Category Archives: government

Ranked Choice Voting Meeting Thursday

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From FaceBook event page:

Looking for a concrete way to restore some sanity to politics?

Turns out there’s a better way to vote. It’s called ranked choice voting, and it’s spreading nationwide. In ranked choice elections, you don’t just vote for one candidate. You get to rank the candidates from most to least favorite: your 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on. These “instant runoff” ballots let voters back their favorite candidates while ensuring that winners still earn majority support.

Cities across the country — from San Francisco to St. Paul to Santa Fe — use RCV, and in 2018 Maine became the first state to use ranked choice ballots statewide.

Virginia saw its first ranked choice legislation nearly clear the House of Delegates last spring, and FairVote Virginia is hard at work to see it through in 2019. Join us at Union Market in Richmond to debrief on our latest legislative efforts and learn how you can help bring RCV to VA.

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM,
Union Market
2306 Jefferson Ave, Richmond, Virginia 23223

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FairVote Virginia is VA’s chapter of the national FairVote movement to advance ranked choice voting. Visit our website at fairvoteva.org to learn more.

This community news site has proudly editorialized in favor of ranked choice voting for years now.

OHNA Letter To ‘Richmond300’ Planners

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From City announcement:

Richmond 300, the city wide master plan process, is still requesting feel back from the public through the online visioning survey. It takes 15-30 minutes depending on how much feedback you have.

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/richmond300visioning

The image above is Urban Design Typology Map found in the Insights Report www.richmond300.com/insights

From October 1, 2018 letter (which refers to Page 9 of 5th District maps):

Dear Councilman Parker Agelasto and Steering Committee for the Richmond 300 master plan,

At the September 25, 2018 meeting of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA), the membership approved a resolution requesting that the 5th District map in the Richmond 300 master plan be corrected to identify the “Master Plan Future Land Use” of the Oregon Hill neighborhood as “Single-Family (medium density)” with “Community Commercial” in the Cary Street corridor.

We strongly object to the “Downtown General Urban Area” and “Downtown Urban Center” designations of Oregon Hill found in the draft “Master Plan Future Land Use” Richmond 300 map. We note that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is identified with the “Downtown General Urban Area” and “Downtown Urban Center” designations. While these designations may be appropriate for this huge state institution, these designations are not appropriate for Oregon Hill which is characterized by modest 2-story single family homes.

As noted the in the Richmond 300 urban design typology, “Downtown is dominated by tall office buildings … the area mostly consists of financial offices, state offices, VCU Health, and Virginia Biotechnology Research Park.” This Downtown typology bears no resemblance to the modest single family homes of the Oregon Hill Historic District.

It is important to note that “Single-Family (medium density)” is the “Master Plan Future Land Use” designation for the Fan District and the Randolph neighborhoods with the “Community Commercial” designation on Cary Street along the Fan. Oregon Hill is characterized by having the same “Single Family (medium density)” as the Fan and Randolph. Historically, Oregon Hill and the Fan were created from the same Town of Sydney grid, and we should receive the same Master Plan Future Land Use designation of “Single Family (medium density).”
The Richmond 300 master plan identifies the “Single Family (medium density)” designation as being appropriate for the R-7 zoning, which is predominant in Oregon Hill.
We strongly believe that the Richmond 300 master plan process offers us an opportunity to remove the inappropriate Downtown General Urban Area, and Downtown Urban Center future land use classifications for Oregon Hill. The Master Plan Future Land Use for the historic Oregon Hill neighborhood should be changed to the appropriate “Single Family (medium density)” designation with “Community Commercial” in the Cary Street corridor.

Please let us know as soon as possible if these designations for Oregon Hill will be changed in the Richmond 300 master plan.

Respectfully,

Charles Todd Woodson, president
Oregon Hill neighborhood Association

Bollards, More Bollards

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Not sure if government officials, Conservancy board members, or the local media will ignore this or dismiss it as more ‘whining’, but Cherry Street neighbor Todd Woodson is still keeping an eye on Monroe Park. Here is the latest, which also goes back to his very poignant warning back in 2017:

Four bollards were destroyed and concrete curbing broken at Main and Belvidere in Monroe Park last night. This bollard style, made by Robinson Iron, was installed in the park around 2005 by the Monroe park advisory council despite the expense but were soon found to have a design flaw with the welds resulting in them all being destroyed by the time the park closed. The “conservancy” would have known this if they had complied with their 2014 agreement with council to add community stakeholders to their board, and then the city wouldn’t be facing this substantial expense. I’ve asked the city govt to make the “conservancy” bear the replacement and repair costs. We’ll see who pays the cost…

Question For Wilder Symposium (Wednesday)

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From VCU press release:

The 2018 Wilder Symposium at Virginia Commonwealth University will explore the challenges and opportunities facing urban communities as they seek to improve in the areas of housing, education and public policy.

