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The Roots of Racial Disparities in Residential Zoning Practice: The Case of Henrico County, Virginia, 1978–2015

ABSTRACT This article examines the distribution of conditional rezonings for residential development in Henrico County, Virginia, from 1978 through 2015. It finds that prior to the mid-1990s, racial characteristics, relative to homeownership, income, and educational characteristics, most markedly distinguish the census tracts where the county approved conditional rezonings for residential development: both from tracts where it approved rezonings without conditions and from the county as a whole. The study uses evidence from planning commission minutes and interviews to explore the reasons for this disparity, arguing that it likely resulted from a combination of developers’ perceptions and the historically differing extent of political representation and advocacy between white and African American communities. The study thus provides further evidence of racial disparities in the geography of zoning practice, although it also explains that the reasons for these disparities are far from straightforward.