Resolution advances the resort casino toward referendum

Richmond, VA — Richmond City Council this evening approved the resolution introduced by Mayor Stoney to name ONE Casino + Resort (RVA Entertainment Holdings, LLC) as the city’s preferred casino gaming operator for a proposed resort casino project in South Richmond at the former Philip Morris Operations Center. 

Passage of the resolution also includes City Council’s support of the business terms in the Host Community Agreement Term Sheet between the city and resort casino operator and authorizes the preparation and negotiation of the full Host Community Agreement, which will be voted on by Council later this summer.

The city will now submit the preferred operator/site to the Virginia Lottery Board for pre-certification. Upon successful pre-certification, and approval by City Council of the full Host Community Agreement, the city will petition the Circuit Court to hold the November 2^nd voter referendum on the negotiated project.

“ONE Casino + Resort is a $562.5 million project that will create 1,300 well-paying jobs with benefits in South Richmond, and every Richmond resident will benefit from the new revenue created by the project,” said Mayor Stoney.  “City Council’s vote tonight paves the way for every voting Richmond resident to have their voice heard on this important project.”

More information on the city’s resort casino process can be found at https://www.rva.gov/economic-development/resort-casino.

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Resolution advances the resort casino toward referendum

Richmond, VA — Richmond City Council this evening approved the resolution introduced by Mayor Stoney to name ONE Casino + Resort (RVA Entertainment Holdings, LLC) as the city’s preferred casino gaming operator for a proposed resort casino project in South Richmond at the former Philip Morris Operations Center. 

Passage of the resolution also includes City Council’s support of the business terms in the Host Community Agreement Term Sheet between the city and resort casino operator and authorizes the preparation and negotiation of the full Host Community Agreement, which will be voted on by Council later this summer.

The city will now submit the preferred operator/site to the Virginia Lottery Board for pre-certification. Upon successful pre-certification, and approval by City Council of the full Host Community Agreement, the city will petition the Circuit Court to hold the November 2^nd voter referendum on the negotiated project.

“ONE Casino + Resort is a $562.5 million project that will create 1,300 well-paying jobs with benefits in South Richmond, and every Richmond resident will benefit from the new revenue created by the project,” said Mayor Stoney.  “City Council’s vote tonight paves the way for every voting Richmond resident to have their voice heard on this important project.”

More information on the city’s resort casino process can be found at https://www.rva.gov/economic-development/resort-casino.

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~ Company will relocate corporate headquarters to larger facility in Scott’s Addition neighborhood ~

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that CarLotz (NASDAQ: LOTZ), the nation’s largest consignment-to-retail used vehicle marketplace, will retain and expand its headquarters in the City of Richmond, creating 192 new jobs. The company will relocate operations from its location in the Manchester neighborhood of Richmond to the Handcraft Building in Scott’s Addition to accommodate recent growth. Virginia successfully competed with Tennessee, Texas, and Washington for the project. Governor Northam joined company leaders and local officials at the new facility this morning to make the announcement.

“CarLotz has experienced tremendous success since its founding in Richmond a decade ago, and we are excited to see this homegrown company deepen its roots in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Northam. “With a fourth Virginia location opening in late June, CarLotz continues to expand its network of hubs in the Mid-Atlantic and nationwide. Central Virginia has a deep bench of skilled workers and a strong commitment to developing a robust talent pipeline, making the region an ideal location for fast-growing businesses like CarLotz.”

CarLotz was founded 10 years ago in Richmond, Virginia as a peer-to-peer car consignment marketplace designed to put the value back into the hands of people. Today, it has grown to be the nation’s largest consignment-to-retail used vehicle marketplace with hubs across the country. CarLotz’s omnichannel approach offers guests exceptional experiences whether online or in-hub. 

“Richmond has proven to be a great home for CarLotz, offering a wonderful community and a talented workforce to support its growth,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “We thank the company for creating nearly 200 high-quality jobs and look forward to many more years of partnership with CarLotz.”

“CarLotz was born in Virginia, and we couldn’t be more excited to build this next chapter of the company right here in our home state and in the city we love,” said Michael Bor, Co-Founder and CEO of CarLotz. “We are confident in the workforce and the access to markets that further investing in Virginia will provide for CarLotz, our team members, and our guests.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the City of Richmond to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Northam approved a $700,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Richmond with the project. CarLotz is also eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Support for the company’s job creation will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce initiative created by VEDP in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System and other higher education partners, with funding support from the Northam Administration and the Virginia General Assembly. Launched in 2019, the program accelerates new facility start-ups through the direct delivery of recruitment and training services that are fully customized to a company’s unique products, processes, equipment, standards, and culture. All program services are provided at no cost to qualified new and expanding companies as an incentive for job creation.

