At the September 28 meeting of Richmond City Council, the Stoney administration introduced an ordinance to amend the proposed Capital Improvements Projects for FY2020-2021, expanding the scope of the Heritage Center/Lumpkin’s Jail (Devil’s Half Acre) project. The ordinance proposes the city acquire 1305 North 5 th   Street, which historically served as part of the Burial Ground for Free People of Colour and Slaves.     The ordinance amends the Devil’s Half Acre program in alignment with the recommendations of the Shockoe Alliance and tireless work of community advocates. If the ordinance is adopted, the project would include: A pavilion and museum at the Devil’s Half Acre Site; Planning requirements for the proposed Heritage Center; Design of and improvements to the Richmond Slave Trail and Trail Head; and The acquisition of 1305 North 5 th   Street and extension of the Slave Trail to that property.   1305 North 5 th   Street was historically used as...

Update: Biennial real estate plan proposes to allot parcels for affordable development, homeownership The Biennial Real Estate plan, which was in draft form until submitted to Richmond City Council as required by ordinance, has been supplemented to include additional parcels dedicated to increasing affordable housing opportunities and providing a CIP fund stimulus. Now, the plan recommends four additional parcels go to the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust and three additional parcels be conveyed to non-profit affordable housing organizations for affordable development. The plan also identifies four more high-value parcels to convey to developers at a competitive rate. The plan also specifies that if the Richmond School Board officially declares any former public school buildings surplus, then future use opportunities for those parcels could be brought before Richmond City Council. The Biennial Real Estate Plan is a set of non-binding proposals reflective of the city’s real estate pri...

The City of Richmond’s Office of Minority Business Development (OMBD) has launched a new Supplier and Diversity Portal through B2GNow.  The new portal will be used for minority business enterprise (MBE) and emerging small businesses (ESB) to register with OMBD’s office and can be accessed by visiting this link: https://richmondombd.diversitycompliance.com/?TN=richmondombd . The new system will be utilized for MBE/ESB registration along with compliance management for accurate tracking of MBE/ESB spending, goal setting, certification, and much more. All minority small businesses are encouraged to register their business via the new portal.  OMBD plans to deactivate the current MBD Businesses Directory on December 31, 2020 and encourages all registered businesses to re-register their firm. OMBD staff is available for assistance with the portal and to answer any questions. The new B2GNow system is a nationwide database and would provide exposure and full access to opportunities ac...

 On Wednesday, Mayor Stoney announced that he will recommend part of the city’s projected surplus balance fund a pilot program dedicated to addressing mental health and substance abuse disorder challenges in underserved communities.  The city will work alongside the Richmond City Health District (RCHD) and Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) in designing and implementing this pilot.  “Richmond residents who live with mental and behavioral health challenges are experiencing compounded harms during the pandemic,” said Mayor Stoney. “But this program should not be limited to short-term relief. We need a permanent culture shift to destigmatize seeking help.” The year-long pilot aims to increase the accessibility of mental and behavioral health support in communities that suffer from disparities in care and outcomes. Director of RCHD Dr. Danny Avula asserts this begins with listening.  “Our intention with this program is to listen to the community and use that inp...

  Mayor Stoney and LGBTQ advocates raised a Pride flag at city hall to recognize the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.   “LGBTQ Richmonders should know that this city stands behind them,” said Mayor Stoney. “No matter who you love or how you identify, you are a valued member of our community deserving of love, support and justice.”   This is the first time in the city’s history a Pride flag has been raised at City Hall. The flag flies on the Broad Street side of the complex in recognition of the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.      The city chose to raise the Progress Pride flag. The flag incorporates black and brown stripes and the colors of the Transgender Pride flag to represent the necessity for champions of the LGBTQ community to bring a racial justice, inclusive lens to the work.     “We chose the Progress Pride flag both for this moment and to represent our ongoing work,” said Mayor Stoney. “To build an equitable, inclusive city, we must mo...

  Click here to read the full report On September 23, 2020, the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety presented Mayor Levar Stoney with their initial recommendations after 45 days of discussing actionable proposals to make Richmond a safer city for all residents.   “ After meeting with the co-chairs of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety and co-chairs of each of the subgroups, I am in consensus with their recommendations,” said Mayor Stoney. “They propose systems-level changes for the undeniably systemic challenges we face. The members are pushing our city in the right direction when it comes to broadening the definition of public safety and innovating our policies and programs accordingly.”   “ I appreciate the comprehensive feedback and suggestions of this group of experts and community members,” said Chief of Police Gerald Smith. “Their attention to current policies and practices and innovative reform suggestions are a welcome starting point.”   The membersh...

Funding will enable the development of 10,000 new units in the city Mayor Stoney announced today that he will introduce an ordinance to Richmond City Council to establish a dedicated funding stream to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF).    The dedicated funding from the city will leverage other affordable housing funding from state and federal governments to make possible the creation of 10,000 new, quality affordable housing units over the next ten years, a central tenet of the city’s Equitable Affordable Housing Plan.  “When every resident of Richmond is securely housed, then every resident of Richmond will truly be able to call this city home,” said the Mayor. “A dedicated funding stream will enable this vision and empower the city to address our spectrum of housing needs.” Currently, it is incumbent on the sitting mayor or council to ensure an allocation to the AHTF is in the budget. The Stoney administration has embraced this opportunity to fund Richmond’s affo...