Richmond City Council - Regular Meeting

Ms. Reid. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. The formal meeting of the Richmond City Council will now come to order. Madam Clerk, if you would have the Spanish interpretation announcement, followed by the introduction of the invocation speaker.

The Spanish interpretation is available in the council chamber. Please see a representative at the rear of the room to receive the appropriate equipment. Spanish interpretation is also available through Microsoft Teams for virtual attendees in need of this service.

Hay servicios de interpretación al español disponible en la Cámara del Consejo. Por favor consulte con un representante ubicado en la parte posterior de la cámara para recibir el equipo correspondiente. La interpretación al español también está disponible a través de Microsoft Teams para las personas que participen a manera virtual y necesiten servicios.

Thank you. At this time, we'll have the invocation speaker, Reverend Chris Crowley of Grace Baptist Church. Welcome, Pastor.

Thank you for the invitation. I invite you all to pray in your tradition as I pray in mine. As a minister of music, that's how I pray. Hear these words originally written by Tony Alonso. How good it is when people live together. How wonderful to live as one. To shape communities of caring and reveal the love we've known. To reverence by our common sharing this blessed land we call our home. How good it is when people stand together in daily joy and daily strife. And from our many varied talents weave a tapestry of care, where differences are claimed and cherished, and forgiveness is our prayer. So bless us, God, sustain us for the future to go and serve the last and least till every hungry heart is nourished and the searching find their place till peace and justice ever flourish. May our lives reflect your grace. Amen.

Thank you, Reverend Crowley. With that, I'll ask if you will join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, if we could have the emergency evacuation plan followed by the public speaker guidelines.

Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or south stairwells outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. After exiting the building, security will direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets. Able persons should assist visually and hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building. Individuals speaking during public hearings and the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before counsel are not allowed to campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties, or address or question staff members directly. All questions are to be directed to the president of counsel. Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which could include barring from attendance at future meetings of City Council for a period of six months.

And Madam President, there is a request for a member to participate in this meeting remotely.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Pursuant to Rule 3D4B of Council's Rules of Procedure, Councilor Andrew Breton has requested to participate in this meeting via Microsoft Teams due to a personal matter. He is attending an out-of-town work retreat preventing his physical attendance today. He will be participating from the location at 240 Representative John Lewis Way North, Nashville, Tennessee, 37219. The council members present must adopt a motion to approve Mr. Breton's participation in this meeting by electronic communication means if it appears to the body that this request complies with council's adopted policy on electronic participation. Pursuant to Rule 3D, 4D of council's rules, is there a motion from the members physically assembled approving his participation in this meeting by electronic communication means?

So moved. Second.

Council is now voting to allow Mr. Breton to participate in this formal meeting via Microsoft Teams. Ms. Gibson? Yes. Ms. Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Robertson? Aye. Ms. Trammell? Aye. Ms. Eifelbacher? Aye. Vice President Jordan? Aye. And President Newbill? Aye. That motion was approved. And Madam President, for the record, all members of attendance of council, all members of council are in attendance this evening except for Councilor Lynch. You do have a quorum.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's proceed with appointments and reappointments this evening.

Before I do that, I would like to state that individuals standing in the rear of the chamber are asked to be seated where seats are available. Also, applause will only be permitted during the awards and presentation portion of tonight's meeting. Thank you. And, Madam President, before you are appointment and reappointment recommendations from your standing committees before you for final appointment consideration. Is there a motion to approve the appointments and reappointments as presented? With the exception of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Supervisory Board recommendation, I understand there's a request to continue that one.

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second. Second.

Council is now voting on the appointments and reappointments as stated with the exception of Kai Banks to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Supervisory Board. Mr. Breton?

Aye.

Ms. Gibson?

Yes.

Ms. Jones? Aye. Ms. Robertson? Aye. Ms. Trammell? Aye. Ms. Eibelbacher? Aye. Vice President Jordan? Aye. President Newbill?

Aye.

Those appointments have been approved.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's proceed with the speakers for public comment this evening.

The first speaker is Melvin Jones.

WELCOME, MR. JONES. MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL, MY NAME IS MELVIN JONES. I RESIDE IN THIRD DISTRICT. MY TOPIC TONIGHT IS ABOUT APPROPRIATE FUNDS BEING NOT APPROPRIATE THE RIGHT WAY. I'VE GOT SOMETHING FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WHERE THE CASE IS STILL GOING ON. ABOUT $8 MILLION THAT THE CITY OF RICHMOND GAVE to a person to do a homeless shelter. And also we got some money that was supposed to go to the fire department's, what is it called? It's a fund that the fire department got and money was going out of state. So we've got too much money going out the door and not enough money coming back in the door. We had, first of all, we started off with giving out, we were giving out rebates. We were giving out city retirement. I understand that. The city retirement, if your spouse had passed away, your money went to your spouse. so i understood that but this money that's going back out i think we should be able to get it back in if we can i mean some kind of way i mean that's a lot of money eight million dollars is probably probably close to ten million dollars and um when i work for the city i always counted the pennies i counted the dollars i did the financing for the city vehicles i did the billing If I saw something wrong, I went to the Inspector General's office with it. My thing is, before you go to procurement, if procurement sees something wrong with it, procurement has to get finance, the last say, and finance normally take care and pay the bill. We're not doing that. And we got good people here in City Hall. And the reason why I'm coming down here tonight is because we need this money back because we need more police officers. We need more firefighters. And we darn sure got good people working here in City Hall. I'm talking about councilors, liaison, the city people who take our bills. We got people here in City Hall that really need it. They don't need a second or third job. They need to get this money. And I'm going to be working real hard with the U.S. Department of Justice. I ain't finished with it. So I don't want everybody to be going back to their computers and be trying to erase stuff off of it because it's too late for that. So I appreciate your help on this. And this is what we got to do. This is taxpayers' money. This people's money out here, y'all money too. And seriously, I would really like to get it back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jones.

The next speaker is Daniel Tobias.

Welcome, Mr. Tobias.

Thank you.

Good evening, City Council members, Madam President. I want to take time this evening to thank City Council for continuing to enable a privatized mass surveillance state via the city's contracts with Flock Safety and other LPR distributors. You know, it's a comfort to know that my tax dollars are going towards disproportionately policing communities of color. Excuse me. I mean, predictive policing technologies.

Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

Instead of investing in snowflake virtual academies or anti-American programs that provide stable housing and jobs for the undeserving poor, I want to thank the mayor and the Hanover resident police chief for not giving in to pressure from Richmond City residents, excuse me, tourists, like our neighbor Goochland County just did. Can you believe Their woke sheriff said that while ALPR technology is a valuable investigative tool, he also recognizes residents' concerns about privacy, data access, and the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. What a joke. Him and the other 20-something Virginia localities that have ended or suspended their flock contracts. These cameras, they free up more time for our RPD officers to watch TV in the parking lots of ABC stores. This is indispensable technology. Some people... unpatriotic people, complain about the dozens of law enforcement officers caught using these cameras to stalk their exes, but let's be real, come on, who hasn't checked in on an ex's social media? It's human nature to be curious, and our officers, or whoever has the account password, deserves a little voyeurism as a treat, don't you think? Whether it's the gas station, their ex-frequence, or the gymnasium your child plays at. So please, Continue funding Flock and other LPR systems. Continue breaking the wrists of protesters trying to dance in front of a Flock camera like you did last month on the 18th. As a fan of science fiction, I am so glad we are making it so easy for an authoritarian government to access a granular domestic surveillance network. Thank you.

Thank you. I believe you have been advised that clapping is not an acceptable component of the public comment speaker. OK? Thank you. That announcement was made by the clerk, was not Madam Clark, let's proceed.

The next speaker is Benjamin Chambers.

Love that I had to name myself to come up here today. Good evening, City Council and neighbors. My name is Bea Chambers, and I am a proud resident of the 6th District and a proud member of Richmond's LGBT community. I am here to protest the use of flock cameras and other LPRs by the Richmond Police Department. Right now, official city actions and expanding surveillance are leaving minority groups across our city feeling deeply unsafe, unprotected, and targeted. To understand why trust is breaking down, we have to look at what's happening around us. Recently, US District Court Judge Robert Payne issued a preliminary injunction blocking Virginia's new restrictions of 287 agreements. Without these restrictions, 287 agreements will allow federal agencies like ICE to partner directly with local law enforcement, effectively deputizing local officers to act as federal immigration agents. By blocking Virginia's limits on these agreements, the court has opened the door for local resources to be funneled directly into federal dragnets, This alongside automated surveillance right here on our streets. Richmond currently operates dozens of flock automated license plate reader cameras. These cameras track vehicle movements 24-7 and feed that data into a private corporate database. We are constantly reassured that local policies prohibit sharing ALPR data with federal agencies or out-of-state entities. Yet, just months ago, a police department audit revealed a violation where an officer improperly shared Richmond's flock camera data with federal law enforcement. Once data is captured and held in private databases, local promises cannot fully guarantee it won't be accessed, subpoenaed, or shared with federal authorities. When national political rhetoric and federal policies openly target vulnerable communities, labeling LGBTQ individuals, trans people, and immigrants as threats to national security, having a citywide camera network track our every movement creates a real, tangible risk for our most vulnerable populations. FOR MANY OF US IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY, SEEING HOW SURVEILLANCE AND FEDERAL COOPERATION ARE WEAPONIZED AGAINST OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORS IS A CLEAR WARNING SIGN. IF DATA INFRASTRUCTURE EXISTS TO LOG WHERE WE TRAVEL, WHERE WE GATHER AND WHERE WE LIVE, IT CAN EASILY BE REPURPOSED TO TARGET ANYONE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CHOOSES TO FOCUS ON NEXT. TO PARAPHRASE MARTIN NIMWOLER, FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE IMMIGRANTS AND CITY COUNCIL DID NOT SPEAK OUT. How can I trust that the city council will speak out when they come for me? I am standing here tonight because the residents of the city deserve more than passive reassurances. We deserve real safety. When will this city council take our privacy and physical security seriously? I urge the council to re-examine our reliance on private security networks and enforce a strict ban on the use of these cameras so as to safeguard every member of our community and not just the privileged. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chambers.

The next speaker is Kenneth Williams. Kenneth Williams. The next speaker is Don O'Keefe.

Welcome, Mr. O'Keefe.

Thank you. So hello, everyone, members of the council. I'm here to speak out about the ongoing rezoning process in the city, and I'm grateful for your time and attention. So my name is Don O'Keefe. I'm a second district resident in the FAN. I'm an architect, planner, researcher, and academic. I've taught and written on sustainable architecture and planning for years at institutions like Keio University in Tokyo and Harvard University in the US. In recent years, it's been wonderful to see local awareness of issues like building energy use, housing affordability, sustainable land use, and urban transportation grow. More and more people, young and old, Northside and South, have become active and vocal about pushing the Richmond region in a new direction. People want to live in an active, diverse, healthy, sustainable, and walkable community. I think we've been told not to do that. But thank you. Despite these encouraging signs, we have also faced harsh hardship and setbacks. Richmond pedestrians have been killed, an inevitability in our car-oriented society. According to a study by the World Health Organization, if Americans walked, biked, and used transit at the same rate Norwegians did, for example, more than 30,000 American lives could be saved every year. Just a couple of weeks ago, the United Nations took a vote on a resolution to reduce traffic deaths based on reports by researchers and experts in this area. The United States was the only nation in the world to vote against it. Safety isn't our only problem. In the 10 years between 2014 and 2024, the cost of an average home in Richmond more than doubled. Happily, recent findings from Virginia realtors found that increasing home construction has slowed the inflation of housing costs. This finding has been demonstrated time and again by studies from the Journal of Urban Economics, the Harvard-Joyd Center for Housing Studies, and others. These findings are not good news for Virginia realtors, but they are good news for renters and aspiring homeowners struggling to make rich from their long-term home. The good news is that more dense and walkable neighborhoods aren't just good for our pocketbooks. According to the UN International Panel on Climate Change and a host of other experts, land use and zoning reform can dramatically reduce building energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and habitat destruction. In this highly polarized moment, it's wonderful to note that many economics researchers and planners from across the political and economic spectrums and across the world agree on the benefits of land use and zoning reform.

30 seconds.

Unfortunately, some vocal groups of Richmonders and, with respect, some members of the Richmond government have still found their way to the wrong side of this issue. For me and for many other local advocates of housing and planning reform, it's been deeply disappointing to see code refresh be watered down in draft three There isn't time to go into detail, but I strongly urge the council to consult with local resources like the Home for All Our Neighbors group, of which I'm proud to be a part. I have a forthcoming op-ed, which I'll be sharing with each of you. Right or wrong, all citizen concerns have to be addressed and acknowledged. But that doesn't absolve us of the responsibility to parse fact from fiction and reactionary fear from legitimate objections. Thank you. That's your time. Another path is open, and I hope that we will have the strength to follow that path. Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Tom Beach.

