~ All service requests in the system by the March 14 deadline will be honored ~

RICHMOND, Va. – City residents who still need vacuum leaf removal must request the service by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 14. No requests will be accepted after that date. Service requests currently in the system and those made by the deadline will be honored. Vacuum service requests can be made online at https://www.rva311.com or by calling 3-1-1.

Residents have the option of paying the $30 vacuum leaf collection fee by adding it to their utility bill using the RVA 311 system (online or by calling 3-1-1) or by mailing a check/money order to the Department of Public Works, Leaf Collection Program, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 704, Richmond, VA 23219. The payment must be received before the collection will be scheduled. If mailing a check/money order, the payment must be received by the March 14 deadline.

Vacuum Leaf Collection Reminders:

• Leaves must be raked and ready for pickup at the time of the request
• Rake leaves to the property line (front or side) but not in the street
  
  •  Do not block ditches, gutters or the street
• Remove sticks, stones or other objects that may damage equipment
• Leaves will not be collected from the alley

 For more information, please visit us online at https://www.rva.gov/public-works/leaf-collection or email us at askpublicworks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 178 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1.

Members of the public are invited to participate in the first of three public meets for the Reconnect Jackson Ward Feasibility Study. The meeting is hosted by the three organizations leading the effort: the City of Richmond Office of Equitable Development, the Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The six-month study began in January. It will evaluate and recommend options for reconnecting Jackson Ward, a historically African American neighborhood that was physically and economically divided by Interstate 95/64 in the 1950s.

The first of three public meetings will take place on Thursday, March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. The Black History Museum and Cultural Center will host the meeting, and masks will be required.

The meeting will feature interactive stations staffed by the study team’s subject matter experts in an open-house format. The team seeks to educate attendees on the study, engage on what “reconnecting” Jackson Ward means for attendees, and solicit community feedback on design elements, points of interest and locations for reconnection.

If members of the public cannot attend the meeting, the meeting materials and a survey will be posted on the project site. The project team will also be hosting pop-up events in March to gather input.

About Reconnecting Jackson Ward

A direct outcome of the Richmond 300 master plan, the Reconnect Jackson Ward Feasibility Study will identify future funding opportunities that will further the city’s vision of reconnecting Jackson Ward.

For more information, visit ReconnectJacksonWard.com or call 804-282-4455.

The application deadline for the Triple A Business Assistance program has been extended to February 28, 2022. Businesses interested in participating must complete the program application by visiting https://bit.ly/3IEwKsy. Slots are limited for the program. Participants will be selected via a selection committee.

Businesses are no longer required to be registered with the Office of Minority Business Development to be eligible for the program.

Businesses can obtain more information about the Triple A Business Assistance Program and other Technical Assistance Programs on the OMBD’s website: www.rva.gov/mbd.

For more information or if you have any questions about OMBD’s programming, contact LaQuiana Bailey at (804) 646-1875 or laquiana.bailey@richmondgov.com.

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In observance of President Day, city government offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Monday, February 21, 2022. City offices will reopen at regular business hours on Tuesday, February 22.
 
This includes all branches of the Richmond Public Library, Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities offices, and all city community centers.
 
Richmond Animal Care and Control will also be closed. All adoptions are by appointment only Sunday through Friday and open to the public Saturday from Noon until 5 p.m.
 
All DPW offices will be closed on Monday, February 21. Residential trash collection will not be picked up on Monday. Trash collection will be delayed by one day. Trash scheduled for pick up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday and so on through Friday, February 25.
 
The East Richmond Road Convenience Center, located at 3800 East Richmond Road, will be closed on Monday, February 21 and will reopen on Tuesday, February 22. 

The deadline for interested developers to send Request for Interest (RFI) submissions for the Diamond District redevelopment closed on February 15. The Evaluation Panel has received 15 submissions from the following teams (listed alphabetically):

• 4Most Sport Group
• Acquest Realty Advisors, Inc.
• Diamond District Gateway Partners
• Diamond Legacy Partnership
• Edgemoor-Gotham Ballpark Partners
• Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners
• MAG Partners
• Metropolitan Virginia VIII, LLC
• Richmond Community Development Partners
• Rising Tide RVA, LLC
• RVA Diamond Partners
• Turnbridge Equities
• Urban Atlantic
• Vision300 Partners, LLC
• Weller Development Company and LMXD

The short list of invited RFO respondents will be announced publicly on www.rva.gov/economic-development/diamond.

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 by 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.”

About the Diamond District Evaluation Panel

The Evaluation Panel is comprised of 10 members, including City Council members, city administrative staff, and VCU administrative staff. The panel will be assessing each of the submissions based on the evaluation criteria laid out in the RFI document. The criteria can be grouped into four categories:

• Development team qualifications – financial capability, years of experience, diversity of team, and more;
• Experience with urban mixed-use projects – experience with urban mixed-use redevelopment projects and proven capacity to deliver project requirements;
• Equitable development benefits – employment opportunities, affordable housing, sustainability, resiliency, and more; and
• Project understanding & financing approach – a solid understanding for accomplishing the city’s goals, having provided a financing approach that minimizes public investment.

After evaluating each submission against the criteria, the Evaluation Panel will select the top-scoring teams for their short list. The short list is anticipated to be released to the public in March 2022. This short list of teams will then be invited to respond to the Request for Offers (RFO) with more detailed information on their submissions.

Communication with the Panel: Members of the public can send comments/questions to the Diamond District Evaluation Panel by using this form. This form is publicly posted on the project page. Do not email the Evaluation Panel members, facilitator, or advisors about the Diamond District project (emails sent directly to the Evaluation Panel about this project will not be read). Comments/questions will be reviewed every other week and distributed to the Evaluation Panel during the evaluation process.

Evaluation Panel Members

1. James P. Duval – Investment and Debt Portfolio Manager, Finance Department
2. Sharon L. Ebert – Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Planning and Economic Development
3. Karol Kain Gray – Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Virginia Commonwealth University
4. Katherine Jordan – Council Member, Second District
5. Ann-Frances Lambert – Council Member, Third District
6. J.E. Lincoln Saunders – Chief Administrative Officer
7. Leonard L. Sledge – Director, Department of Economic Development
8. Caprichia Smith Spellman – Interim Director, Office of Community Wealth Building
9. Robert C. Steidel – Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Operations
10. Stephen M. Willoughby – Director of Emergency Communications

Evaluation Panel Facilitator: Maritza Mercado Pechin, Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Development Review, is the Project Manager for the Diamond District redevelopment process and will run the evaluation panel meetings, coordinate logistics, and serve as the official point of contact between the evaluation panel and the RFI/RFO respondents.

Evaluation Panel Advisors: These individuals will attend evaluation panel meetings and offer expertise as needed.

• Matthew A. Welch – Policy Advisor, Planning and Economic Development Portfolio
• Lynne S. Lancaster – Deputy Director, Department of Public Works

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