Richmond City Council unanimously signed off Monday night on a special use permit for a mixed-use building in Bellemeade that will include over 3,000 square feet of commercial space and 96 apartments for older adults.
The proposed development, Marquez Plaza, will fill parts of the 1800 block of Richmond Highway, which is currently a combination of vacant land and parking lot.
The first floor of the five-story building will be split between age-55-and-up resident amenities, including a fitness center and laundry facilities, and three retail spaces totaling nearly 3,300 square feet. Upper floors will each contain 20 one-bedroom apartments, three two-bedroom units and one studio, according to floor plans filed with the permit application.
Richmond BizSense reported in August that Marquez Plaza would be the only senior living facility in Bellemeade.
Planning documents filed with the city identify Tarvaris McCoy of The Real McCoy Companies, LLC, as the developer behind the project; McCoy first filed for a special use permit in December 2023. Baskerville is the architect, and SilverCore is the civil engineer.
The ordinance, which was approved as part of the council’s consent agenda, was temporarily delayed after councilors entered an unexpected recess and vacated the room.
Public comment Monday was driven largely by speakers focused on the adoption of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported in March that the council would not move forward with a resolution “as it is not protocol to weigh in on non-city matters.”
At the end of public comment, a large group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators began to chant slogans, including “City Council, pick a side!” and “Ceasefire now!” as they left the room, prompting Council President Kristen Nye to send the meeting into recess.
A special use permit for another Southside development — three multifamily buildings containing up to 266 apartments, built around the intersection of McDonough and West 22nd streets in Swansboro — was initially listed on Monday’s agenda, but was tabled until a later date.