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs will host the symposium, “By the People: The Role of Urban Communities in Improving Housing, Education and Public Policy,” from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave. The event will be free and open to the public.

Submitted question to symposium:

Is it not strange that VCU has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the distant country of Cuba, but VCU has refused to have a MOU with its next door neighbors in Oregon Hill?

Agelasto On MSNBC

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A MSNBC camera crew followed around the Real Local RVA Urban Farm Tour today. At one point, they interviewed Mayor Stoney and Councilperson Parker Agelasto at the Tricycle Urban AG over in the Manchester neighborhood. We MIGHT see part of this on television on MSNBC network on a Sunday in a few weeks, but here is raw footage (sorry for all the background noise):

IMG_4524 from Scott Burger on Vimeo.

Seeking Healthier, Greener Richmond (Including Monroe Park)

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Tomorrow night, the VCU Institute For Contemporary Art is hosting the following event:

Artist’s Choice: Art + Science
WEDNESDAY, SEP 19
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

As Richmond strives to adapt to climate change this conversation, led by artist Jon-Phillip Sheridan, explores a number of related questions. How do we make our community healthier? How can we rectify social environmental injustice? What changes can be made to zoning to stop creating areas that are substantially hotter, have more air pollution and are food deserts?

Join Sheridan and urban farm activist Duron Chavis, bioengineer Stephen Fong, forest ecologist Chris Gough, and sustainability manager Alicia Zatcoff as they explore green urbanism and grassroots strategies to mitigate pollution and the urban heat island effect.

Audience members will receive native plant seed packets provided by Enrichmond Treelab. After the conversation, learn more about how you can get involved and enjoy free snacks and a cash bar at ICA’s Ellwood Thompson’s Cafe.

Jon-Phillip Sheridan is Assistant Professor at VCUarts Department of Photography and Film. Sheridan deconstructs photographs and found images, creating meticulous, kaleidoscopic arrangements that question materiality and the paradox of the picture plane itself.

Duron Chavis developed and organizes the McDonough Community Garden, an 8500 sq ft community garden located in a USDA denoted food desert in southside Richmond. He is the Manager of Community Engagement at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, where he coordinates initiatives around the topics of urban agriculture and food security.

Stephen Fong is Associate Professor of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at VCU. His research group works on systems biology, computational modeling, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and microbial evolution. Recently, Dr. Fong started SustainLab as an undergraduate research group focused on sustainability/quality of life topics.

Chris Gough is Assistant Professor of Biology at VCU. His research focuses on how climate, disturbance, and management shape forest, wetland, and urban ecosystem interactions with the climate system through their effects on atmospheric greenhouse gases. Chris is an advocate of open science and education resources, arts-sciences inte

Alicia Zatcoff is the first Sustainability Manager for the City of Richmond. She founded and developed the city’s sustainability and energy management program, focusing on improving the economic and environmental performance of city government and making RVA more livable, competitive, and resilient.

Sounds great. But here is something very important to consider- the VCU administration is responsible along with the Monroe Park Conservancy for the destruction of over 576 inches DBH of healthy mature trees in Monroe Park (the equivalent of 165 newly planted trees). Make no mistake about it, using the private-public partnership of the Monroe Park Conservancy, VCU officials have successfully connived their way around the desires, needs, and demands of City residents after previous attempts to do so failed. The problems with the Monroe Park ‘renovations’ have been documented. It is clear that the Mayor and City officials are determined to ignore them, but it is imperative that shade trees be replaced in this oldest of city parks to mitigate air pollution, storm water runoff and to reestablish wildlife habitat.

Here is the Feb 2017 tree exhibit that was presented to the City’s Urban Design Committee as part of the “Pavilion presentation”. It shows where the two replacement trees were supposed to go as well as the location of the “allee” plantings. As fence around Monroe Park FINALLY comes down, and tree planting season approaches, City Parks Director Frelke and other officials have a duty to make sure that VCU and the Conservancy add promised replacement trees, even if they will never make up for what was taken.