Welcome, Mr. Beach. OK. Thank you, members of the council. Thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts on code refresh. I realize it's not on the agenda tonight, but it will be a hot topic in upcoming district meetings and future council sessions. My goal is to chart a middle path on this issue and focus on two specific points. First, the buy right zoning proposal raises alarms from neighborhood defenders because it implies that anything goes green light for new construction such as ADUs. The reality is that buy right is not anything goes, but that point gets lost in the debate. As used in cities around the country, buy right zoning has included assurances that minimize the threat to neighborhood integrity. Form-based codes, objective design standards, mandatory design checklists, and localized block-level ordinances enforce respectable limits on what landowners can do with their properties. They minimize the negative impacts on neighbors and neighborhoods. If these assurances are in code refresh already, the city needs to aggressively promote that fact and show that these assurances can help neighborhoods from being developed beyond recognition. If they are not in the current code refresh draft, they should be in the next one. Second, the city should emphasize the more palatable and promising approach of transit-oriented development. TOD has been used in cities around the country, including Arlington, Virginia, Portland, Oregon, Denver, Colorado, to rapidly build high-density apartments and condos, including affordable housing units, in locations that benefit not only the residents of those buildings, but residents of the surrounding neighborhoods as well. I saw this personally in a trip to Portland, Oregon this summer. The neighborhoods around Division Street, with mostly single-family homes, were bordered by avenues lined with recently constructed four- and five-story multi-unit buildings. True, the homeowners whose backyards directly bordered these transit corridor structures were indeed impacted. But to the rest of the neighborhood, the impact was not only minimal, but ultimately positive. Anyone within walking distance of these new buildings had access to bars, restaurants, Pilates studios, corner stores, and many other amenities that serve neighbors, people who often desire walkability and local access to resources. By-right zoning can be supported in ways that assure neighborhood integrity, and transit-oriented development has proven itself repeatedly in other towns and cities. I realize that these are already included in code refresh revisions, but the details that might assure respect for existing neighborhoods are not getting the emphasis that would minimize controversy around the zoning reform. These approaches will not only help solve Richmond's housing crisis, but will provide real opportunities for Richmond's existing neighborhoods as well. Thank you very much. Thank you.

The next speaker is Miles Kuzol.

Welcome, Mr. Kuzol.

Good evening, city council. My name is Miles, and I'm a renter and worker in the city of Richmond. Thankfully, because of my schedule, I was able to appear for this meeting today. Unfortunately, many like me cannot. Why? It's a good question, and it's one we really need to grapple with before we can have any sort of discussion about housing policy, equality of opportunity, and how that connects with Code Refresh. If you were an outside observer, you might have thought, based on the discourse that we've had and the direction that the code refresh has gone, that I, as a worker and renter in the city, am in the minority. I'm not just talking about the actual participation. I'm talking about the whole direction and framing in which this process has gone since its beginning with draft one. What started as a genuinely transformative zoning rewrite that could have meaningfully addressed housing supply ended the segregation-era style of exclusionary zoning and gave current and future residents a chance to be upwardly mobile and live in a city that serves them and other underprivileged residents has turned into what we, as the average Richmond residents, feared from the start, which is a watered-down maintaining of the status quo. When I first saw draft one of Code Refresh, I was genuinely excited. I looked at the map and saw the potential for a modern city, a city where I and other working class residents could one day be able to afford a home, a city full of walkable and inclusive neighborhoods, a city that had an attitude towards land use not of property owners first, everyone else second. but of everyone, including workers, renters, and historically underprivileged residents, is served and considered. Looking at draft three now, it's hard to believe where we started. Instead of that transformation, we have essentially capitulated to the interests of property owners. The gentle density and upzoning we were supposed to legalize has been gutted, replaced by paltry upzoning strictly on major transit routes or in the nodes designated by Richmond 300. The vast majority of the city remains reminiscent of the segregation-era zoning philosophy of unwalkable stretches of single-family detached homes on large lots. I don't have to remind everyone that the purpose of exclusionary zoning like this was by design to keep young and working class residents out of wealthy neighborhoods. We all know this was the intention. So why, if we claim to be progressive and claim to want an inclusive future in a city that serves everyone, have we refused to change it? Can we even claim to want that inclusive future if we don't do anything to prevent it? Whenever the vote for passing draft three of the code refresh is held, I ask that you support it while also thinking forward. And hopefully, in the future, we can make truly transformative changes to our land use policies. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

And Madam President, that concludes the list of public comment period speakers for this evening.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's proceed with the amendments to tonight's agenda.

The amendments to tonight's agenda are as follows. Item 1, Ordinance 2026093, will be continued to the Monday, November 9th council meeting. Item 4, Ordinance 2022120, Item 5, Ordinance 2026155, and Item 8, Ordinance 2026175, will all be continued to the Monday, September 28th council meeting. Item 11, Ordinance 2026178, will be amended later this evening and then continued to the Monday, September 28th council meeting. ITEM 13, ORDINANCE 2026-180 WILL BE CONTINUED TO THE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH COUNCIL MEETING. ITEM 14, ORDINANCE 2026-181 WILL BE CONTINUED TO THE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH COUNCIL MEETING. ITEM 17, ORDINANCE 2026-184 WILL BE CONTINUED TO THE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH COUNCIL MEETING. ITEM 19, ORDINANCE 2026-186 WILL BE AMENDED LATER THIS EVENING AND THEN CONTINUED TO THE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH COUNCIL MEETING. Item 20, Ordinance 2026-187, Item 21, Ordinance 2026-188, and Item 22, Ordinance 2026-189 will all be continued to the Monday, September 28th council meeting. Item 23, Ordinance 2026-190 will be continued to the Monday, September 28th council meeting. And that paper is to be referred to the Tuesday, September 22nd Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Standing Committee meeting. Item 25, Resolution 2026R031, will be continued to the September 28th Council meeting, and that paper is to be referred to the September 22nd Public Safety Standing Committee meeting. And item 26, resolution 2026 R029, will be amended later this evening and then continue to the Tuesday, October 13, council meeting. And Madam President, those are all the amendments to tonight's agenda.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Are there any other amendments to tonight's agenda? Seeing none, please call the question.

I will need a motion to amend the agenda as read. Councillor Jones, will you make that motion?

So moved.

Second.

Council is now voting on this evening's agenda amendments as read. Mr. Breton? Aye. Ms. Gibson?

Yes.

Ms. Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Robertson?

Aye.

Ms. Trammell?

Aye.

Ms. Albuquerque?

Aye.

Vice President Jordan?

Aye.

And President Newbill.

Aye.

The amended agenda is now before you, and this evening's consent agenda consists of the following items. Item 2, Ordinance 2026-102. Item 3, Ordinance 2026-113. Item 6, Ordinance 2026-173. Item 7, Ordinance 2026-174. Item 9, Ordinance 2026-176. Item 10, Ordinance 2026-177. Item 12, ordinance 2026.179. Item 15, ordinance 2026.182. Item 16, ordinance 2026.183. Item 18, ordinance 2026.185. And item 24, ordinance 2026.191. Those are all the items on tonight's consent agenda.

Thank you, Mr. Clark. At this time, we will have a public hearing on the consent agenda items. All those present, desires of speaking in opposition to any item on the consent agenda, if you would please come forward.

