09/12/2026
This affects us too, and we share these same concerns.
These decisions affect more than buildings and property lines. They affect the small businesses, employees, families and customers who make up our downtown community. Please share.
📢 A CONCERN FOR OUR DOWNTOWN SMALL BUSINESSES📢
Pep’s Bake Shop would like to bring attention to the Phase II, 2023–2024 Street Improvement Project Final Property Assessment and the financial burden being placed on businesses and property owners along Chestnut Street between 2nd and 6th Avenue.
The overall project includes upgrades to streetlights and traffic signals along Chestnut Street, as well as improvements to existing streets, avenues, sidewalks, sanitary sewer collection, water distribution, stormwater and drainage systems along Southern Drive, 14th Ave West, and 20th Street South.
For the businesses and property owners along Chestnut Street between 1st and 6th Avenue, the only improvement associated with this project is the upgrade of streetlights and traffic signals.
We understand the importance of maintaining and improving our city’s infrastructure. However, we believe the amount being assessed to individual downtown businesses and property owners for these improvements deserves serious consideration.
Small businesses are already facing rising costs for utilities, insurance, wages, supplies, property taxes and everyday operations. Adding a substantial special assessment creates another financial burden on the businesses working every day to keep downtown Virginia active.
Our downtown provides jobs, serves the community, pays taxes and continually invests in their properties and businesses.
We support a safe, attractive and well-maintained downtown. But we also believe the method used to fund these improvements must be reasonable, equitable and sustainable—and should not unduly burden the small businesses and property owners along Chestnut Street.
🏪 A stronger downtown depends on strong small businesses.
