What do you want next?
A vision for Henrico County’s 2045 Comprehensive Plan
Henrico County runs on a “growth” model
This means the county has to “grow”, adding more people and buildings every year, or the economy breaks.
What happens when we have nowhere left to build?
We become a city.
Do you know any cities in Virginia whose finances are in good shape?
Where services work and housing is affordable?
Thinking beyond growth
Is the economy serving social, health, cultural, equity and nature outcomes, rather than the reverse?
Principles for
a new Henrico:
- Protect natural and open spaces.
- Emphasize small, local, and sustainable.
- Encourage redevelopment.
- Design for need.
Protect natural and open spaces.
Between 1990-2020, Henrico County developed over 30,000 acres.
We have about that much left.
What happens in 30 years?
Emphasize small, local, sustainable.
Many large corporations operate like colonial states: build an outpost, extract as much from the local economy as possible, pay investors, expand to another outpost.
Think about chain stores and restaurants.
Where does your money go? Does it stay local?
Small businesses make a local economy strong and resilient, keeping our money here at home.
Encourage redevelopment
How many abandoned commercial buildings are in Henrico County?
How long have they been vacant?
Why is it so easy to just walk away?
A growth model treats land like a tshirt or shoes. Use it up, wear it out, buy and build new.
Except that buildings don’t just go away.
Design for need.
We plan for commuters.
Which means our planning doesn’t work well for everyone else. Our designs prioritize a high level of wealth and rigid travel patterns, creating obstacles for women, shift and gig workers, the differently-abled, the elderly, and the poor.
What if we designed for the most need, instead of the least?
Design for need.
We plan for development.
Developers want scale, size, and simple designs to maximize profit. That’s why it’s common to see enormous subdivisions and enormous apartment blocks, but not much else.
What if we designed for people?
Flexible uses, adaptable spaces, short- and long-term housing.
Places that make it easy to start a small business or grow a family.
Design for need.
We plan for profit.
Developers bring plans. Officials approve.
Most of the time, economic promises never materialize.
What if we designed for need?
Is this plan right for the community? Does it meet a community need? Is this a need now, tomorrow, or always?
Who does this plan serve?
What do you want next?