Navy Hill proposal faces crucial vote tonight

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Could Monday be the end of the road for Mayor Levar Stoney’s downtown redevelopment plan?

City Council is expected to vote Monday evening on whether or not to kill the mayor’s proposal. The plan hit a snag last week after a majority of Richmond City Council members voted to strike the project from the organizational development standing committee’s agenda.

Several city council members have been outspoken against the proposal — five even introduced a resolution calling for the mayor to re-start the development process. They claim their constituents want more transparency about the effect the project would have on taxes.

Also in that resolution, councilmembers suggest the new proposal should have public input, allow for new development that may or may not require the demolition of the Richmond Coliseum, require any new housing to be at least 15 percent affordable housing and to make a schedule for developers to have enough time to review the plans and submit a proposal.

“I support withdrawal of the Mayor’s Navy Hill ordinances and starting over with a new redevelopment and Request for Proposal process,” councilwoman Kim Gray told 8News last week.

Mayor Stoney has said his plans aren’t going anywhere and claims City Council is afraid of voting against the project.

To be clear, I will not withdraw the #NavyHill papers. #RVACouncil has been involved in crafting this RFP since day one (2017).

— Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) January 28, 2020

City council will vote on that resolution, and whether or not to kill the proposal, at its meeting scheduled for 6 p.m.

Stay with 8News for updates.

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