Vacant Lot At 1407Avondale

by Charles McGuigan 07.2025

In Bellevue—the diadem of Richmond’s Northside—vacant lots are about as rare as trapiche emeralds. Out of some 1200 homesites, there are just five of them. And here in Bellevue each vacant lot is worth a sizable chunk of change.

One such “unimproved lot,” as they’re sometimes called, is causing quite a stir. Located at 1407 Avondale, the owners of this parcel are “requesting relief from the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) in order to construct two new single-family detached homes on their property,” according to Marisa Perez, an associate land use planner with Baker Development Resources.  The lot is currently zoned for one home. 

Elizabeth and Mark Scarpino have lived for nearly three decades in a house just two doors to the east of the vacant lot, and in that time have witnessed many changes.

“Most of the changes have been extremely positive,” the couple recently wrote in an email to the BZA. “The building of Linwood Holton Elementary, the revitalization of the historic commercial strips, the restoration of older homes and gardens, the building of some newer, congruous homes — but mainly the resurgence of old-school neighborhood energy, whereby retirees, students, artists, professionals, and families all enjoy this community because of its accessibility and charm, and especially its livable scale. Development here thus far has been in keeping with longstanding, often historic, parameters.”

Like others living on the 1400 block of Avondale, the Scarpinos are concerned that approval of this request could open the floodgates for similar development. 

“Since the 1920s, the overwhelming stock of housing in Bellevue has kept the ONE home per ONE parcel standard,” the Scarpinos wrote. “To abandon these required zoning specifications and attempt to shoehorn two houses onto one parcel at 1407 would not only change the character of our block, we feel it would set a precedent to the detriment of the neighborhood.” 

The Scarpinos, who support the need for affordable housing in Richmond, seriously doubt that the construction of two homes at 1407 Avondale will address this problem. 

“As difficult as it is to envision squeezing two houses on the 1407 parcel, it’s even more difficult to swallow the line that they would be anything approaching ‘affordable,’” the Scarpinos wrote.  “Density does not guarantee affordability — and we citizens are catching on to how developers use these buzzwords as pretext to maximize profit via zoning exception requests, such as this one for 1407 Avondale.”

In an email to the BCA, Marisa Perez of Baker Development Resources, wrote the following, “We have sent letters to all property owners within 150’ of the property to notify them of the proposal which we expect to be heard by the BZA on July 2nd (that hearing was postponed). Additionally, the owner has already discussed the proposal with the two adjacent neighbors at 1405 and 1409 Avondale, who have submitted letters of support.”

But Suzanne Bessenger, who lives directly across the street from the 1407 property, takes issue with this.  

“The immediate neighbors in residence oppose the proposal,” she wrote. “While the owner of the property at 1409 signed a letter signaling their approval of the development, that owner does not actually reside in their property, which is a rental, and they will not be impacted personally by the development. All other neighbors surrounding and facing the property in question have voiced their disapproval of the plan to split the lot. The neighbor at 1405 signed the letter signaling approval while under duress, her husband having just gotten home from the hospital; she did not understand that the proposal included two housing units, and she has since written a letter to the zoning board retracting her signature on the project.” 

Like the Scarpinos, Suzanne is concerned about the precedent this special exception might set.

“I am concerned that the precedent set by approving the 1407 Avondale project would lead to the future destruction of smaller homes that currently sit on such ‘double’ lots,” she wrote.  “One of the great things about our neighborhood is that there are homes of varying sizes and prices on each block.  I wouldn't call the smaller cottages ‘affordable,’ but they are indeed less expensive than the larger homes.  I like this variety, and the income-diversity (again, a relative term) that it allows in our neighborhood.”  

Catherine Willis, president of the BCA, sent out the following email earlier this summer, “I am writing to share that we received an email from a developer working with the owner of the lot at 1407 Avondale Avenue, informing the BCA of their request for relief from the Board of Zoning Appeals in order to construct two single-family homes on a property currently zoned for one single-family home. We also received emails from immediate neighbors that oppose this project for a number of reasons. 

“Across the city, and specifically in Bellevue, we are seeing a growing trend of both out-of-town and local property owners and developers seeking to increase density on residential lots, often under the banner of affordable housing. While I personally have my own thoughts on this kind of development in the name of affordable housing, the reality is that immediate neighbors deserve the loudest voice in the process. It is their block, their parking, their shade, and their quality of life that will be directly impacted.

“Additionally, approving such requests could set a precedent for development that moves ahead of the democratic process currently underway through Code Refresh. This process is intended to give the residents of the City of Richmond a meaningful opportunity to have their voices heard and their perspectives considered before any binding decisions are made.”

Baker Development Resources will have a representatives present at a Bellevue Civic Association (BCA) meeting at 6:30 pm on August 19 to be held at Battery Park Church. Then, on September 3, at 1 pm, a BZA hearing on this special exception will be held on the fifth floor conference room at City Hall. At both meetings Bellevue residents will have the opportunity to take part in the democratic process.