~ Drivers can expect intermittent travel lane, parking lane and sidewalk closures during construction ~

RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin paving on April 11 along Broad Street from 3rd Street to Staples Mill Road ahead of the streetscape construction project on Broad Street.  The Broad Street Gateway and Corridor Improvements Project is intended to enhance the overall character of Broad Street, complement the Pulse BRT project, and establish a unified design for one of the City’s primary gateway corridors. There will be intermittent travel lane, parking lane and sidewalk closures during construction. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be complete by the fall of 2023.

The project includes the following components (project work will overlap):

1. Paving:
   
   • Project timeframe: April 11 - Summer 2022
   • Area: Broad Street from 3rd Street to the city/county line just west of Staples Mill Road
   • Paving work will be completed in five (5) segments
   • Each segment will be done from the outside lanes to the inside, north side, then returning on the south side (on-street parking will not be available while paving is occurring)
   • Paving segments:
     
     • 3rd Street to Belvidere Street
     • Belvidere Street to Meadow Street/Hermitage Road
     • Meadow Street/Hermitage Road to Arthur Ashe Boulevard
     • Arthur Ashe Boulevard to Hamilton Street
     • Hamilton Street to the county line
   • Note: Paving will be a 24-hour operation, starting at 6 p.m. on Sundays and ending at 6 p.m. on Fridays and there will be some complete street closures.
   • Funding for this project was provided through the Central Virginia Transportation Authority

2. Streetscape:
   
   • Project timeframe: April 25 through Fall 2023
   • Area: Hamilton Street to Laurel Street
   • The project will replace sidewalks throughout the corridor and upgrade curb ramps to improve accessibility for pedestrians, individuals who use mobility devices, people with visual impairments etc. New trees will be planted to provide greenery and shade to pedestrians and street furniture such as benches, trash cans, and bike racks will be placed along Broad Street. Decorative light fixtures will be installed on existing poles to illuminate sidewalks for additional pedestrian safety at night. To improve traffic safety, curb bump-outs will be constructed to guide vehicles through existing lane shifts and prevent illegal parking. At locations where properties have multiple access points to a parking lot or property, select driveway entrances on Broad Street will be permanently closed to further improve traffic safety and reduce rear end crashes.
   • Funding for this project was provided through VDOT’s SMART SCALE program.

3. Pulse BRT Red Pavement:
   
   • Project timeframe: Construction expected May through August 2022
   • Area: Broad Street from I-195 to 1st Street
   • The Pulse BRT Red Pavement project will install red-colored pavement marking in the dedicated bus-only lanes from I-195 to 1st Street. The project is funded through a Department of Rail and Public Transit grant and is intended to improve driver and pedestrian awareness of the dedicated bus-only lanes, reduce unauthorized use of the bus-only lanes, and improve bus operations.
   • Funding for this project was provided through the DRPT Demonstration Project Assistance MERIT Grant Program

4. Richmond Signal System – Phase III:
   
   • Project timeframe: April through December 2022 with additional traffic signal upgrades in 2023
   • Area: Thompson Street to Staples Mill Road
   • Project details: installing conduit, junction boxes and fiber-optic lines to existing traffic signals
   • Note: work will primarily be in the sidewalks
     
     • Traffic signal upgrades coming in 2023 to the following areas:
       
       • the intersection of Broad and Westmoreland
       • the intersection of Broad and Commonwealth
   • Background: The department operates and maintains 480 traffic signalized intersections. Communications between the traffic signal central system and each traffic signal controller provide enhanced remote monitoring, optimized and efficient signal coordination, transit signal priority along the Pulse Corridor, special events management, and maintenance capabilities, which benefit the City and all roadway users. Since 2009, DPW has been diligently working to expand the signal system infrastructure and associated communications assets to integrate all signalized intersections in the City into a centralized traffic signal system. The Downtown area was completed in Phase I and South of the James River in Phase II.
   • Funding for this project was provided through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program from the Federal Highway Administration and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The project is also in partnership with the Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

5. Public Utility Waterline Replacement:
   
   • Timeframe: Construction expected in the spring of 2023
   • Area: Along Broad Street from 3rd Street to I-95
   • This project will be handled by the Department of Public Utilities

For more information and weekly updates, go to https://www.rva.gov/public-works/broad-street-project or email questions to AskPublicWorks@rva.gov.

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter @DPW_RichmondVA

###

The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 178 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1.

Beginning  Friday, April 1, the cash operations counter at the East District Initiative building will be closed until further notice

The change is due to short staffing. If you would like to explore the many quality job openings at the city’s Department of Finance, click here.