DPW Storm Debris Pick Up (Along With Regular Trash Pick Up Tomorrow)

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From the City government:

As a result of the recent weather that the City of Richmond has experienced, beginning today and over the next two weeks (through Oct. 2), the Department of Public Works (DPW) will be picking up storm debris. Residents who would like storm debris to be picked up are asked to place it at their property line for pick-up. This service is being offered in addition to regular trash pick-up, which will continue on regular trash collection days. For questions, visit RVA311.com or call 311 or (804) 646-7000.

Open Letter In Regard To ONE VCU Master Plan Draft Open Houses

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In Regard To ONE VCU Master Plan Draft Open Houses, the following was recently sent to VCU officials, local media, local government, neighbors, and ‘community partners’:

Dear Dr. Weiss,

Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association representatives have met with you repeatedly, and have repeatedly respectfully requested two things:
1) A commitment that VCU will not encroach further south of West Cary Street into the Oregon Hill Historic District.
2) A commitment that VCU will limit the height of buildings on the north side of West Cary Street to 3 or four stories out of respect for the Oregon Hill Historic District across the street.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge the neighborhood has yet to receive any commitment to these two issues.

Oregon Hill residents have pointed out that since VCU has a Memorandum of Understanding with the distant country of Cuba, it is perplexing why VCU cannot engage with a Memorandum of Understanding on these two points of neighborhood concern with VCU’s adjacent neighbor, Oregon Hill.

As you are finalizing the draft of the VCU Master Plan, please consider these valid concerns of your neighbors in Oregon Hill.

Sincerely,

Scott Burger
(served as President of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, 2003 to 2010, and as OHNA VCU liaison)

5th District Newsletter and Master Plans

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Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s office has distributed a new 5th District newsletter. You may see a copy by clicking here. As usual, it is chock full of information.

Some things to highlight are the master plan sessions for both VCU and the City. Given past issues, it is totally understandable that Oregon Hill residents throw their hands up whenever ‘master plan’ is mentioned anywhere. The more recent controversies with Monroe Park and W. Cary underscore that. The not-so-funny joke is that the City’s ‘Richmond 300 Master Plan‘ is more about helping developers get the City to 300,000 in population than anything else, citizens be damned. VCU, in particular needs to acknowledge and understand what the neighborhood has repeatedly stated about building a better relationship.

From the Councilperson’s newsletter:

Attend an upcoming open house to preview a draft of the ONE VCU Master Plan.

Monday, September 17 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Kontos Medical Science Building, Rooms 104 and 105

Monday, September 17 from 5 – 7 p.m., University Student Commons, 1st floor Floyd Avenue Lobby (Parking in the West Main Street deck can be validated)

Tuesday, September 18 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., University Student Commons, Richmond Salons III and IV

From the City of Richmond press release:

RICHMOND, VA – Beginning September 20, Richmonders will have an opportunity to share their vision for Richmond’s future at upcoming open houses held throughout the city.

“The Richmond 300 Master Plan impacts housing, zoning, transportation and recreational assets,” said Mayor Levar M. Stoney. “Providing a vision for the Master Plan update is an important first step. These open house events will help ensure every Richmonder has a say in how the city grows, and I encourage everyone to make an effort to attend.”

Richmond 300 Open House details are as follows:
East End: Thurs. Sept. 20, 6 – 8:30 p.m., MLK Middle School, 1000 Mosby St.
Downtown: Fri. Sept. 21, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., City Hall Lobby, 900 E. Broad St.
South Side: Sat. Sept. 22, 9:30 a.m. – noon, South Side Community Service Center, 4100 Hull St. Rd.
Bellemeade: Tues. Sept. 25, 6 – 8:30 p.m., Bellemeade Community Center, 1800 Lynhaven Ave.
North Side: Wed. Sept. 26, 6 – 8:30 p.m., Hotchkiss Community Center, 701 E. Brookland Park Blvd.
Huguenot: Thurs. Sept. 27, 6 – 8:30 p.m., Huguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave.
West End: Sat. Sept 29, 9:30 a.m. – noon, Thomas Jefferson High, 4100 W. Grace St.
Citizens are able to attend any location. Additionally, Richmonders can provide input online beginning September 17 by visiting the Richmond 300 website. Children are welcome to attend the open houses. Spanish-language translators will be available. If participants have a disability and require accommodation in order to fully participate in the open house, email richmond300@richmondgov.com by September 14 to arrange accommodations. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters can be provided upon request.

To prepare for the Richmond 300 Open Houses, please read the Insights Report. Also, explore the newly-developed interactive maps which provide context and data on Richmond’s current conditions.

For more information about the Master Plan update, please visit Richmond300.com.