a consent order is pending.

The remarks occurred during the public comment period; there was no recorded motion or vote on the matter during the meeting. Council leadership acknowledged that some matters raised are the subject of litigation and said administration and staff would review the concerns raised by speakers. No formal action was recorded at the dais to open or reopen the ordinance or SUP on the night’s agenda.

Why it matters: Pruitt framed the request as enforcement of conditions tied to an SUP the city approved; revocation would be a formal administrative step that could require property alterations or other remedies if staff and council pursue it. Pruitt urged involvement of the planning commission and enforcement staff to identify and correct violations.

Clarifying details captured from the meeting: Pruitt cited an alleged 1.9-foot rear setback encroachment that was disclosed on the SUP application, an alleged additional height violation of approximately 3 to 5 feet, an alleged fireplace encroachment, and a sequence in which an as-built was returned twice with instructions to remove encroaching elements. She said a consent order is already in place for a related matter and another consent order is pending; the transcript does not provide the consent-order text or final remedy.

The council did not vote on the request at the meeting; the speaker asked staff and the planning commission to review the claims.","A resident asked Richmond City Council during public comment to revoke ordinance 2023-283 (special-use permit for 615 Maple), saying new evidence shows multiple zoning, height and fire-code violations and that survey documents used in the SUP process misrepresented actual measurements.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Richmond City Council adopts $500,000 to fund tenant legal assistance in eviction cases

Residents urge enforcement as VMFA foundation seeks parcel use change in Museum District

Neighborhood speaker urges Richmond City Council to revoke SUP for 615 Maple, citing alleged encroachments and false paperwork