Richmond Opens Northside Site to Developer Ideas
Developers and commercial operators can propose housing or retail uses for the Chamberlayne Ave. parcel before the December 18 deadline.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Remote Work
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Should Richmond prioritize new housing on city-owned northside properties?
Richmond's Department of Housing and Community Development has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest for a just-under-1-acre, city-owned former school site at 4929 Chamberlayne Ave. The city is considering multi-family residential, ground-floor commercial, community space, or a combination, with submissions due December 18, 2025, at 3 p.m. for businesses and developers weighing redevelopment of the Northside parcel.
Why it matters
The city says it wants proposals that strengthen the Chamberlayne Avenue corridor, expand housing choice, and improve connections to nearby amenities. For developers and small commercial operators, the RFEI is an early signal of which uses the city may favor before formal bidding opens.
The city-owned parcel at 4929 Chamberlayne Ave. covers just under 1 acre and currently holds a vacant former school building. The RFEI closes at 3 p.m. on December 18, and the city's follow-on Request for Proposals is planned for winter 2027.
The players
City of Richmond
Virginia's state capital and a municipal government that controls the Chamberlayne Avenue parcel and sets its redevelopment terms.
Department of Housing and Community Development
The city agency that issued the RFEI, reviews submissions, and prepares the follow-on Request for Proposals for city-owned property.
The details
Respondents are encouraged to propose uses for the full site that meet the city's development goals, including housing, ground-floor retail or services, and community space. Submissions to the Department of Housing and Community Development will inform the more detailed RFP, so early responses can shape the scope and requirements of that later solicitation. The property sits near a Route 1 bus stop, the Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, a future North-South Pulse BRT station, and the Brookhill Azalea Shopping Center, which the city cites as reasons the site suits connected development.
Timeline
October 5, 2025: The city issued the press release announcing the RFEI.
December 18, 2025, 3 p.m.: Deadline for RFEI submissions to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Winter 2027: Planned release of a detailed Request for Proposals for the site.
Market Landscape
Cities use an RFEI stage to test developer interest in surplus property before issuing a formal RFP with binding requirements. Richmond's sequence follows that two-stage pattern, placing the Chamberlayne site in an early phase of its redevelopment process.
Developers, commercial operators, and housing providers interested in Richmond's Northside should evaluate whether their proposed uses fit the city's stated housing and commercial goals before the December 18 deadline. Businesses that could bid later should track the winter 2027 RFP for formal requirements and terms.
The takeaway
The RFEI is an early, non-binding stage, so the most useful action now is to prepare a concept that combines housing, ground-floor commercial, or community use along Chamberlayne Avenue. Operators should calendar the December 18 submission deadline and watch for the winter 2027 RFP, which will set formal terms.
What happens next
The RFEI submission deadline is December 18, 2025, at 3 p.m., and the city plans to release a detailed Request for Proposals in winter 2027.
Further reading
For related coverage of how employers and workers are structuring their operations, see Remote Work in our Business section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 8News.
Live Poll
Should Richmond prioritize new housing on city-owned northside properties?
