From Flood Zones to Future Zones: Centering community in infrastructure and development.

 

By: Josh Scott | Director, Policy & Organizing + Virginia Mejia | Community Engagement Coordinator

In 2019, we spent six months doing something that’s often overlooked in city planning: we listened.

We held conversations with over 1,000 Southside residents, and from that community wisdom, RVA Thrives created the Equitable Development Scorecard. This tool reflects what our neighborhoods want—and deserve—from commercial and residential development: access, affordability, dignity, and a voice in shaping the future.

Building Power Through Policy

We’re not just holding the Scorecard—we’re working to make it official policy. Right now, we’re meeting with Richmond City Council members and the Department of Planning and Development to advocate for an ordinance that would make the Scorecard part of the city's development process.

If passed, this ordinance would apply to any project needing a rezoning or Special Use Permit in Southside and nearby areas—particularly Districts 5, 6, 8, and 9. 

It’s a step toward what we’ve always known: development should not happen to us. It should happen with us.

The City Central Project: A Critical Moment

While we push for long-term policy change, we’re also staying grounded in what’s happening right now. One major project we’re watching closely is City Central, a proposed 40+ acre development that includes new housing and commercial space.

Many residents are cautiously optimistic. We need growth. But not growth that prices us out or leaves us behind.

Our community is calling for:

  • Fresh, affordable food options and nearby pharmacies

  • Homes that are truly affordable to current residents (those making 30–50% of the area median income)

  • Resources and amenities to support seniors to age in place

We’re beginning conversations with the developers, Harper Associates, because community involvement must start early. We’re organizing so that the people most affected by this project have a real seat at the table.


Infrastructure Is Justice

Our communities are also sounding the alarm on infrastructure. Flooding—particularly along the Richmond Highway corridor—flooding has become a dangerous routine. Streets overflow. Drains back up. Yards and basements fill with water. For many Southside families, this isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a recurring trauma.

And it’s not just an environmental issue, but a justice issue

Flooding disproportionately impacts historically Black and Brown neighborhoods—communities that have long been overlooked in public investment and infrastructure planning. It damages homes. It disrupts lives. It threatens health and safety. And for those without the financial means to recover after every storm, it deepens hardship and anxiety.

But we are not silent. Our members are organizing.

We are documenting flooding events. We are meeting with engineers, experts, and residents to better understand the causes—stormwater versus river flooding—and what needs to change. And we are demanding resilient, equitable infrastructure that puts people first.

What Our Communities Deserve

  • Homes that are affordable—not just technically, but truly affordable.

  • Clean water, safe streets, and strong stormwater systems.

  • Development that reflects our priorities, not just investors’ interests.

  • To thrive—and we’re not waiting for permission to make that happen.

Our goal: to co-create real solutions and push for the public investment our neighborhoods deserve—with resident voices at the center of every decision.

 
VACV