From submitted email:
Dear Director Frelke and the Richmond Inspire planning team,
Please find the attached comment from the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council (OHHIC) regarding the draft Richmond Inspire plan.
We appreciate the work that the Parks Department is doing to improve the city’s parks. We are especially grateful for the excellent work of the very devoted Capital Projects Planner Ryan Rinn in directing the improvements for Oregon Hill’s Holly Street Playground with funding from the American Rescue Plan.
However, the Board of OHHIC strongly objects to the unfair and inequitable placement of most of the Oregon Hill Historic District in the “Lower Priority” [that is, the LOWEST priority] category of the Richmond Inspire Equity Investment Zone classifications in the Richmond Inspire plan.
As detailed in the attached comment, Oregon Hill was a redlined neighborhood with the lowest “Fourth Grade” security rating. As a result of this redlining, Oregon Hill suffered many decades of neglect and deferred maintenance of its park infrastructure. The Oregon Hill neighborhood, therefore, must be placed in the “Highest Priority” Equity Investment Zone category.
Thank you for your consideration of the recommendations of the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council, which has successfully worked for over 30 years to improve the quality of life in the Oregon Hill neighborhood.Sincerely,
Charles Pool
For the Board of the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council
Click here for attached comment. Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council comment on Richmond Inspire parks plan March 2026
