The Richmond City Council voted Monday to require top city officials to live within city limits and to impose new zoning restrictions on tobacco and vape shops, approving both measures unanimously during its latest meeting.

The city residency ordinance, introduced by 4th District Council member Sarah Abubaker, requires several senior officials — including the chief auditor, department directors, and the inspector general — to live in Richmond while employed.

Initially met with pushback from Mayor Danny Avula and his administration, the measure gained their support by the time of its passage, which they praised in a statement released shortly after the meeting concluded.

The approved ordinance includes an amendment allowing employees facing certain circumstances or hardships to seek a waiver from the residency requirement. Their appointing authority will determine Eligibility and approve requests.

The chief administrative officer must also provide quarterly reports to the City Council on the number of waivers requested. and granted.

“Tonight’s residency vote strengthens our ability to build the kind of City Hall  Richmonders deserve,” Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald said in the statement. “Richmond is full of home-grown talent, and part of my job is tapping into that strength while also recruiting people to get the work done well.”

Council members also approved restrictions for opening tobacco and hemp stores citywide, with a specific focus on limiting their density. The approved ordinance bars the creation of any new store within 1,000 feet of any existing vape shop, residential zone district, K-12 school, children day center, park, public library or place of worship.

 Glass pipes on display at 3 Stars Vape & Tobacco on Lakeside Avenue, pictured Wednesday, July 30. The shop is among many across Richmond area. City officials have moved to curb the spread of new tobacco and hemp retailers through stricter zoning rules.
 

The ordinance was first developed during Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration and was added to the agenda for a vote during the Council’s informal session earlier in the day at the request of Council Vice President Katherine Jordan, who said additional legislation is planned to address existing stores.

“It’s spanned two mayors, and the Planning Department worked diligently to make sure that we were doing a paper that hopefully we could absolutely enforce,” Jordan said. “This is an important first step.”

The Council also approved raising the exemption threshold for business, professional and occupational license taxes from $250,000 to $500,000. In addition, it authorized a performance agreement between the city, Virginia Public Media and the Richmond Economic Development Authority for a tax rebate tied to the construction of a new VPM headquarters in the Arts District.

Other notable ordinances and resolutions, including measures to establish policies and procedures for the Civilian Review Board and to create a rental inspection program, were continued to meetings in September.