Mushrooming development on Southside brings sidewalk and school shortfalls into focus

The Richmonder examines how rapid affordable housing development in Richmond's Southside is creating infrastructure challenges, as reported by local officials Nicole Jones and Shavonda Fernandez.

Richmond's 8th and 9th districts are experiencing unprecedented growth with over 1,100 affordable housing units planned, but the surge is exposing critical gaps in basic infrastructure. These historically suburban areas, annexed decades ago, lack essential amenities like sidewalks and adequate stormwater systems, while schools face severe overcrowding issues.

• Missing sidewalks cost approximately $50,000 per block to install, creating safety concerns and development delays
• Schools like J.L. Francis Elementary are already overcrowded, with some buildings operating at 143% capacity
• Infrastructure investments including a $37 million Hull Street transformation are underway, but funding remains limited
• The chicken-and-egg dilemma persists: whether to build infrastructure first or require developers to fill gaps during construction