Standing outside the Powhatan Community Center on the 4B GRTC bus line, Mayor Stoney announced that the city has launched a first-of-its-kind Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility.
 
Housed in the Department of Public Works, the office will design and implement a vision for a connected, safe and equitable transit and mobility infrastructure.
 
“The Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility will tackle the big and small issues that affect the bus commutes, walks and bike rides of our multimodal residents,” said Mayor Stoney. “This work is vital to building a connected city.”
 
The office’s portfolio will include:
Extending universal free bus fares, a measure with the full backing of Mayor Stoney;
Enhancing Richmond’s Complete Streets approach;
Designing a mobility action plan;
Expanding Vision Zero work;
Liaising with the Central Virginia Transportation Authority;
Evaluating and developing the city’s bus and paratransit system; and
Connecting existing walkways, bike lanes and other multimodal infrastructure to improve last mile connectivity for commuting Richmonders.
 
At this time, the creation of this office does not require any new funding or action by Richmond City Council. Current City of Richmond employees working on multimodal transportation will comprise the office. Housing the office in the Department of Public Works will minimize duplicative work while prioritizing multimodal transportation with an unprecedented amount of resources at the office’s disposal.
 
“The creation of this office will undoubtedly expand this city’s ability to enhance our multimodal infrastructure,” said Council President Cynthia Newbille. “I look forward to Richmond City Council collaborating with Ms. Clarke to complete streets all around the city.”

The office will be administered by fifteen-year transit professional and current City of Richmond Multimodal Transportation Manager Dironna Moore Clarke.
 
Ms. Clarke has served as the Multimodal Transportation Policy and Planning Manager for the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation and Transit General Manager for the City of Petersburg. Before her work in the Commonwealth, she served Tennesseans in the Department of Transportation advising local and regional transportation bodies on public transportation options as alternatives to road and highway improvement.
 
Says Ms. Clarke: “I thank Mayor Stoney for the opportunity for this leadership role in the city. Relying on the principles of sustainable transportation, our office will develop strategies and tools to assist the city in maximizing transportation investments on behalf of the residents of Richmond.”
 
“I have confidence that Dironna’s experience with regional, state and federal partners will bolster this office’s ability to deliver equitable and multimodal transportation services well into the future,” said Mayor Stoney. “Dironna knows Richmond, and she’s ready to listen to the community.”
 
The Stoney administration has focused on ensuring transportation developments and improvements support a growing multimodal network. The city has funded GRTC route enhancements, funded a new GRTC route, launched the Pulse Bus Rapid Transit and provided free bus passes for high schoolers.
 
The administration has also marked over 30 miles of new bike lanes, including major projects on Williamsburg and Brook Roads in the East End and Northside, respectively.

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At a press conference near Broad Rock Creek, Mayor Stoney announced that his administration has identified five unused parcels of city land that will be converted into public green spaces. 

The spaces are as listed below:

1.       Broad Rock Creek Parcels:            S0080418002, S0080276004 (Windsor Neighborhood)

2.       Hioaks Water Tower Parcel:         C0050879024 (Hioaks)

3.       Rear Ernest Road Parcel:                S0090417036 (Ampthill Heights is closest?)

4.       Reedy Creek Wetland Parcel:        C0050992011 (Beaufont)

5.       Rosemont Road Parcel:                 C0060659036 (Woodhaven)

“The benefits of green spaces are irrefutable and unmatched, and it’s clear that not everyone in this city has been afforded those benefits,” said the mayor. “It’s our job to intentionally correct that injustice.”

The parcels total over 36 acres of new green space. This is in addition to the 20 acres of new parks the Stoney administration has added and 287 additional parks acres that will be protected from development through conservation easement by the end of the year. 

In his most recent State of the City address, the mayor set a goal of ensuring every Richmonder had a green space within a ten-minute walk from their home. To that end, he convened the Green Team, a group of key stakeholders and experts, to drive policy decisions and lead parcel selection for new spaces.

The Mayor’s Green Team determined, using the city’s Climate Equity Index, that need for green space was highest in the city’s Southside, primarily in communities of largely Black and Hispanic representation. 

All five parcels are located in the Southside of Richmond: three in the Eighth Council District and two in the Ninth. In the areas surrounding the chosen parcels, the average walk to the nearest greenspace is the highest and heat islands are a more prevalent problem.

“Regardless of a child’s race, ethnicity, gender, family income or zip code, they should be able to walk down the street and spend a summer afternoon in a welcoming, verdant space,” asserted the mayor. “Due to systemic racism, that’s now how our city was designed. We have a chance to right that wrong, and we’re starting with these five green spaces.”

The green spaces will be designed using neighborhood input. Each community’s vision will be brought to life through the hard work of the participants in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities workforce development program. The program consists of formerly incarcerated individuals and Office of Community Wealth Building participants learning new skills to build a stronger community and improve their future professional outcomes.

The mayor will formally introduce the ordinance at the September 28 meeting of Richmond City Council. Councilmembers Trammell and Jones will copatron the legislation.

The City of Richmond currently uses six percent of its land for parks and recreation, compared to the nationwide median of 15 percent.

Quotes from the Mayor’s Green Team:

Frazier Armstrong, Executive Director, Capital Trees: “Now more than ever, greenspace matters. The pandemic has revealed the necessity of a robust, connected, equitable and nature-rich public realm, a vision the Green Team is dedicated to making a reality in Richmond. Capital Trees is proud to be a part of this transformational effort.”

Nissa Dean, Virginia State Director, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: “The Alliance was honored to participate as a member of the Mayor's Green Team. We have been partnered with RVAH2O and DPU for over ten years to help create green spaces that will improve the health of our communities and the James River. We look forward to continuing to support this effort and are committed to helping Richmond reach environmental equity and sustainability goals.”

Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, Chief Scientist, Science Museum of Virginia: “We know that the shade of a deep green park can be up to 16°F cooler than the surrounding neighborhoods here in Richmond. Establishing new parks where they're needed most with community input will make those residents exposed to heat inequity more resilient now and into the future.”

Brianne Mullen, Office of Sustainability: “The RVAgreen 2050 Climate Equity Index shows that Richmonders who live in areas experiencing extreme heat, are more at risk to climate change impacts and lack a vehicle are often people of color. These new green spaces represent an important step toward addressing these inequities not only when it comes to access to green space, but also toward creating a healthier and more resilient Richmond for all.”

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After a tour of the new Cardinal Elementary School, Mayor Levar Stoney was joined by Superintendent Jason Kamras and members of the Richmond School Board and City Council to present keys to the principals of Cardinal Elementary, Henry Marsh Elementary and River City Middle.
 
The three new schools were funded using revenue from the 1.5 percent increase in the meals tax that the Stoney administration proposed to pay for badly needed school infrastructure improvement. That meals tax increased passed Richmond City Council with seven votes in 2018. The mayor thanked the Richmond community for eating at local restaurants, which ultimately paid for the new schools.
 
“This is a community investment,” said the mayor. “And it represents our shared belief that no matter their zip code, family income, race, religion, gender identity, ethnicity, first language or learning style, every single student in RPS deserves the same opportunity to learn in a healthy, safe environment.”
 
Once students return to school in person, the buildings will provide space for 3,250 students from Richmond’s East End and Southside to learn and grow. The total project cost for building all three new schools totals approximately $146 M.
 
All three buildings are LEED certified.
 

The mayor thanked the members of Richmond City Council who supported the funding for schools, the Richmond School Board Members for their continued leadership, Superintendent Kamras and his administration for their tireless advocacy and partnership and the city administrative team.
 
The mayor also thanked AECOM, RRMM Architects, Branch Builds, SB Ballard and Howard Shockey and Son, among other contractors and subcontractors who, despite a global pandemic, worked hard to complete the schools on deadline.
 
In the context of this summer’s civil unrest and his decision to remove the confederate monuments on Monument Avenue, the mayor emphasized the progress these schools represent for Black and brown Richmonders.
 
“I am very proud we had the courage to take down the monuments to the confederate cause, but I am even prouder of what we have built here today. We have built a brighter future for our children,” said Mayor Stoney.

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The City of Richmond is in the third week of a soft launch of the new municipal web platform, RVA.gov, the first new official web presence in the city in more than 15 years.  
 
“In the 21st Century, a helpful, intuitive and innovative website is a key step in making sure local government is responsive to its citizens,” said Mayor Stoney of the site. 
 
With the launch of RVA.gov, Richmond is now one of only two cities in the country with a three-letter URL, alongside New York City with NYC.gov. The short URL is easier to remember and refer residents to, making the site more accessible. All content can be translated into 36 different languages.
 
The city’s new platform differs markedly from the current site, richmondgov.com, both in appearance, accessibility, capacity and functionality. RVA.gov features mobile compatibility, an automated content management system, Global Information System integration (GIS), video on demand and interactive social media.  
 
The site features Virtual City Hall, where residents can easily pay taxes or fines, apply for benefits or licenses and solicit frequently requested services. The Socials and RVA-TV pages provide an unprecedented level of social media and video content integration, centering the city’s public information effort in one accessible space.
 
News and announcements from City of Richmond departments scroll on a ticker on every page, ensuring residents stay up to date on new opportunities and important city deadlines. Content managers for each department will be able to update their information in real time.
 
Over the coming months, RVA.gov will phase in and eventually replace richmondgov.com as residents’ official online source of information on city services, news and other developments. In accordance with best practices, richmondgov.com will be available for the foreseeable future as residents familiarize themselves with the new site.
 
The city contracted with Tech Dynamism, a website development firm stationed in Charlottesville, to develop the site and Acquia, a web content management platform, to house web content on a cloud database to ensure increased capacity and speed on the new platform regardless of traffic.
 
“I want this platform to best serve the residents of this city and present an inviting digital welcome for those seeking to visit or interact with city government,” said the mayor. “Start exploring RVA.gov today and help us make this soft launch as thorough as possible.”
 
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At the inaugural meeting of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA) Mayor Stoney was elected as chair of the body’s finance committee.
 
The CVTA Finance Committee is charged with reviewing and recommending the annual budget and reviewing revenue estimates, among other financial management tasks.
 
“Richmond fought hard to ensure the CVTA would offer an unprecedented opportunity for regional collaboration,” said the mayor. “The authority is designed to ensure meaningful discourse and cooperation, resulting in a stronger transit network for all of the localities involved.”
 
The City of Richmond, as a central locality represented on the body, has veto power so all of the body’s actions achieve buy in from key players. The city utilized its veto once during this inaugural meeting. 
 
During the meeting, the CVTA accepted the bylaws and guidance documents, established key priorities, approved of an ongoing board meeting schedule, accepted support from Plan RVA and confirmed Frank Thornton (Henrico) as chair and Kevin Carroll (Chesterfield) as vice chair.
 
Background on the CVTA

Established by the 2020 session of the General Assembly of Virginia, the newly created authority provides new funding opportunities for priority transportation investments across the Central Virginia region.
 
The General Assembly voted to impose an additional .7 percent sales and use tax and wholesale gas tax of 7.6 cents per gallon (or 7.7 cents per gallon of diesel fuel) to fund new investments in regional transportation. The body also set a minimum local maintenance standard, ensuring all participating localities continue to invest in their requisite transit infrastructure.
 
To view the meeting record, agenda and other materials, click here.

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