Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe kicked off the city of Richmond’s 2017 pet license program by purchasing a city pet license for her dogs, Guinness and Daisy.  The First Lady’s pets were the honorary recipients of tags number 1 and 2 for 2017. All cats and dogs living in the City of Richmond are required to be licensed and have a current Rabies vaccination. Further, this legally required form of identification is your best friend’s most valuable asset in getting home safely should they become lost. Each year, Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) receives over 3000 animals, yet the vast majority of them have no form of identification to assist RACC in reuniting pets to their families. Your pet can’t tell RACC where they live, so speak for them by purchasing a pet license today. City of Richmond residents are required to purchase a license for each pet that is owned. Attach the license tag to your pet’s collar. This simple step ensures that if someone finds your pet...

Throughout December and January the Department of Public Works will host Neighborhood Leaf Clean-up events from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in neighborhoods that traditionally have a high volume of leaves. All types of bags will be collected, not just biodegradable. The bags will be picked up rain or shine and must be ready for removal when City trucks arrive. As many as 50 bags per household will be removed during each Neighborhood Leaf Clean-Up. The dates and locations are: December 3:  Stony Point | Woodland Heights | Windsor Farms December 10:  Westover Hills | Forest Hill Terrace December 17:  Worthington Farms | Woodhaven January 7:  Bellevue | Laburnum Park  January 14:  Ginter Park | Washington Park Throughout the year the Department of Public Works will collect up to six bags of leaves per household during weekly solid waste collection.  During the Vacuum Leaf Collection Program, residents can dispose of up to 20 bags of leaves when their sub-...

Application documents can be downloaded from the City’s website at http://www.richmond.gov.com/EconomicCommunityDevelopment/index.aspx or http://www.richmondgov.com/Budget/index.aspx    Paper copies of the application documents can be obtained by calling 646-5633, visiting 1500 E. Main Street, Suite 400, or the Richmond City Main Library located at 101 E. Franklin Street.


The City of Richmond begins its annual vacuum leaf collection program on Monday, November 28.  There will be one cycle.  To better streamline the program’s operation, each vacuum collection zone has been divided into several sub-zones with their own collection dates.  The smaller, more defined areas will make it easier for crews to incrementally complete the larger zones. The collection schedule is as follows: Click here fore more information Residents are reminded when signs for vacuum collection are posted in the sub-zones to rake their leaves to the property line adjacent to the street, but not into the street or culvert.  Dirt, rocks and debris must be removed from the leaf piles in order for vacuum service to be completed. In addition to the new sub-zones, the Department of Public Works also is offering incentives to those who choose to bag their leaves.  On Saturday, November 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. DPW will hold an event to ...

La Ciudad de Richmond ha iniciado sus preparaciones para los años fiscales de 2017-18 y 2018-19 que incluye la asignación y distribución de Fondos Generales de la Ciudad (CFG, por sus siglas en inglés). Incluye también la planificación del presupuesto del año fiscal 2017-18 del programa Non-Departmental y el Plan Anual de Acción y distribución de: Fondos de Desarrollo Comunitario (CDBG, por sus siglas en inglés), el programa HOME Investment Partnership, Fondo de Soluciones de Emergencia (ESG, por sus siglas en inglés) y fondos para Oportunidad de Vivienda para personas con SIDA (HOPWA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los fondos federales son un derecho a subsidio distribuidos a la Ciudad por el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los Estados Unidos. Estos fondos son utilizados para el desarrollo de vecindarios y servicios de apoyo. Todas las aplicaciones para estos fondos deben ser de proyectos que tengan un impacto directo en los habitantes de la Ciudad de bajos y medianos ingr...

The City of Richmond is beginning preparation of the fiscal year 2017-18 and 2018-19 City General Funds (CGF) Non-Departmental budget and fiscal year 2017-18 Annual Action Plan for the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds.  The Federal funds are entitlement dollars allocated to the City through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for neighborhood development and supportive services.  All federal fund applications must be for projects that will have a direct impact on low and moderate income City residents will be considered, except for HOPWA funds for which the City administers funds for the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area. Application packages will be available by November 7, 2016 on the City’s website at http://www.yesrichmondva.com/neighborhood-revitalization/Federally-Funded-Programs. Applications ...

The City of Richmond reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in response to complaints filed against the City by  mobile home park residents.  The agreement addresses assertions that Richmond unfairly targeted Latino-occupied mobile home communities for maintenance code enforcement and that the City did not offer sufficient interpretation or translation services. You may view a copy of the agreement through the links below. Click here  to view the agreement in English. Click here to view the agreement in Spanish. City of Richmond's Fair Housing Policy: Click here to view the City's Fair Housing Policy in English. Click here to view the City's Fair Housing Policy in Spanish.

