Changing zoning or special permit in Henrico County near Richmond

[Eddie Gonnella]

Hey all, I'm looking at a property in Dumbarton, right near Lakeside (two neighborhoods in Henrico County, VA), just outside of Richmond City. It is zoned as a single dwelling only, but it could be a great 3 unit. I've looked at the zoning maps for Henrico already and it is R-2. Anyone familiar with getting zones changed, whether this is really a problem at all, or familiar with Henrico County in particular?

Thanks for the help! 

[John Pierce]

Special use permits require public notice and meetings to get input from the community.  If the house is in a neighborhood, the neighbors would never let this happen.  County zoning officials probably wouldn't greenlight this anyway as chopping up houses puts extra strain on public services without any significant increase to tax revenue.  Not to mention that converting a single family home to multi-family has some significant challenges that would likely make this cost-prohibitive.  My advice would be not to pursue this, especially not from out of state.