Madam President and counselors, I'm not technically opposed, but I am asking you to continue an item that's on the consent agenda. My name is Claire Guthrie-Gastignaga. I've lived on South Meadow Street in Randolph for two decades. I face the Virginia home. I look at their back side, which currently is a brick wall. I'm not opposed to redevelopment of the Virginia home. A neighborhood-sensitive project that returns this property to tax rolls is something that would be good for everyone, and I support it. But I am asking the council tonight to continue consideration, remove this from the consent agenda, and carry it over for at least 30 days for the reasons included in my letter, which I distributed to all of you on Friday the 10th. There are several reasons for this. First, the planning commission process was inherently unfair. The property owners were given 30 minutes in a PowerPoint staff-assisted presentation to make a case before the planning commission and offered five minutes of rebuttal. And people from the neighborhood who wanted to speak were limited to three minutes and not given any notice that they could have a formal presentation like the developer. The city's own March memo regarding this process indicated that the neighborhood would have an opportunity to engage on this particular SUP after it was introduced in July of 2026. No such process occurred. There were a number of meetings, but they concerned another SUP, which you have continued tonight. Every meeting the developer cited about the SUP here was not about converting the Virginia home from a place that 131 people resided who were disabled, but rather converting it into a building with 131 housing units that can house up to 350 active residents. Second, beyond the process issues, there were unfulfilled promises made during the process to induce support for this that there would be affordable housing included. When asked about why those weren't in the ordinance or if no commitment in any public record was made, we were told at the Planning Commission that it wasn't legal for the city to require it. And in accordance, they used something to encourage support that they may or may not be willing to commit to continue. And third, and importantly, the city's own staff looked at traffic and parking issues and deduced that several of the things on the site plan were misrepresented and not accurately presented. Moreover, the day before the Planning Commission meeting, City's own staff indicated that they got a traffic analysis that they had not seen and thought that they would have additional time to comment. Bottom line, 30 days to work through an affordable housing commitment, the traffic and safety issues that have been unaddressed, and the engagement gap is not unreasonable to ask for a permanent change that amounts fundamentally to de facto rezoning of a residential block. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you. Are there any other person's present desires of speaking in opposition to any item on the consent agenda? If you would now come forward.

Good evening. My name is Toni Mounts, and I'm here this evening to ask you to please consider a 30-day delay for the vote on SUP 2026-183. We neighbors in the Randolph and Bird Park neighborhoods would like more time to engage with the developer about our concerns regarding the renovation. The majority of our issues center around the safety of the surrounding neighborhood with the increased traffic and parking, as well as the effect on the city's aging infrastructure. While I understand the developer hired the Timmins group to perform a traffic assessment, I believe the conclusions that were reached are deeply flawed. Audeo Partners originally indicated there would be on-street parking within Bird Park, which is not a feasible solution, as parking there is unlawful after dark. Also, going from having a building with 130 non-driving residents to a building which will have an estimated 250 to 300 residents who drive will have a much more significant impact than the study paid for by the developer indicates. While there are currently 260 employees at the Virginia home, a considerable number of them take public transportation to work, are dropped off at work by someone else, or live in the neighborhood and walk to work, thus not currently adding to traffic congestion. I believe there is a better solution than the current proposal. As we have been told previously, the present configuration of the Virginia home includes hall bathrooms rather than one in each unit. with the developer significantly adding to the number of bathrooms in the building by putting them in each unit, what will be the impact on the city's antiquated infrastructure? This is an issue I have not heard addressed by the developer up to this point. I am in no way against the renovation of the Virginia home into apartments, but hope our city council members will do the right thing and vote for an extension to allow the neighborhood to engage in more detailed discussions with the developer so as to have a meaningful dialogue regarding our issues. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Seeing no other persons who come forward to speak in opposition to any item on the consent agenda, I will invite those present desirous of speaking in favor of items on the consent agenda.

Good evening, Madam President, members of council. My name is Preston Lloyd. I'm an attorney with William Smolin representing the applicant in connection with the 1101 Hampton Street and other associated properties SUP case that was just described by two public comments in opposition. A few matters of clarification. First, this case that was described has been in ongoing community conversations for over a year. resulting in at least 11 community meetings or community conversations and extensive one-on-one conversations with members of the applicant team going and speaking to members of the community. That's resulted in amendments to the SUP, the proposal that was ultimately recommended unanimously by the Planning Commission, and also was the result of a positive recommendation from the agency staff. We would commend your attention to the various findings made in that staff report because they substantiate the five charter criteria that are required to be made as a finding by City Council in approving the special use permit according to the charter, and those have in each case been decisively made. So for those reasons, we would respectfully request that this council approve the special use permit as proposed, as recommended by the Planning Commission, and thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. Next speaker.

Good evening, and thanks for the time. My name is Charlie Trokel. I'm a resident and homeowner on Powhatan Street. My wife and I walk past the Virginia home every day on our evening walk to Byrd Park. I'm in support of this development, and I've been in support of this development since it was first shared at a Randolph Neighborhood Association meeting nearly a year ago. Since then, the developers have been very engaged with the community. One recent change to the parking configuration of the apartments prompted a neighbor of mine who was previously opposed to go up and down the street and collect 18 signatures saying that we are now in favor. And I know that Councilwoman Lynch is not here tonight, but that's in her inbox. In nearly a year of meetings, most of the conversations about this development have been about things like parking. But neighborhoods are not made of things or of parking. They're made of people. When we talk about 131 apartments, we're talking about 131 individuals and families. people who don't have the opportunity to be here and advocate for themselves because the housing doesn't exist yet. It's 131 people and families who could walk their dogs, ride their bikes, play in Bird Park, more people working in community gardens, donating to blessing boxes, participating in community cleanups in Randolph. It's more neighbors. And folks are worried that there is not enough parking, not enough space in Randolph. My anecdotal data and what was found in the parking study says that this is not true. I think that Randolph does have space for new neighbors. Welcoming them in will only make our neighborhood and city stronger. This is particularly an exciting opportunity because adaptive reuse is extremely cool, getting all the benefits of new housing while keeping a historic building and reducing the environmental or demolition impacts. that sort of greenfield infill creates is awesome, and we shouldn't pass on that opportunity. We couldn't ask for better chances like this to address Richmond's housing crisis. Randolph, like every other neighborhood, should do its part, and I encourage you all to vote yes on this.

Thank you. Are there any others present desirous of speaking in favor of any of And if there are others, if you will line up as well, please.