This does not impact the hours or services of other city agencies operating out of the East District Initiative building.

Customers of the Finance Department can make payments the following ways:

Pay in person: bring your bill and cash, check, money order or credit card to the following locations:

• Southside Initiative (Free Parking): 4100 Hull Street – Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• City Hall: 900 E. Broad Street, Room 102 – Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Pay by phone or online:

• Personal Property/Real Estate - You can pay your personal property or real estate online by visiting the Finance page on www.rva.gov or pay by phone by calling 1-866-890-5269. Follow the links to Finance and the Online Payment section. Electronic check/ACH transactions will incur a $.95; credit/debit card transaction fee is based on payment amount. Fees assessed by third party as outlined.
• Admission, Lodging and Meals (online only) - You can pay your ALM taxes online by visiting the Finance page on www.rva.gov.
• Department of Public Utilities – You can pay Department of Public Utilities bills online by visiting the Department of Public Utilities page on www.rva.gov or by pay by phone by calling 804-646-4646. Follow the links to Public Utilities and the Billing section.

Pay at drop box locations: bring your bill and check or money order to the following locations:

• City Hall: 24 Hours - 900 East Broad Street, on the 10^th Street side
• City Hall: 900 East Broad Street - Outside Room 102
• East District Initiative: 24 Hours - 701 North 25^th Street
• Southside Initiative: 4100 Hull Street

Pay by mail: make checks payable to City of Richmond and mail check or money order to the address on the stub of your bill.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have questions about how to make a payment at this time, please call RVA311 at 3-1-1 or 804-646-7000.

##

Join Capital One and the Office of Minority Business for the Capital One Diverse Supplier Mentoring Program’s “Special Restaurant Training Session.” The one-day virtual training is open to all restaurant owners and up-and-coming owners.

The session will be facilitated by Jason Alley, City of Richmond Policy Advisor for Restaurants and Small Business. The session will cover the following topics:

• General business requirements
• Importance of knowledge of the business you own, or plan to own
• Ongoing/continuous improvement plans
• Opening a food service business in the City of Richmond
• Determining the appropriate venture
• Business 101 for restaurants
• Overview of general trends in the industry

The training will take place on Monday, April 11, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The deadline for registration is Wednesday, April 6, 2022. To receive the meeting link, registration is required.

To register, you may click on the link below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a49a4ad23a3f85-restaurant1

If you have any questions, you may contact the Office of Minority Business Development at (804) 646-5947 or email us at gale.jones@rva.gov.

##

The City of Richmond is officially inviting 6 development teams to submit responses to Request for Additional Information (RFAI).

On February 15, 2022, the city received 15 submissions from development teams in response to the Diamond District Request for Interest (RFI) issued on December 28, 2021.

“The city is extremely pleased with the amount of interest in redeveloping this over 67-acre site,” said Deputy Director for Equitable Development Maritza Mercado Pechin. “Considering the area’s potential, this enthusiasm comes as no surprise. As we continue this careful and competitive process, we’re more optimistic than ever that the Diamond District will go far in supporting our growing city.”

The Diamond District Evaluation Panel reviewed the 15 submissions against the evaluation criteria listed in RFI. Based on the evaluation, six development teams have been invited to continue in the competitive process and respond to the RFAI (listed alphabetically):

• Diamond District Gateway Partners
• MAG Partners
• Richmond Community Development Partners
• RVA Diamond Partners
• Vision300 Partners, LLC
• Weller Development Company and LMXD

Based on its evaluation of RFAI responses, the Evaluation Panel will select development teams to respond to a Request for Offers.

The RFAI is a new intermediate step that the city has added to the Diamond District redevelopment process to facilitate the careful and competitive redevelopment of this strategic development opportunity. The city added the RFAI step to the process to collect more information for respondents prior to issuing a Request for Offers to the finalists. For the Request for Additional information (RFAI) document, please visit www.rva.gov/economic-development/diamond. Submissions are due on April 25, 2022 at 3 p.m.

The City anticipates the following evaluation process as outlined below. The City reserves the right to alter the process at any point to ensure the greatest benefit is derived for the City and its citizens.

