Neighbor objects to VMFAstorage building planned behind studio school, cites process concerns
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Summary
A resident asked council to stop construction of a large storage warehouse the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts plans near the Museum District, saying the project was developed without adequate neighbor notice and that the foundationmischaracterized the use to the city.
Eugenia Reese, a resident of Floyd Avenue, asked council to "put a stop" to a planned storage warehouse the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is proposing near the Museum District behind the studio school.
Reese said the foundation needs temporary storage for artwork during construction but has "many other alternatives" and that the foundation set aside $7,000,000 for the project. She said plans for the building began in 2022 and were not shared with neighbors or, she said, the museum's own board.
Reese cited a 2022 response from the city's zoning administrator that she said advised against using the separate lot as a principal use for museum storage, and she said the foundation instead sought approval through the planning department and treated the warehouse as an accessory use.
"This monster of a warehouse is much larger than the school, and it will not serve the school in any capacity," Reese said, and asked council for "no backroom deals, for basic fairness, and for due process."
Why it matters: The comment raises neighborhood land-use, zoning and process concerns around a cultural institution's offsite storage plans in a residential historic district.
What happens next: Reese pointed listeners to an information website created by neighbors. No council action on the item was recorded in the transcript during this meeting.