Henrico News

Board of Supervisors recap: Fairfield Supervisor Cooper begins first term as Board Chair

The Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting Tuesday, Jan 13. An agenda and complete video of the meeting are available on the county website.  

Henrico Board of Supervisors adopts tighter regulations on vape shops

New stores offering products defined as “recreational substances” would be allowed only in the B-3 Business and M-1 Industrial zoning districts and would also be required to receive a provisional use permit. That would require public hearings and approval from the Board of Supervisors.

In addition, such stores would not be allowed within 1,000 feet of a school or 2,000 feet of a religious institution, day care center, public park or existing store selling recreational substances.

Henrico, Capital Region Land Conservancy and developer partner to protect historic land by Roslyn Hills Park

The 6.4 acres of wooded property was part of Ziontown, a Black community established following emancipation by Henry Pryor, who had been enslaved at nearby Ravenswood plantation. Ziontown, which means “heavenly place,” began with Pryor’s purchase of 5 acres and prospered into the 1960s, with about 50 homes and as many as 275 residents, according to research for a historical marker installed by the county in 2020 along Ridge.

The Board of Supervisors voted Oct. 28 to acquire the land in collaboration with CRLC. With a $850,000 grant from the county, CRLC acquired the property from Dan and Linda Wilson, of University Park LLC, through a part-gift and part-sale transaction. Then, CRLC donated it to Henrico, and the county conveyed a conservation easement to CRLC, designating the site for the perpetual preservation of open space and restricting future development. The closing was finalized Nov. 24.

Henrico, Happily Natural Day to establish community farm in Varina

The community farm on the 1,052-acre Runnymeade property will encompass 10 acres during its pilot phase and could expand to 20 acres and potentially more, depending on community interest.

Farmers will be able to apply to use plots as small as a half-acre, beginning in late fall. Once it is operating at capacity year-round, the farm’s annual yield could total as much as 500,000 pounds of produce – a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and flowers.

With discipline and precision, National Honor Guard Academy shares expertise with local units

More than 50 representatives of two dozen public safety agencies across three states attended the National Honor Guard Academy (NHGA) hosted by the Henrico County Division of Fire. The training session, held Oct. 19-24, was dedicated to elevating the knowledge, skills and execution of public safety honor guard units.

NHGA came about because “there just wasn’t any training for public safety honor guards,” said Doug Swartz, the academy’s founder and commanding officer.

“Traditions were being missed or misrepresented and our fallen just weren’t being honored the way we wanted them to, so we put a training program together.”

The 45-hour course offered a mix of classroom and hands-on learning. Materials covered basic drills, church and casket protocols, proper casket handling, precise movements and flag etiquette. It culminated with a full, mock line-of-duty funeral procession to give participants a chance to practice all they learned.

Instructors are retired or active public safety officers, with both civilian and military experience.

Community celebrates opening of Bungalow City Firehouse 23

Since opening in mid-February, Firehouse 23 has enhanced fire protection and emergency medical response to areas of eastern Henrico. Officials celebrated the station and its new fire engine with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting event that included a traditional fire engine push-in ceremony.

Located at 5618 Nine Mile Road, Firehouse 23 is named after its surrounding neighborhood of modest bungalow houses dating to the 1920s. “It’s tight-knit and resilient – a thriving community to this day,” Varina Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said of Bungalow City. “So, the name has deep roots, and it’s appropriate the fire station’s title reflects the community which it serves.”

Welcomed ‘as brothers,’ Saudi firefighters celebrate training in Henrico through international partnership

Eight members of the Saudi Aramco Fire Department spent the past six months training at four of the county’s stations through the International Fellowship Program of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Henrico becomes first to earn ‘quadruple AAA’ status for water, sewer bonds

The county's 'quadruple AAA' status reflects that it has received the top ratings from all four of the main municipal rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency.

In August, Henrico became the third county in the nation to receive AAA ratings for general obligation bonds from the four agencies.