Madam President, Dr. Panagiotis Yiannakouros, community economist and statistician with Virginia Progressives. I am a resident of Harrisonburg, here to speak in favor of Ordinance 2026-113. An ordinance like that would have saved my brush pile It would have allowed me to put up a sign instead of a dilapidated privacy fence and been able to share that ecological treasure with the vast majority of the people in my neighborhood and community who loved it. I say might because these ordinances have, tall grass and weed ordinances have a tendency to take on a life of their own. Dinwiddie County long ago when it was pioneering application of tall grass and weed ordinances to occupied properties talked about staff having an urge to give satisfaction to callers. We think the root solution would be to remove ordinances such as this completely, however, Our local and statewide members are grateful to the City of Richmond for its leadership in this amendment, which has a strong presumption in favor of the resident. And we look forward to taking the wind that you have put in our sails to the General Assembly. to adjust the appropriate enabling legislation so that not only people like myself can have these ecological treasures, but the hundreds and thousands of others who don't even consider that kind of harmony with nature and harmony with each other will also get the benefit in the same way again. Thank you so much.

Sir, may you please restate your name for the record?

Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Anayotis, P-A-N-A-Y-O-T-I-S. Yanakouros, G-I-A-N-N-A-K-O-U-R-O-S.

Thank you.

Thank you again, Madam President.

Thank you. Seeing no other speakers, desires of speaking in favor, the public hearing is now closed. Bring it back to council for discussion. Seeing none, Madam Clark, let's proceed to call the question.

Council is now voting on the consent agenda as presented. Mr. Breton? Aye. Ms. Gibson? Aye. Ms. Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Robertson?

Aye.

Ms. Trammell?

Aye.

Ms. Abu Bakr?

Aye.

Vice President Jordan?

Aye.

And President Newbill.

Aye.

Those papers have all been adopted.

Thank you, Madam and or Mr. Clark. Let's proceed to move into the motions for this evening.

First, for item number 11 on this evening's agenda, which is ordinance number 2026-178, which authorizes the special use of 1003 Baywood Court for the purpose of up to one single-family detached dwelling and one two-family detached dwelling under certain terms and conditions, has two competing proposed amendments. And because they conflict, only one may be accepted. The first amendment offered by Councillor Breton would modify the terms and conditions concerning the maintenance of existing sidewalks and street improvements and update references to the 2026 Code of the City of Richmond. The second proposed amendment recommended by the City Planning Commission would modify the terms and conditions to include the installation of a six foot wide sidewalk and update references to the 2026 Code of the City of Richmond. With that, is there a motion relative to the two competing amendments?

Thank you. I move that we accept my amendment and reject the Planning Commission's amendment and continue to the September 28th meeting.

Ms. Gibson, will you second that motion? Ms. Jones, will you second that? Second. Thank you. That motion is before you.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I would like to invite Mr. to come forward, please, to speak to this paper, if you will, by virtue of your review.

Thank you. Kevin Javonk, Planning Director. So to answer the question, Planning Commission, when they contemplated this special use permit, one of the discussion points that came up was about pedestrian infrastructure in that area and what would be needed moving forward. So thus they made a recommendation to amend this ordinance to add in, sidewalks according to i'll say current city policy which would require a six foot wide sidewalk after discussing this with the applicant to council member breton there is sidewalk currently on baywood court it's a very short street there's only a few homes on it it's served by a sidewalk that's less than six feet i'm not sure the exact width but in terms of Councilmember Breton's amendment to repair and maintain any sidewalk that would get broken, I believe, fills the spirit and intent of what Planning Commission was looking for in terms of maintaining that pedestrian infrastructure and would support Councilmember Breton's amendment as it feels carries the spirit of what Planning Commission was looking for in this case.

Thank you, Mr. Vaughn. Any question for Mr. Vaughn at this time? Ms. Alverbacher?

So just to be clear, what Councilmember Breton is suggesting basically is that there is a sidewalk there. Currently, it's just not six feet wide. And this special use permit, the applicant would still help build that sidewalk or maintain it, which is in line with the spirit of what the Planning Commission. I guess I'm just wondering why that wasn't reconciled earlier. I mean, maybe that's a question for Councilmember Breton. I don't know. But why those two competing amendments weren't reconciled prior to council?

I think in terms of what happened at the Planning Commission meeting, some discussion about pedestrian infrastructure and what would be expected in terms of the new applicant when they came in, putting in the new homes, making sure that they would provide pedestrian infrastructure. I'll say it was an offhand comment at the meeting. And they asked the applicant, hey, would you be willing to put in sidewalks in accordance with city policy? And the applicant at the meeting said yes, which I believe, without fully understanding, I'll say the difference between what exists there currently and what would be required under new city policy. And so I think in terms of the greater expense that would be incurred, it would also, I'll say, just geometrically be different in terms of having a narrow sidewalk. And then for this one property, you'd have a wider sidewalk. The discussion was had afterwards with Councilmember Breton in saying, look, there is sidewalk there now. I believe DPW policies state if you break the sidewalk, you need to fix it. But just to ensure that, hey, if anything would get damaged during the course of construction, that that sidewalk would be restored. So you would have that continuous path throughout Baywood Court as exists currently.

Does DPW policy say that if a current sidewalk is broken, that it's replaced with the new city regulation of sidewalk, or just what was there prior? Sure. Yeah, four feet to six.

Yeah, I'd probably defer to my colleagues in DPW that are here this evening. So if you wanted to bring somebody up, I think that we're here. They ran away. Earlier.

I believe Ms. is coming forward.

He's hiding in the back.

Good afternoon, Council. Bobby Vincent, Director of Public Works. My apologies, but I'm not familiar with this particular project. However, it has been our policy in the past to work with private developers and private property owners in terms of making any type of upgrades to the public right of way. and working with them to make certain that it's put back to the way that it was at the minimum. If they're doing more work than in terms of see if they're going to increase the amount of people that's living in the dwelling or on that property, we do work with, at that point in time, code and planning in order to make certain that it's wide enough for whatever future development goes there.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Did that answer you all's questions? OK. Thank you, Mr. Vance. Ms. Gibson? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Vance. Madam Clerk?

Council is now voting on the motion to accept the amendment offered by Councillor Breton as read and to reject the Planning Commission's proposed amendment and to continue this ordinance as amended to the September 28th Council meeting. Mr. Breton.

Aye.

Ms. Gibson? Yes. Ms. Jones? Aye. Ms. Robertson? Aye. Ms. Trammell? Aye. Ms. Adelbacher? Aye. Vice President Jordan? Aye. And President Newbill? Aye. That motion has been approved and that paper as amended will be before you again on September 28th. Thank you.

Thank you. Let's proceed with the next item.

Next before you is a motion to amend item number 19, ordinance number 2026-186, which authorizes the special use of 2310 Mimosa Street for the purpose of up to 22 single family attached dwellings and one single family detached dwelling upon certain terms and conditions. The proposed amendment would modify the width of the public right-of-way as shown on the plans and update references to the 2026 City Code. Councilmember Robertson, will you make the motion to amend this ordinance and to continue it to the September 28th Council meeting?

