The Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility (OETM) has launched its community engagement process to develop a transportation policy guide. Path to Equity: Policy Guide for Richmond Connects will articulate the policy framework for Richmond Connects, the multimodal transportation planning process set to begin this fall.

The policy guide will explain why the transportation plan needs to be equity focused, detail what the city means by equitable transportation, and lay a structure for how Richmond intends to center equity in transportation planning decisions.

The Path to Equity Policy Guide will reiterate the transportation goals and objectives developed in the master plan and develop new language to articulate the specific equity outcomes desired, called equity factors. These are outcomes that the city will use to assess how equitable Richmond’s transportation network is.

Richmond Connects, using the framework developed in the Path to Equity Policy Guide, will ultimately prioritize needs and recommend transportation projects and programs for the city. It will align a variety of recommendations from various plans around what residents see as the community’s top transportation needs.

Survey

As part of this effort, OETM has designed a digital survey to inform the policy guide and the Richmond Connects transportation plan itself. This survey is unique and in line with the mayor’s Equity Agenda, as it asks Richmonders to gauge their experiences of transportation injustices in the past and detail the barriers to accessing opportunity today.

Tacos for Transportation

For additional outreach, the city is hosting three outdoor COVID-19-conscious ‘Tacos for Transportation’ events. The events will feature an engagement team ready to guide residents through the survey. In exchange for their time, the city will provide a voucher for free tacos from an on-site taco truck (for up to 250 people at each event)! The first event will be held June 26 at the Calhoun Community Center, in conjunction with the Gilpin Field Day hosted by RRHA. The next event will be July 17^th at Byrd Park, and the final event will take place next to the Blackwell pool on July 31. All of these events will take place 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

If you can’t make it to one of these events, there are other ways to get engaged:

Online

The same survey will be available online Path to Equity | Richmond (rva.gov) , and OETM plans to have survey kiosks and paper copies available around the city. A kick-off webinar will also be announced and available on the webpage.

Ambassadors & Advisory Committee

Additionally, the city is hiring about 20 ambassadors to represent the diverse experiences and communities across the city on the planning committee for Path to Equity Policy Guide and Richmond Connects. These ambassadors, along with regional planning partners and representatives from social justice advocacy groups, will help shape the policy guide.

For more information on the Path to Equity Policy Guide or Richmond Connects, visit www.rva.gov/connects.

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The draft small area plan for Richmond City Center area is available for public comment through July 12. The community-rooted plan envisions the redevelopment of a core segment of Downtown Richmond.

Throughout the past year, the Department of Planning and Development Review (PDR) has worked with the community to develop the draft plan through public workshops, surveys, and focus group interviews. Now, residents can share their thoughts on the draft in a number of ways:

• Visit https://www.rva.gov/planning-development-review/city-center to read the plan and provide your thoughts on an interactive document.
• Attend a virtual meeting hosted by PDR and Councilwoman Robertson on June 22 at 6 p.m. to listen to a presentation on the draft plan, ask questions, and provide your input. The meeting link will be posted on the webpage.
• Invite PDR staff to a meeting of your interested group or organization to share more about the draft plan. Please email Richmond300@richmondgov.com or call (804)646-6348 to request a meeting.

What is City Center?

The City Center is generally the area from E. Franklin Street to E. Leigh Street and from N. 10th to N. 5th Streets in Downtown Richmond. The City Center Small Area Plan outlines strategies for redeveloping vacant and under-utilized parcels in Downtown Richmond, which are predominantly city-owned.

The draft plan envisions City Center as a mixed-use innovation district that attracts residents, employees, students, and tourists and leverages adjacent assets by connecting to the Convention Center, VCU Health, the VA Bio+Tech Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.

What’s next?

After this engagement period, staff will review the comments received, amend the plan, and then present the amended City Center Small Area Plan to City Planning Commission and City Council to be incorporated as a part of Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth, the City’s new Master Plan. Please contact Maritza Pechin at maritza.pechin@richmondgov.com or 804-646-6348 with any questions.

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The City of Richmond will open two cooling shelter locations for residents seeking relief from the heat during the day:

• Social Services Marshall Plaza Building, 900 E. Marshall Street, Richmond, VA
• Southside Community Service Center, 4100 Hull Street, Richmond, VA

Both will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday from June 7 to September 30.

All visitors must wear face coverings while in the building and maintain a safe physical distance of six feet from others. Seating will be arranged for the appropriate social distancing. Pets, with the exception of service animals, are not permitted.

For more information regarding cooling assistance services, city residents should contact the city’s Department of Social Services Fuel Assistance Office at (804) 646-7046.

Elderly residents with cooling related issues should contact Adult Services at (804) 646-7367. In the event of a heat related emergency, please call 911.

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Nine local, minority-owned businesses have graduated from the Diverse Supplier Mentoring Program, a collaborative professional development program made possible by the City of Richmond Office of Minority Business Development and Capital One.

Led by Capital One, the program provides business owners with the tools, resources and counsel needed to succeed in today’s marketplace. As a part of Capital One’s Impact Initiative, the program aims to accelerate the success of small business owners to create more jobs, strengthen the local economy and move our society toward a more equitable future.