“Richmond is both thankful and excited to have a publicly traded company like CarLotz make the strategic decision to expand in the city,” said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. “The 192 new jobs create opportunities for our citizens to work for a growing and thriving company that has created an innovative way for buying and selling cars. Scott’s Addition has gained a new neighbor that will add to the area’s vibrancy. This is a great project for Richmond, and we look forward to helping CarLotz grow even more in the city.”

“CarLotz’s choice to expand in the Commonwealth’s capital is welcome news and will have important impacts for the City of Richmond,” said Congressman Donald McEachin. “Not only will the expansion create nearly 200 new jobs, it will help further stimulate our economy through innovation and competition and will create important opportunities for our residents. I commend all of the local, state, and federal leaders and coalitions who played a part in securing this project for Virginia.”

“Virginia certainly welcomes the decision by CarLotz to expand its headquarters in Richmond and thus bring more jobs to the city,” said Senator Ghazala F. Hashmi. “I am especially delighted by the company’s partnership with VEDP and Virginia’s Community College System through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program in its recruitment and training of new hires. The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program has proven to be a critical initiative that assists business and industry partners identify and develop local talent for their innovation and growth efforts.”

“We are overjoyed that CarLotz not only chose to stay in our City of Richmond, but also to expand its operations further,” said Delegate Jeff Bourne. “That they chose us over several cities demonstrates how powerful a hub for business and investments Richmond has become. The creation of new jobs and the company’s ability to provide consignment vehicles at comparable or below dealership prices is vital to an economy that is beginning to turn around.”

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Richmond, VA — The recently adopted citywide Master Plan, Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth, has been awarded the 2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan from the American Planning Association (APA). This award recognizes an innovative plan that helps create a more prosperous and equitable community for current and future residents and raises awareness of the importance of planning.

“Richmond is a prime example of how planning can help a community begin to overcome past wrongs like redlining and practices that unfairly excluded specific populations from access to opportunity,” said Kristen Asp, AICP, 2021 APA awards jury chair. “This plan, combined with their laser focus on implementation, is an example for other communities around the country on how planning can and should address systemic racism.”

Years of work by City staff, as well as thousands of residents, business owners, and other community members, resulted in the adoption of Richmond 300 in December 2020. The Department of Planning and Development Review (PDR), and specifically the Office of Equitable Development, are now working to implement the recommendations of the plan, which seek to achieve the outlined vision over the next 20 years.

“This recognition of Richmond 300 by the American Planning Association is a testament to all the hard work over many hours by the thousands of community members that participated in this planning process,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “Overcoming years of divestment, specifically in our Black and Brown communities, is an immense task, and Richmond 300 steps away from the status quo and provides bold yet sound approaches to combatting inequities by adopting to our changing environment, addressing affordable housing needs, and fostering economic inclusion.”

The Plan sets the overall vision for the future of the city and provides high-level recommendations to create a more equitable, sustainable, and beautiful Richmond for its 300^th birthday in 2037. The Plan outlines specific recommendations across five topics: high-quality places, equitable transportation, diverse economy, inclusive housing, and thriving environment.

“We’re grateful and humbled to serve as trusted advisors to the city for Richmond 300 and are thrilled the plan is receiving this honor from APA,” said Mike McIntyre, program director with AECOM, lead consultant firm for Richmond 300. “From the start, our goal was to break the mold and build this plan with maximum transparency and community input. This award belongs to every person who got involved, lent their voice, and helped shape Richmond 300 into something we can all be proud of. We’re excited for our city’s next chapter!”

The sheer breadth and length of any comprehensive plan can make it difficult to execute; therefore, Richmond 300, outlines 6 Big Moves to deliberately advance over the next 5 years:

• Re-write the Zoning Ordinance
• Re-Imagining Priority Growth Nodes
• Expand Housing Opportunities
• Provide Greenways and Parks for All
• Reconnect the City
• Realign City Facilities

“Creating Richmond 300 is the first step in envisioning a more equitable Richmond,” said Maritza Mercado Pechin, AICP, PDR Deputy Director and Manager of the Office of Equitable Development. “I am looking forward to continuing to engage the Richmonders as we collectively implement the recommendations in the plan.”

The Richmond 300: A Guide for Growth can be found on the City’s website at: https://www.rva.gov/planning-development-review/master-plan

More information on the 2021 APA Award recipients can be found at: https://www.planning.org/awards/2021/

APA BOILER PLATE

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides vital leadership in creating great communities for all. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the profession of planning, offering better choices for where and how people work and live. The more than 40,000 APA members work in concert with community residents, civic leaders and business interests to create communities that enrich people's lives. Through its philanthropic work, APA’s Foundation helps to reduce economic and social barriers to good planning. APA is based in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Learn more at www.planning.org.

APA MEDIA CONTACT

Roberta Rewers, APA Communications Manager, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org

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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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