So moved, Madam Clerk.

Councilmember Trammell, will you second that motion?

Second.

Council is now voting on the motion to amend and continue ordinance number 2026-186 to September 28th as stated. Mr. Breton?

Aye.

Ms. Gibson?

Yes.

Ms. Jones? Aye. Ms. Robertson? Aye. Ms. Trammell? Aye. Ms. Abubakar? Aye. Vice President Jordan? Aye. And President Newbill? Aye. That motion was approved and that paper as amended will be before you again on Monday, September 28th.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next item.

the last item before you is a motion to amend item 26 resolution number 2026-R029 which requests the execution of a joint gilpin transformation working group mou between the city and rha to establish the intended roles of the parties as partners in the redevelopment of the gilpin court housing community and to request that similar mous be entered into with rha for future redevelopment of other city public housing communities The proposed amendment to this paper would modify the date by which the Joint Gilpin Transformation Working Group, MOU, may be executed. Councilmember Gibson, would you make the motion to amend this resolution and to continue it to the Tuesday, October 13th council meeting?

So moved.

And Councilmember Applebacher, will you second that?

Second.

Thank you. Council is now voting on the motion to amend and continue resolution number 2026-R029 to October 13th as stated. Mr. Breton?

Aye.

Ms. Gibson? Yes. Ms. Jones? Aye. Ms. Robertson? Aye. Ms. Trammell? Aye. Ms. Abubakar? Aye. Vice President Jordan? Aye. And President Newbill? Aye. That motion has been approved and that paper as amended will be before you again on Tuesday, October 13th.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's proceed to the approval of the minutes.

The minutes to be approved are from the July 13, 2026 legislative work session retreat at 12 PM and the July 27, 2026 informal and formal city council meetings at 4 PM and 6 PM. If there are no corrections or amendments, then the minutes will be approved as presented. Those minutes have been approved.

Thank you, Mr. Clark. Let's proceed to address tonight's list of papers for introduction.

Council members, new pieces of legislation, items numbered 5 through 53 on the list before you are hereby introduced as presented. A copy of the list is available for public inspection at the rear of the council chamber and an electronic copy and copies of the new legislation will be available on the city's website on Tuesday, September 15. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, we'll proceed to provide opportunity for members to share reports and announcements. And we'll start with Councilmember Auerbacher.

Thank you, Madam President. I wanted to congratulate 43rd Street Studios and Caritas on their successful and well-attended 43rd Street Arts Festival on Saturday. The rain did not stop crowds. I'd also like to thank Chief Edwards for being willing to help support the 4th District and all the people that attended by providing um traffic um traffic support since the two pedestrian pecans that um are usually used to cross forest hill avenue were not operational as of saturday and that was not due to anything on the city side um i also want to call attention to next saturday or this coming saturday um 11 to 4 is the fairy tale festival at west river hills library It will be full of family fun, books, and it is also in support of Library Month. And then lastly, this coming Tuesday, with my colleague, Councilmember Lynch, we'll be hosting the South Richmond Code Refresh Town Hall that will be held at the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church on Forest Hill Avenue from 6 to 7.30. Please register and bring your questions in advance. There will be food provided. That is it. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Knopperbach, Councilwoman Trammell.

Thank you, Madam President. Last Thursday, on September the 10th, we had our 8th District meeting. And I'd like to personally thank our CAO, Odie Donnell, who attended our meeting. And he gave us a lot of updates on things that are going to happen, not only in 8th District, but in the city. Hopefully soon, we will have the Southside Plaza, where the citizens can go there so they don't have to come here, because it is just so hard getting here. And they will be able to go there and be able to fill out the forms for their tax relief. A lot of citizens are calling me, asking me about the parking down here, what about doing wheelchairs, and all of that. And I just told them, just hold on, because they're not, the papers are not really, they have a few more months that they can still get their stuff in. So I want to thank him. I want to thank, let me see, we had a developer come there with Mark Baker, Kevin Carter. He talked about some single-family homes that he's building in the 8th District. And that's off of Walmsley behind Cottrell Road. And it's going to be 24 single-family homes. I know somebody asked a question, thought we couldn't build no more homes. Well, there are not no $100,000 houses anymore, because you can't build $100,000 houses anymore. Things cost too much. Lumber, paint, nails. roofing, all of that. And also, let's not forget about the employees that they have to have to come and build things, because they want to be paid, too. So I want to thank him for coming there to speak to us. Also, Chip Decker had somebody there to show us how to do CPR on if you're having a heart attack or stroke. So I really appreciate that. I just want to say that we have some great, great, great appointees that work for us. And a lot of times, they don't get the thank yous that they need. And we have five appointees that work for us. And one right here is Candace Reed, who does a great job in the city clerk's office. Another one is our assessor, Richard McKeithen, who always keeps us informed with different things. our auditor that I usually see here, but he's not here tonight. Let me see. Who's the other one?

There's another one.

Our city attorney, Laura Drewy, who we know does a hell of a good job. And I don't think that she's always given the thank yous that she needs. And I think that she tries to keep us out of the newspaper. We know that. She has to make sure that we fully understand, like with Code Refresh, that I really, really thank her for taking the stand that she took. And yeah, I did share the email. She had no knowledge of it, but I did share it with the Times Dispatch, Samuel Parker. And I'm not ashamed to say that. I'm very proud that I shared that, because there's a lot of things that we still do not fully understand with Code Refresh, and it should not be shoved down our throat. We were made to vote on the casino, not once, but twice. So why can't we have a referendum and vote on this? We should have the opportunity. And yeah, I'm carrying the petitions around. I'm proud to do that, too, in all the districts. When they call me, I go to them. They're voters. They sign them. And I just think, that's open government. Why not? Let the citizens choose. So again, Laura, I want to say thank you for all that you do and your whole staff. I mean, you've got, I mean, y'all work 24-7. I know I've called on the weekends for some things I did not fully understand, like tonight. She answers the phone, and she helps me out. I want to thank our police department, our fire department for all they do. And I have made, I know it's people emailing me, texting me. Yes, I have reached out to Keith Andes about why was our firefighters, why was the funding cut? And he's going to look into that. Hopefully the mayor will be able to have some answers to why our fire department, those firefighters were cut from some of the, it's supposed to be three or four on a, on a, Four, and there's only three. And I want to thank my colleague that stands up and helps me on public safety, because she knows, we all know, she says openly, I love those firefighters, and I know you love those police. We're all sisters and brothers, and we work together on that, along with my colleague Stephanie Lynch, who's not here tonight. So again, I want to say thank you. This right here is your free smoke alarm. If you call the firefighters or go to their fire station, they will come there and they will put up the smoke alarm for you for free. And it doesn't cost anything.