“At Capital One, we recognize the longstanding impact of Richmond’s Black-owned businesses on the social and economic vitality of the city,” said Jim Gorzalski, Chief Procurement Officer and Senior Vice President of Enterprise Services at Capital One. “As part of our greater supplier diversity work, we are honored to provide mentorship to accelerate the revenue and business growth of these entrepreneurs in the city where we live, work and serve.”

Mayor Levar Stoney delivered remarks to the graduating class and thanked them for the great contributions they make to the community.

About the Diverse Supplier Mentoring Program

Capital One’s diverse supplier mentoring program provides business owners with the tools, resources and counsel needed to succeed in today’s marketplace. The program pairs local entrepreneurs with Capital One associates to develop sustainable models that accelerate year over year growth, profitability and key operating metrics.  As part of Capital One’s Impact Initiative, the diverse supplier mentoring program aims to accelerate the success of small business owners to create more jobs, strengthen the local economy and move our society toward a more equitable future.

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Immediate actions include introduction of a resolution addressing the public health crisis

Mayor Levar Stoney, Police Chief Gerald Smith, members of Richmond City Council and other city leaders and community members gathered outside City Hall today to announce their intent to declare gun violence a public health crisis through a formal resolution.

The resolution outlines the current state of gun violence, which for generations has disproportionately impacted Black communities and underserved neighborhoods. It also highlights some of the work that the city and community partners have done and continue to do to combat gun violence, and calls on the state and federal governments to take specific steps to prevent gun violence in communities like Richmond.

“This resolution is a unified acknowledgement that gun violence is a public health crisis with deeply rooted causes,” said Mayor Stoney. “But the legislation is more than just an acknowledgement; it is a commitment to build on progress made and double-down on efforts in the works to address the social, economic and health inequities that often lead to gun violence.”

Continued the mayor: “The importance of gun violence prevention can be summed up in one belief: that every Richmonder, regardless of where they live, the color of their skin or how much money they make, deserves to feel safe in the city they call home. Anything less is unacceptable.”

The administration plans to ask for expedited consideration of the resolution on May 24, and multiple councilmembers have expressed their intent to co-patron the agenda-setting legislation.

The city’s Gun Violence Prevention Framework Workgroup (GVP Workgroup) is a key element of the city’s community-rooted effort to address socio-economic factors that promote gun violence within the City of Richmond. The GVP Workgroup is comprised of individuals and families from communities most impacted by gun violence, survivors of gun violence, families of loved ones lost to gun violence, and representatives from community-based organizations and grassroots entities working closely with impacted communities. The GVP Workgroup is currently working on recommendations to prevent gun violence, with an emphasis on enhanced opportunities for youth and young adults and empowering communities that have experienced high rates of violence and trauma to access networks or resources, support and healing.

The GVP Workgroup is focusing on individual-, community- and systems-level transformation, with a goal of creating safer, healthier communities where all people can succeed and thrive.

Considering the severity of gun violence as a public health crisis, VCU Health System is a key convening partner for the GVP Workgroup. Dr. Michel Aboutanos, the medical director at the VCU Level 1 Trauma Center and VCU’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program offered remarks summarizing the objectives and progress of the GVP Workgroup.

Quotes from Councilmembers

Council Vice President Ellen Robertson: “Gun violence is certainly a public crisis that extends beyond Richmond; it’s a national crisis that calls for us to use all the resources at our disposal to keep people safe. I’m fully committed to local action, as this is a normal we can no longer afford - and gun violence prevention and reform is what’s needed to help achieve that.”

Councilmember Andreas Addison: “We must be intentional and holistic in our efforts to stem the rise of gun violence and to care for our communities that have borne the brunt of its resulting trauma. We have much work and collaboration ahead, but I am proud to co-patron this resolution with my Council colleagues and the Mayor to kick-start this effort.”

Councilmember Katherine Jordan: “We’re way past thoughts and prayers. It’s time for more dollars, new laws and different strategies. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues today fighting for the resources, legislation, and attention this crisis demands.”

Councilmember Stephanie Lynch: “A coordinated effort to address the gun violence crisis in communities across the city is essential to addressing the systemic trauma these neighbors have experienced due to generations of red lining. The time for action is now – and we are here to listen to, support, and invest in our trauma impacted communities. It will take all of us rowing in the same direction, with that same goal in mind to achieve this in our city and region.”

Councilmember Ann-Frances Lambert: “I am proud to co-patron this legislation. Gun violence is a public health crisis that affects each and every resident of Richmond, whether directly or indirectly, and a community crisis requires a community response.”

Councilmember Michael Jones: “I'm proud to be a co-patron of this Resolution with the Mayor and other members of Council because I understand the importance of safer neighborhoods. A city must do everything within its power to ensure that no one dies at the hands of another. We must commit to programming that interrupts violence while investing in the future of our communities that have been impacted by gun violence.”

The event was livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/rvagov. Please visit the page for an archived recording of all remarks.

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