On the agenda: major investments in infrastructure, sanctuary city protections, new meeting start time
At its March 11 meeting, the Richmond City Council will discuss several projects, including the McBryde Avenue Improvement Project, sanctuary city protections, and the allocation of nearly $7 million in unspent funds.
The council will accept $1.03 million in grant funding for upgrades along McBryde Avenue, award a $560,000 design contract, and consider extending a moratorium on new parklets. Other agenda items include a $35,000 Chevron grant for crisis response, a $200,000 increase in legal services, and a shift in council meeting start times.
The McBryde Avenue improvement project is moving forward
This consent calendar item from Public Works will accept and appropriate $1,028,000 in grant funding from the One Bay Area Grant 3 program to support the McBryde Avenue Improvement Project. The council will also award a $560,000 contract for engineering design services to BKF Engineers.
Soren Hemmila
The project, identified in Richmond’s Bicycle Master Plan, aims to enhance multimodal transportation and pedestrian safety along McBryde Avenue, a key route connecting neighborhoods to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. Planned improvements include protected bike lanes, buffered zones, high-visibility crosswalks, upgraded curb ramps, sidewalk extensions, realigned intersections, and a traffic circle to improve pedestrian access. New street trees will also be planted to enhance aesthetics and environmental benefits.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission awarded Richmond the grant in 2022, funding the project through 2026. The city has also allocated $260,000 from its General Capital Fund, bringing the total budget for the project to $1,288,000.
According to the contract's project schedule, the project's construction phase is expected to start in April 2026, with project compilation slated for November 2026.
Adopt Sanctuary City Ordinance
This item by the City Attorney’s Office is an ordinance to strengthen Richmond’s sanctuary city protections and limit the use of local resources for federal immigration enforcement. The proposed ordinance aims to align with state and federal law while safeguarding undocumented immigrants. However, the move carries a potential risk, with approximately $62.3 million in federal funding that could be jeopardized due to the current administration’s threats to withhold grants from cities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities.
Parklet moratorium extension
Another item from the City Attorney’s Office will establish a 10-month and 15-day moratorium on new parklets, expansion of existing parklets, or the extension of the term of existing parklets within city limits to allow for the city’s review and adoption of permanent zoning regulations for such uses to ensure public health, safety, and welfare.
Budget session: Spending $6.97 million in unspent funds
Richmond city officials are set to allocate $6.97 million in unspent funds from the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, with $1.4 million directed to the Homekey Project, a permanent supportive housing initiative converting a Motel 6 into 48 units for chronically unhoused individuals.
The remaining funds will support various capital projects, including Boorman Park remediation and revitalization ($650,000), the Booker T. Anderson Community Center ($2.7 million), and the Carlson Boulevard Crosstown Connection ($1.22 million). Amid economic uncertainty, city staff emphasize the need to use one-time funds for non-recurring expenses, aligning with best practices from the Government Finance Officers Association.
CITY COUNCIL CONSENT CALENDAR
All items placed on the consent calendar are considered routine and non-controversial. They will be enacted together with a motion and secondedTo comply with the Brown Act, the decision to change to this new time was included as an agenda item for the council meeting on February 25 without discussion.
New council meeting start time on agenda
This agenda item from the City Attorney’s Office will amend the City Council Rules and Procedures to formally change the start time of open session to 3:30 p.m. and regular session to 5 p.m. on a six-month trial basis and end all Richmond City Council meetings no later than 11 p.m. without the option of extending the meeting.
To comply with the Brown Act, the decision to change to this new time was included as an agenda item for the council meeting on February 25.
Soren Hemmila
Councilmembers discussed the reason for the change of starting meetings earlier so that more of the public would be present when the meeting begins 1.5 hours earlier.
City Attorney Dave Aleshire advised the council that it would need to implement the time change with a formal resolution.
According to the agenda report, the City Clerk posted the agenda on March 4 for the earlier times, relying on the direction given at the February 25 meeting.
“Ironically, as the March 4 meeting went late, the council used the existing procedure to prolong the meeting to 11:30 p.m.,” staff said. “It is the hope of the council that more of the people’s business gets conducted at an earlier time, thereby promoting public awareness and participation.”
$35K Chevron grant to boost mobile crisis response, street outreach
A grant from the Chevron Community Engagement Foundation provides $35,000 to the Office of Neighborhood Safety. The funding will enhance Street Outreach and Mobile Crisis Response services, supporting the recently established Community Crisis Response Program.
Soren Hemmila
The grant will be used for essential services such as groceries, emergency housing, transportation cards, clothing, hygiene items, and assistance in obtaining official identification documents. The program aims to provide a trauma-informed, community-centered crisis response through trusted responders.
Other items include a proposed $200,000 increase to the city’s legal services contract with Orbach Huff & Henderson, LLP, which would bring the total agreement to $770,000, extending representation in police and tort cases through June 2027.
The council will also consider allocating $1,500 for printed materials to support public outreach by the Human Rights and Human Relations Commission, as well as accepting a $97,500 National Park Service grant for interpretive signage at the Miraflores site before funds expire in April 2025.
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