On February 13th, the Richmond City Council held their regular bi-weekly public meeting to discuss and vote on a matter of ordinances and resolutions. Funding for bike lanes, disability services, food programs, and new zoning changes were among the highlights of the meeting. You can find the meeting video and minutes here, or read below for a summary of important votes.
Important Ordinances and Resolutions:
| ORD. 2022-268 | “To authorize the special use of the property known as 401 South Stafford Avenue for the purpose of a mixed-use building containing up to one second floor dwelling unit and a ground floor restaurant use, upon certain terms and conditions. (5th District)” Patrons: Mayor Stoney Status: Continued to February 27th meeting |
| ORD. 2023-033 | “To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $20,000.00 from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by creating a new special fund for the Department of Economic Development called the RVA Street Foodies Special Fund, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Economic Development’s RVA Street Foodies Special Fund by $20,000.00, for the purpose of facilitating a grant to RVA Street Foodies LLC for the purchase of food carts to serve fresh fruits and vegetables to underserved communities.” Patrons: Mayor Stoney, Ms. Lambert, Ms. Jordan and Ms. Robertson Status: Adopted |
| ORD. 2023-037 | “To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for multimodal safety, operational, and access improvements to the Scott’s Addition Bus Rapid Transit Station, located at the intersection of West Broad Street and Cleveland Street, by constructing sidewalks, Americans with Disabilities Act accessible ramps, and pedestrian and streetscape amenities within the half mile walkshed of the Bus Rapid Transit station.” Patrons: Mayor Stoney and Ms. Jordan Status: Adopted |
| ORD. 2023-039 | “To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for dedicated bicycle infrastructure including road diets, lane diets, and shared use paths with appropriate traffic control on streets of the City in accordance with the “Richmond Bike Master Plan.” Patrons: Mayor Stoney, Ms. Lambert, Ms. Jordan and Ms. Robertson Status: Adopted |
| RES. 2023-R005 | “To adopt the City of Richmond RVAgreen 2050: Climate Equity Action Plan 2030 as the official sustainability plan for the City of Richmond in accordance with Res. No. 2021-R049, adopted Sept. 13, 2021.” Patrons: Mayor Stoney, et. al Status: Adopted |
The above votes are some of the key highlights of the meeting. Along with ORD. 2022-268, other zoning changes were also made to accommodate for new housing or mixed office use. The City Council also voted to fund efforts to make fresh food more accessible to communities in Richmond, and passed ordinances to make public facilities adhere to guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act through installation of ramps and other infrastructure. Additionally, the council authorized the Chief Admin. Officer to execute its Standard Project Administration Agreement, which includes new funding for bike lanes. This move aligns with the “Richmond Bike Master Plan,” which according to rva.gov, will aim to create a “bicycling culture” through implementing policies such as the one listed above.
Along with these ordinances, the City Council adopted a RVAgreen 2050 plan, a resolution under discussion the past few meetings. This environmental plan will aim to tackle climate change and its deleterious effects by substantially reducing city greenhouse gas emissions and creating infrastructure to address extreme weather events caused by climate change.
For its next bi-weekly meeting on February 27th, the Richmond City Council will vote on multiple funding proposals that intend to improve public safety and reduce crime. The council will also vote on a resolution relating to an opioid claims settlement involving entities such as Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS.
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