Good morning, RVA: No more library fines, redistricting question marks, and the Black Restaurant Experience

Good morning, RVA! It’s 31 °F, and that’s cold! Temperatures should work their way up into the upper 40s today, and by Monday we should see highs in the 60s. Looks like a pretty nice weekend ahead of us.

Water cooler

Public parks are awesome, but public libraries are so freaking rad. They’re climate controlled spaces that anyone can use to learn, access the internet, take a break, use the bathroom, get connected with important services—not to mention, check out a book. In Richmond, we’re lucky to have an excellent library director in Scott Firestine—the only person to make me tear up during a departmental budget presentation. We’ve seen investment in our public libraries from Mayor Stoney and City Council over the last couple of years, and yesterday, that continued with the announcement that Richmond Public Library has ended overdue fines for all patrons. Firestine says “Our library has removed a punitive, inefficient and misguided practice that was a barrier blocking our most vulnerable users. This is a giant step forward to inform, enrich and empower.” Heck yes. This is such a heck yes, that I’m surprised it didn’t get announced in the Mayor’s budget presentation, which is scheduled for a week from today.

OK, redistricting reform, what is even happening with you? Mel Leonor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says the House and the Senate are at loggerheads 💸, each with their own plan on how to move forward: “The divisions have resulted in a staring contest that has allowed legislation tied to both alternatives to survive in each chamber.” Great sentence. Leonor also says that it’s gotten to the point where the Governor will consider creating his own alternative and then calling a special session to get the General Assembly to take action. Sounds like the House Privileges and Elections Committee, though, will consider the Senate version today—we should know more on Monday!

Oh snap, Mike Platania says “the Intermediate Terminal Building apparently isn’t in such bad shape after all, according to a structural assessment the city commissioned last month.” Remember, this is the pretty cool-looking/urban-decay building that Stone Brewing intended on using for its restaurant but, a couple years ago, said that the building was structurally unfit. The future restaurant, which, again, currently sits abandoned and decaying, is also, like, 75% of the reason there’s a Pulse station out front. But that’s another matter. The City will hand over the report to Stone and then maybe something cool will happen? Stay tuned I guess?

If I had a dollar for every time someone argued in bad faith against something at a public meeting by saying “It’s not that we don’t want XYZ, we just don’t want thisXYZ,” I would be an exceedingly rich man with many, many bicycles. This editorial about short-term rentals 💸 (aka Airbnbs) by the RTD’s Chris Gentilviso, has a perfect example: “‘It’s not that we don’t want regulation; we don’t want this regulation because it’s too restrictive,’ said one Airbnb operator who is a host at five properties.” Gentilviso follows it up with this excellent point, that made me pump my fist in the air: “It’s rare to operate an illegal business for years and not face punishment.” Right?? Anyway, City Council should deal with Richmond’s short-term rental ordinance on March 9th.

A redditor after my own heart asks “How would you like to see zoning change in your area?” There are, predictably, precious few responses (OK, literally just one), but /u/Supergirrl21 nails it with: “allow small multifamily units and ADUs by right in all residential zones” and “get rid of mandatory parking minimums.” The City’s master planning process, Richmond 300, deals with land use not zoning, but, after that process wraps up, we’ll have a good sense of what we want our city to look and feel like. Fingers crossed, it should include similarly progressive recommendations about duplexes, triplexes, ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units aka granny flats), and parking. Then we’ll need to update our zoning ordinance to match—that’s the political and legal process that’ll probably contentiously unfold over many, many years. Anyway, all of that to say, yeah, more housing and less parking.

The Richmond Black Restaurant Experience kicks off this weekend with Mobile Soul Sunday. Head down to Kanawha Plaza from 12:00–5:00 PM for food trucks, music, and a pop-up marketplace. Then, for the next entire week, eat a bunch of food from the participating Black-owned restaurants / Black chefs. It’s a great opportunity to check off some spots from your I’ve Been Meaning To Try list—especially if Ronnie’s is still on that list. You can find all of the participating restaurants here.

These pictures of the Richmond Kickers playing in the fog by Richard Hayes are great.

This morning’s patron longread

Victims of NIMBYism, Unite

Submitted by Patron Lisa. We need more of this in Richmond: “a cohesive coalition…of varied ages and ethnic backgrounds, people who support new development, and people with a passion for protecting the most vulnerable tenants.”

“There are some people that are part of the YIMBY movement that truly care about affordable housing,” she said. “I want to invite those people who are here who care about affordable housing and who care about displacement protection, who care about the people who live in the city of Boston who’ve been living and working and fighting to stay in their homes. I invite you to learn from those of us who are already working on the front lines. I invite you to not put forward housing proposals without talking to us. I invite you to follow our lead.” Whether anyone can forge a cohesive coalition out of the interests represented in that room—people of varied ages and ethnic backgrounds, people who support new development, and people with a passion for protecting the most vulnerable tenants—is not yet clear. But if the goal of building more housing is to make shelter more affordable and more plentiful, so that more people can enjoy the opportunities of thriving cities, then that’s the coalition that is needed.

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