Hilbert said in an interview earlier this month that while Dixon had missed his deadlines, he deserved more time to finish the project. Hilbert said then that he would request another extension for Dixon; he has since dropped the idea.

Reached by phone Wednesday morning, Dixon referred questions about the meeting with city officials to his lawyer, Thomas G. Voekler, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

In part, Dixon has blamed delays that have beset the project on hammering out an agreement with Virginia Union University. He sought the university, his alma mater, as a partner on the project, but he said the task was made tougher by administrative turnover there. He has also cited attrition at Richmond City Hall as an obstacle.

In a separate blow to his project, Virginia Union cut formal ties with Dixon last week. The university’s decision to pull out of the project was first reported by Richmond BizSense on Wednesday.

“To be clear, the university is not involved with the construction or financial aspects of the project,” VUU spokeswoman Pamela Cox stated in an email Wednesday. “VUU has decided to terminate the memorandum of understanding as the school assesses its relationship with Mr. Dixon and Dixon/Lee Development Group.”