The Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility (OETM) has completed a draft of the Path to Equity: Policy Guide for Richmond Connects. After a summer of virtual and in-person community engagement, the plan is ready for public review. 

The Path to Equity: Policy Guide for Richmond Connects articulates the policy framework for Richmond Connects, the multimodal transportation planning process set to begin March 2022. The goal of the document is to provide a principled, community-rooted foundation to guide the implementation of the upcoming project-based transportation plan.

The policy guide was developed with the help of the public and two planning committees. An internal steering committee, made up of Richmond city staff across many departments, helped guide the process. An advisory committee, made up of a diverse group of citizens, advocates, and local and regional planning and government professionals, helped develop the new policy statements in the document. OETM relied on more than 1,900 responses from the public survey to craft the guide while considering research and best practices in equity planning from across the country.

Said Administrator of the Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility Dironna Moore Clarke, “Thank you to everyone who attended the community engagement events this summer, including our very popular Tacos for Transportation effort! OETM heard so many great ideas, and we are excited to share this draft.”

Summary of Path to Equity: Policy Guide for Richmond Connects

First, the document lays out the history of the injustices that have occurred as a result of government policies, from the local to the federal level. It takes ownership for these injustices and lays out additional context that the city is operating within today. It articulates which injustices, and what elements of the planning and funding process, hinder progress towards equity in transportation today. It points to new directions the city and its planning partners must take to get closer to true equity.

The policy guide reiterates the transportation-related goals and objectives from Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth, the city’s master plan, but adds additional policy statements to center the policy on equity in transportation programs, policies, investments and infrastructure.

It articulates a new set of policy statements, called Equity Factors, that describe the desired outcomes related to addressing injustices of the past and barriers today. It also lays out three guiding principles for how the process must unfold in achieving these Equity Factors and Richmond 300’s objectives.

Says Moore-Clarke, “Process matters. It’s important not just what we accomplish, but how we accomplish it. That’s why we’ve outlined guiding principles as our process guideposts.”

Next steps in the planning process

Once finalized, the framework developed in the Path to Equity: Policy Guide will ultimately help prioritize needs and recommend transportation projects and programs for the city in Richmond Connects. It will align the city transportation needs and a variety of recommendations from various plans to identify equitable transportation projects across the city. Including commenting on the Path to Equity draft, there will be many more opportunities for your voices to be heard, as the Policy Guide is but the first step in planning for what residents see as the community’s top transportation needs.

This policy guide continues the City’s commitment to building a more equitable city for all Richmonders. Please help this vital work by reviewing the draft policy guide before January 31, 2022.

Please stay connected at www.rva.gov/connects and review the draft document at www.rva.gov/path2equity.

The policy guide in its entirety is available for review and comment. Considering the length and detail of the document, the equity factors and guiding principles are also available separately for comment and review.

The Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility also invites the public to join a webinar on January 10 from 1 to 2 p.m. to learn more about the planning process; an event page can be found on the city’s Facebook and on the Path to Equity webpage. Also stay tuned to the city’s Facebook for information on a series of Path to Equity mini-sessions happening Thursdays in January, starting next week, via Facebook live.

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City of Richmond government offices will open at 10 A.M. on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, due to inclement weather. 

Trash pick up is currently on a one day delay.

Recycling is currently on a two day delay.

As always, emergency services will not be interrupted.

For timely information on closures and other updates, please follow the City of Richmond on Twitter (@CityRichmondVA).

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The city has hired Petula Burks to lead the Office of Public Information and Engagement (PIE), a new communications and community engagement office founded by Mayor Stoney in 2021.

The office’s founding mission is to connect communities with city government through accessible public information, meaningful engagement, and compelling storytelling. The hiring of Ms. Burks is a significant step toward ensuring PIE is a lasting, useful, and change-making force within the City of Richmond government.

Ms. Burks brings two decades of public information and management experience to the new office. She has served as the Director of the Center of Public Affairs for the Washington State Department of Health, the Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, and Director of Civic Engagement and Chief of Staff to Mayor Oliver Gilbert at City of Miami Gardens, Florida. Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff to Augusta-Richmond County Mayor Hardle Davis, Jr.

The Office of Public Information and Engagement is part of the Department of Citizen Service and Response. Said Department Director Peter Breil: “I couldn’t be more excited to have Petula on the City of Richmond team. She brings a wealth of experience that will be incredibly valuable as we establish the Office of Public Information and Engagement, enabling us to communicate more accessibly, equitably and frequently both publicly and internally.”

“When communications and engagement marry, it is truly the beginning of something powerful for communities; when the communications and engagement are intentional, the outcomes empower communities,” said Ms. Burks. “The launch of the Office of Public Information and Engagement in the City of Richmond is a marriage made in heaven and looks to cultivate a city built on transparency, commitment to listening, and activation around a shared mission and vision. I am excited to join this team and help promote purposeful communication and engagement with our internal and external partners and the community at large.”

Ms. Burks begins her employment with the city on January 4, 2022. She leads a team of four dedicated employees.

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City offices will open at 11 A.M. on Tuesday, January 4, due to inclement weather

City of Richmond government offices will open at 11 A.M. on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, due to inclement weather. 

All Virginia Department of Health Community Vaccination Centers will be closed on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, due to inclement weather.

As always, emergency services will not be interrupted.

For timely information on closures and other updates, please follow the City of Richmond on Twitter (@CityRichmondVA).

The City of Richmond is officially inviting development teams to submit information to be considered for the city’s Diamond District Project.

Just three miles from the historic James River and four miles to downtown, the Diamond District is a prime redevelopment site, ideally located at the crossroads of I-64/I-95 and North Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Its location offers unparalleled access to the region and the entire East Coast by road, rail and air. It borders the fast-growing Scott’s Addition neighborhood and is the home of the MiLB Richmond Flying Squirrels.

“Richmond offers so many of the things people and businesses are seeking – location, diversity, authenticity and affordability,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “Richmond is the place to be, and the Diamond District is positioned to be a crown jewel in our economically thriving city.”

“We’re proud that Richmond keeps showing up on lists of America’s coolest, best and most livable cities, and our economic development momentum continues with the Diamond District redevelopment,” said Leonard Sledge, Director of Economic Development for the City of Richmond. “We’re excited to invite potential partners to step up now to help fully unleash the potential of the Diamond District and create great opportunities for the people and businesses of Richmond.”

For the Request for Interest (RFI) document, please visit www.rvadiamond.com. Submissions are due on February 15, 2022 at 3 p.m.

About the Diamond District project

The Diamond District project is just one aspect of Richmond 300: A Plan for Growth, which has been awarded the 2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan for the American Planning Association. The plan provides a detailed roadmap to ensure “Richmond is a welcoming, inclusive, diverse, innovative, sustainable, and equitable city of thriving neighborhoods, ensuring a high quality of life for all.”

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