A proposed Richmond, Virginia area “agrihood” pairs affordable housing and urban agriculture
Farm shares that translate to fresh, hyperlocally-grown produce delivered to their doorstep.
By Wyatt Gordon
Greater Washington
July 26, 2022
Excerpt:
“The agrihood would function as an incubator farm by dividing up the two acres into quarter acre plots and assigning them to folks who go through our Happily Natural agricultural training program,” said Chavis. “Lots of people want to engage in the agriculture space but don’t live close to a farm, so our goal for the rental units is to offer space for folks who want to live on this farm while growing their business at this site,” he continued.
Chavis and his collaborators aren’t yet sure how densely they can build on the lot and what types of homes may be allowed under the existing antiquated agricultural zoning classification which dates back to the early 1900s.
The partners behind the project have engaged Chesterfield County to do a zoning analysis to clarify their exact options on the site. Chesterfield’s Zoning Ordinance Modernization process, the county’s first zoning update in 50 years, is set to be finalized later this year and aims to allow more multi-family housing and density. If the county decides that tiny homes and missing middle housing are possible on this suburban lot, the contours of the agrihood could look very different from the current renderings.