Chief Alfred Durham has named Captain Daniel Minton as the Richmond Police Department’s new liaison with the LGBTQ community in Richmond. “I am pleased Captain Minton has agreed to assume this additional duty,” said Chief Durham. “It’s a natural fit. As the commander of the Community and Youth Intervention Unit, he leads many of our outreach efforts.” Captain Minton replaces Captain Angela Greene as the RPD’s LGBTQ liaison. She recently left the Department to become a deputy chief with the Portsmouth, VA Police Department. “My goal is to build on the strong foundation that Captain Greene has established,” said Captain Minton. “I want to continue to enhance the relationship between RPD officers and members of the LGBTQ community.” Captain Minton is an 18 year veteran of the Richmond Police Department.  

WHO:  City of Richmond Department of Public Works
 
 WHAT:  Street/Lane Closure
 
WHEN:  Monday, July 25, 2016 to August 1, 2018  WHERE:  The following areas will be impacted: South Pine Street between West Main and West Cary streets Portion of parking lane on West Cary Street between Laure and Pine streets Parking lane on West Main between Laurel and Pine streets Parking lane on West Laurel between West Main and West Cary streets BACKGROUND: The aforementioned areas will be closed during construction of student housing at the VCU Monroe Campus.     

WHO:  City of Richmond Department of Public Works
 
 WHAT:  Street Closure
 
 WHEN:  Noon on Thursday, July 14, 2016 thru Monday, August 1, 2017 WHERE:  North Pine Street between West Broad and West Grace streets BACKGROUND:  The area will be closed until August 2017 during construction of the VCU Contemporary Arts Building. 

The Enrichmond Foundation is very pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract by the City of Richmond to manage, program, operate and maintain Richmond’s historic 17th Street Marketplace beginning July 1, 2016. This follows a robust, transparent and multi-year public procurement process administered by the City of Richmond. The Enrichmond Foundation has managed special events at the 17th Street Marketplace for the past 4 years. These very popular events include Earth Day, the Bacon Festival, and Kickin Chicken WingFest. “Enrichmond is more than capable, through its oversight, of guiding this public space to realize its full potential. We are thrilled about the partnership as well as the placemaking opportunities associated with the space,” said Douglas C. Dunlap, the City of Richmond’s Director of Economic and Community Development. “The future is bright for th...

Arbor Day: A holiday celebrating the tree. Why is there a special day dedicated to trees? The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. One large tree can provide a supply of oxygen for two people. For every five percent of tree cover added to a community, stormwater runoff is reduced by approximately two percent. Office workers with a view of trees report significantly less stress and more satisfaction.  Houses with mature trees or located on a tree-lined street have an average wholesale value of 10-15% higher than those that have no trees.  The very existence of hundreds of animals and insects species depend entirely on trees. For example, the common English Oak can support hundreds of different species, including 284 species of insect and 324 taxa of lichens living directly on one tree.
 This Arbor Day, Enrichmond is honored to announce the award of $20,000 from the Dominion Foundation for...

Motorists who frequent neighborhoods that have traffic calming circles will notice new signage that gives traffic in the circle the right-of-way over cars approaching the circle from side streets. Additional yield signs are being erected at each of the more than 40 calming circles in the city. The modification comes as a result of changes in the Code of Virginia that mandate the same treatment for roundabouts, traffic circles and rotaries, which the code collectively refers to as “circular intersections.” Once the changes are implemented over the next several months, all drivers will know to yield to the circulating traffic, whether in a roundabout or a traffic circle. The change will make the smaller circles, designed to reduce speed, operate in a similar fashion as the larger roundabouts, designed to replace traffic signals.  All drivers are encouraged to take extra caution at all circular intersections, as it generally takes two to four weeks to adjust to the new traffic patter...

On Monday, March 7, construction crews shut down the southbound center and median travel lanes on Belvidere Street at the intersection of Canal Street to begin the third and final phase of the Commonwealth Gateway Belvidere Streetscape Project. The $250,000 project, paid mostly through a federal enhancement fund, is designed to improve driver visibility at the intersection, reduce vehicle speed and improve safety for pedestrians crossing at the intersection. This last phase will include construction of brick crosswalks where Belvidere Street intersects with both Cumberland and Canal streets, pavement markings, new signals indicating when it is safe for pedestrians to cross and ADA approved wheelchair ramps. Work will be performed lane by lane, with each lane closed and then re-opened one at a time until the work is complete. The project is expected to be completed by mid-June. 

The City of Richmond Office of Minority Business Development presents Money Smart for Small Business 2016, a FDIC and SBA partnership and 13-module free business course. The curriculum provides training for new and aspiring entrepreneurs and those entrepreneurs who need a refresher on the basics of organizing and managing a business. Certificates of Completion will be given to students who complete all the classes in the curriculum. Classes start February 9 and will be held at the Center for Workforce Innovation 900 E. Marshall Street (Next door to Marshall Plaza –Social Services office) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 - 7 p.m. Make-up classes will be scheduled at a later date. For more information on classes and schedules, visit http://www.richmondgov.com/MinorityBusinessDevelopment/documents/2016-Spring_MoneySmartRegistrationLinks.pdf For questions, call 804-646-5947 or email Minority.Business.Development@richmondgov.com