• RFAI Submissions Due – RFAI submissions are due no later than 3:00 p.m. ET on April 25, 2022.
• RFAI Evaluation – The Evaluation Panel reviews the RFAI Responses.
• Announcement of the Finalists – The City anticipates narrowing down the RFAI Respondents to its finalists the week of May 9, 2022.
• Public Meeting –The City anticipates hosting a public meeting the week of May 24, 2022.
• Request for Offers (RFO) – The City anticipates issuing the RFO to the Finalists the week of May 24, 2022.
• RFO Submissions Due – The City anticipates that the RFO submissions will be due the week of June 6, 2022.
• RFO Evaluation, Negotiation and Selection – The City will negotiate with one or more of the finalists to derive the best and highest benefit to the City and its residents. The City anticipates announcing its preferred development team in June 2022.

About the Diamond District project

The Diamond District project is just one aspect of Richmond 300: A Plan for Growth, which has been awarded the 2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan for the American Planning Association. The plan provides a detailed roadmap to ensure “Richmond is a welcoming, inclusive, diverse, innovative, sustainable, and equitable city of thriving neighborhoods, ensuring a high quality of life for all.”

About the Diamond District Evaluation Panel

The Evaluation Panel is comprised of 10 members, including City Council members, city administrative staff, and VCU administrative staff.

Communication with the Panel: Members of the public can send comments/questions to the Diamond District Evaluation Panel by using this form. This form is publicly posted on the project page. Do not email the Evaluation Panel members, facilitator, or advisors about the Diamond District project, as emails sent directly to the Evaluation Panel about this project will not be read. Comments and questions will be reviewed every other week and distributed to the Evaluation Panel during the evaluation process.

Evaluation Panel Members

1. James P. Duval – Investment and Debt Portfolio Manager, Finance Department
2. Sharon L. Ebert – Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Planning and Economic Development
3. Karol Kain Gray – Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Virginia Commonwealth University
4. Katherine Jordan – Council Member, Second District
5. Ann-Frances Lambert – Council Member, Third District
6. J.E. Lincoln Saunders – Chief Administrative Officer
7. Leonard L. Sledge – Director, Department of Economic Development
8. Caprichia Smith Spellman – Interim Director, Office of Community Wealth Building
9. Robert C. Steidel – Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Operations
10. Stephen M. Willoughby – Director of Emergency Communications

Evaluation Panel Facilitator: Maritza Mercado Pechin, Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Development Review, is the Project Manager for the Diamond District redevelopment process and will run the evaluation panel meetings, coordinate logistics, and serve as the official point of contact between the evaluation panel and the respondents.

Evaluation Panel Advisors: These individuals will attend evaluation panel meetings and offer expertise as needed.

• Matthew A. Welch – Policy Advisor, Planning and Economic Development Portfolio
• Lynne S. Lancaster – Deputy Director, Department of Public Works

###

The City of Richmond has selected MGT, a public sector firm that specializes in disparity and availability studies, to perform a disparity study of the city’s programs for minority business enterprises (MBE).

The purpose of the study is to determine whether a significant gap exists between the number of MBEs that are qualified to perform and the number of MBEs engaged by the city or its prime contractors.

Director of the Department of Procurement Services Betty J. Burrell stated, “We embrace the opportunity to work with Office of Minority Business Development and MGT on this important disparity study. Our business model includes continual process improvements; therefore, at the conclusion of the study or as potential challenges are identified during the study process, we welcome recommendations for improvements that could be made to our procurement policies and procedures that would help remove barriers to success for minority firms.”

The study will be based on five years of historical data and will include statistical analysis, empirical evidence, and an assessment of any anecdotal and qualitative evidence of discrimination within the city’s procurement process. MGT will perform the study, and, if a disparity is found to exist, offer analysis on whether the use of only race neutral based measures would be effective or if other remedies should be considered to correct the inequity.

Input from the local community and stakeholders is highly encouraged. The first community meeting is scheduled on April 7, 2022 and details can be found at richmondvadisparitystudy.com.

MGT will gather qualitative input from businesses during the course of the study. Questions regarding the study should be directed to Vernetta Mitchell, vmitchell@mgtconsulting.com or (813) 321-1400  ext. 2131.

About MGT

MGT is a national public sector management and technology services firm that delivers diverse services and solutions to a wide range of state, local and education clients across the U.S. and abroad. Leveraging a 48-year track record and reputation, our industry subject matter experts’ partner with thousands of public agencies to provide trusted solutions that improve government performance and help communities thrive. 

It is the largest solutions providers of disparity studies and has conducted more unchallenged studies than any other consultant firm in the country. The team has executed more than 230 studies across the country and will aim to provide the city of Richmond with a comprehensive, effective, and legally supportable disparity study.

Visit us at www.mgtconsulting.com or find us on social media.