It's free.

And it does save lives. So if you have any questions, you can call my home at 804-233-7382. And you can call my cell, 804-240-5050. Again, my personal cell, 804-240-5050. Thank you, Madam President. Oh, and we had kickball yesterday. I didn't even know what that was, but I learned a lot yesterday. And thank you. Thank you, Nicole, for being there in our 8th district at the T.B. Smith Community Center. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Dremel. Councilwoman Gibson.

Thank you, Madam President. SO OUR NEXT DISTRICT MEETING WILL BE ACTUALLY THIS WEEK ON THURSDAY AT 6 P.M. AND ON THE TOPIC OF THE CODE REFRESH WE WILL BE JOINED BY MAYOR VULA AND PLANNING DIRECTOR VONK WHO WILL BE THERE TO TALK A BIT ABOUT DRAFT 3 ON THE CODE REFRESH AND TO ANSWER RESIDENTS' QUESTIONS. I do want to express that I also support allowing residents to have input on this if a resolution, a referendum were to go to voters. And our office has received many emails from folks who have expressed some concern that the Zoning Advisory Committee seems to be finished with their work. I WAS DISAPPOINTED GIVEN WE, YOU KNOW, I WAS IN SUPPORT OF A CITIZEN'S REFERENDUM OR CITIZEN'S COMMISSION TO BE LOOKING AT THE MASTER PLAN AND THE CODE REFRESH AND FRANKLY THE PUSHBACK ON THAT WAS THAT IT WOULD BE DUPLICATIVE OF THE ZONING ADVISORY COMMITTEE. SO TO LEARN THAT THE ZONING ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS NOT CONTINUING ITS WORK, IF THAT IS THE CASE, is concerning. I think that this will require substantial vetting, given the size and impact of this. And so I support a thorough review on the part of our legal team. And I'm also exploring ways of ensuring that we dot all our I's and cross all our T's, as the cliche goes. So I also wanted to highlight on Monday, September 24th at the Union Presbyterian at 6.30, I'll be attending a special meeting hosted by the Sherwood Park Civic Association regarding the proposed acquisition of the right-of-way at Robin Hood Road. This is the property, the triangle in front of the Waldorf School. The goal here is to hear from residents. I will be joined by members of city administration and I believe leadership at the Waldorf School to hear from residents and talk about that proposal. On Tuesday, September 22nd, the Edge Hill Chamberlain Civic Association will be hosting their quarterly civic association meeting. I will be there as well, also with members of the parking division, the planning department, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. WE ALL HAVE A BUSY WEEK NEXT WEEK IN THE THIRD DISTRICT. WE'VE RECEIVED LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK REGARDING THE VUU SUP PROJECTS. ONE THAT INVOLVES ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY WITH THE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL. the historic hospital and another which is on brook road this is an area that is where the fall line trail will be is proposed to be going so there's a lot of interest and um and plans in this area. So I think I appreciate the opportunity to give this the review that it warrants. So let's see. The Sherwood Park Civic Association is having their 100-year celebration this Saturday. That's September 19th from 2 to 5. The celebration will be held at the 1313 Westwood Avenue. So come and celebrate the historic neighborhood with neighbors and friends. Richmond Public Schools is having a series of community conversations regarding their facilities and their maintenance plan. The third district community conversation will take place on Thursday, October 1. 530 to 7 at Holton Elementary School. I have asked the school administration to publish what their proposal looks like so that when members of the community are at that meeting, they have something to respond to, some type of proposal that takes into account the professional assessment of the buildings and impact and all of those things and cost. I think that is important, particularly as we are, as a city, talking about the referendum for the sales tax. As always, please email our office. You can reach me at kenya.gibson at rva.gov and sarandon.elliot at rva.gov for questions, thoughts, and concerns.

Thank you, Council Member Gibson. Councilwoman Jones?

Thank you, Madam President. We are back in the ninth. We have been on break since June. So this is our first meeting and several events coming back to the district starting tomorrow with the ninth district facilities modernization meeting with Richmond Public Schools and our school board chair, Shavonda Fernandez. Location is River City Middle School. That is located on Hull Street and Elkhart Road. Saturday, September 19th, Summer on the South Side, our final concert. It was a four-part music series. And Saturday, it begins at 5.30 to 8. The band is Control the Room. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th, AND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th, WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST MURAL LOCATED ON THE SIDE OF HARBOR FREIGHT IN THE 9th DISTRICT WITH HAMILTON GLASS, STUDENTS FROM RIVER CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ARCA YOUTH PROGRAM FROM VIRGINIA COMMUNITY VOICE. SUPER EXCITED. IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE, PLEASE COME OUT AND SHOW THEM SOME LOVE. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, TOWN HALL TOPIC, AS EVERYONE ELSE IS TONIGHT, WILL BE CODE REFRESHED WITH PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT AND MAYOR DANNY AVULA AT THE SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY CENTER. THIS IS A DATE CHANGE. THIS IS A DATE CHANGE. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. and last but not least saturday celebrating hispanic heritage month we in partnership with radio poder the office of immigrant and refugee engagement will be hosting the virginia festival at southside community center again that is the all-day festival from nine to six with the closing band cadencia and that is going to be again on september 26th if you are available please join us as always you can reach my office at nicole.jonesrba.gov. And I know I introduced her at the OD meeting, but I want to give another shout out to my new and fabulous, amazing liaison, Ms. Katherine Brown. She can be reached at katherine.brown at rba.gov. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Jones. Councilwoman Robertson.

Thank you, Madam President. Good evening to everyone. I have a few announcements of events that will be taking place in the sixth district. On September the 19th, this Saturday, at Hoschka's Field, 701 East Brooklyn Park Boulevard, Fifth Street Baptist Church will be hosting their annual, this is the 20th annual We Care Festival, open to the entire community from 11 to 2. I want to encourage everyone to come out to that. On September the 26th, which is the following Saturday, Hall Street will be having its annual street festival where our community businesses come together and share information on what's happening with the business community and invite RESIDENTS TO ATTEND, THE DIFFERENT MERCHANTS THAT ARE LOCATED ON HALL STREET. THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 26TH ON HALL STREET BETWEEN COMMERCE AND COWARDIN AVENUE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, 686-208-7218 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THAT. Hoskins Field is also having an open house on September the 23rd from 10 o'clock to 1. This open house is to encourage residents and senior citizens of the neighborhood and the city to come out and look at the facilities that we have there and the different new programs that are being lined up at Hoskins Field. September 23rd from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Overby Shepherd, we are fortunate to have. They are celebrating their 50th year celebration of existing in the city and in the Highland Plough community. They will be having. event with the Better Housing Coalition in regards to recruitment for the new development that is taking place off of Highland Grove. We had an open house opportunity with Better Housing Coalition where Many of the teachers of Overby Shepherd were able to attend a home ownership opportunity and training session. This will continue, and we're extending invitations to families and parents of children at Overby Shepherd Elementary School. That will be on September the 17th. 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock. Also, as a part of the celebration, there will be more of just celebration on September the 30th by the school on the grounds from 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock PM on September the 30th. Again, you may contact the school for additional information, 804-329-2515. Also, the Harlem Park Civic Association is having their regular community meeting on September the 15th from 6.30 to 8 o'clock. I understand that there will be discussion on the rezoning. So I encourage residents to attend that, make your concerns and questions available through the Civic Association as well as contacting our office. The Belle Meade Civic Association will be meeting on September 17th from 6 o'clock to 7.30. They, too, are going to have discussion as it relates to code refresh, but also additional information regarding a lot of development that has taken place in the community and concerns as it relates to voting. Richmond Public Schools, as has been mentioned, is making their way throughout the city to share the new facility. And maintenance plan they have for Richmond Public Schools, they will be meeting at MLK on September the 29th. That meeting will be from 5.30 to 7 o'clock. It is a proposed 10-year plan. Appreciate Ms. Gibson requesting that that information be loaded up for residents to have an opportunity to review prior to the community meetings. Also, just want to remind everyone that we are closely approaching November. Our regular voting time, general election, and special elections will take place on November the 3rd. US Senate, US House, local office, and some general and special elections. Proposed Constitution amendments number one, two, and three will be on the ballot. Richmond's local sales tax referendum will also be on the ballot. Early voting begins on September the 18th through Saturday, October the 31st. The deadline to register and to apply for vote by mail is Friday, October the 23rd. For additional information on that, I encourage everyone to go to the state election website, which is www.election.virginiagov, and to also be prepared to cast your vote. For additional information, my number, my cell number is 804-314-7658. You may also connect with Kimberly, who is our sixth district liaison at 646-7964. And that email address is our name, followed by rva.gov. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Council Member Robertson. Vice President Jordan.

Thank you. The Second District Code Refresh Draft 3 community meeting will be held next Wednesday, September 23, from 5.30 to 7.30 PM at Dogwood Middle School. Join our office, as well as members of the Planning Department, Mayor Avula, and neighbors as we go through the third draft, answer questions, and hear your feedback. If you missed this meeting, you can watch the recording on our YouTube channel at Councilor Jordan. The RPS facilities modernization community meeting for the second district will be Thursday, September 24th at Dogwood Middle School from 530 to 7. An overview of that has already been provided, as well as early in person. I would just as strongly as I can possibly urge folks, vote early, vote in person. Do not rely on the mail. Make sure that your registration is up to date. We have important things on the ballot, and you do not want your voice to slip through the cracks. Neighborhood Resilient Grant Cohort 4, Office of Sustainability, is now accepting applications for those funds. It supports community-based projects that strengthen climate resilience in Richmond's frontline communities in alignment with our RVA Green 2050 Climate Equity Plan applications are being accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis starting September 30th, 2026. Funding awards are made as applications are approved until available funds are exhausted. So in other words, if you want the best chance for your project to be funded, get your project in right at the beginning. You can learn more at rbagreen2050.com forward slash org. Any questions with any city services that our office can assist you with, please call 804-646-6532. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Vice President Jordan. Council Member Breton.

Thank you. I want to thank the mayor's office and the planning department for joining us at our first district code refresh meeting at the end of August. It was a great conversation with a lot of great attendance and great conversations. I also want to thank all of the community members who came out to the school modernization plan. First district meeting we had at Thomas Jefferson last week as well, which was a very eye opening experience to learn about the great need across the city for school modernization all across the city. I want to make sure everybody knows that we now have a new safe connectivity point for pedestrians and cyclists in the West End to connecting the Mary Mumford Field crossing Cary Street now. So we now have one more place to safely traverse the city, whether you are on foot or on wheels. And so I want to thank the Department of Public Works for completing that project. And then I also want to make sure that anyone who is a member of the Westwood, historic Westwood community to join us on Wednesday this week for the first community meeting related to the Westwood neighborhood plan that is being run by the planning department at six o'clock at Mary Mumford. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Brett. Just a few announcements for the 7th District. Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 15th at 6 p.m., the Department of Housing and Community Development will be hosting a community meeting on the development of the former first precinct located at 2503 Q Street. That meeting, again, will start at 6 p.m., and it will be held at the VCU Health Hub, located at 1330 North 25th Street. My first code refresh meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 16th at 6 p.m. at the Powertown Community Center, located at 5051 North Hampton Street. The second Code Refresh meeting will be held on September 29th at the Henry L. Marsh Elementary School, located at 813 North 28th Street. Please come out to review and provide your feedback on the current iteration, third draft, if you will, of Code Refresh. Both meetings will start at 6 PM. There will be two sessions in the district to assist with senior real estate tax relief applications. The first will be on September 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Powhatan Recreation Center. And the address, again, there is 5051 North Hampton Street on September 18th, Friday. The third session to assist with senior real estate tax relief applications will be held on Thursday, September 24th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Market at 25th Street. That address is 1330 North 25th Street. The last item And one I'm hoping to see everyone come out and partake in will be one that we've done now every year for approximately eight years, the East End Festival. It's a family fun day, September 26 this year, September 26, Saturday from 11 to 7 at the Farmer's Market, which is a new location for us. The goal of the event is to raise funds to purchase musical instruments, art supplies, and materials for schools in the district. Over the period that we've been doing this, we've raised approximately $600,000. And we now have an extraordinary group of young people who are accessing and able to play instruments. We partner with the symphony. There will be other featured artists. as a part of the event. There will also be shuttle service, too, because this is a new location at 17th Street. There will be shuttle service from our schools and from some of our park locations. And so we can certainly provide that information if you will reach out to my office and city council liaison for our district, Mr. Samuel Patterson. And the number is 804-646-3012 or cell 804-241-7544. Or you can reach out to me. My cell is 804-543-7837. With that, members, the, I'm sorry, Council Member Trammell.

Madam President, I forgot to thank RJ for all his hard work, too. So I just want to. I just wanted to say thank you, because I know that sometimes myself can be very, very demanding when I tell my citizens that, hey, that's RJ. Talk to him. And then they're like, can we bring him back again? I said, yeah, he's coming back again to talk to us about your job as our chief of staff. So thank you for all that you do. And you also have a great team. And so does Sabrina. I mean, Sabrina. Oh, my goodness. I'm sorry. Candace, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. All of our appointees have great, great people. So thank you all.

Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Trammell, for making that. I don't think we say thank you enough. And we do have an extraordinary group of entities that are reportable to city council. You've named them already. We're doing a great job. So thank you. With that, members, the formal meeting of the Richmond City Council now stands adjourned.