RICHMOND — A handful of city projects are receiving an influx of funding from unspent dollars from the last budget cycle, pushing plans for park, housing, street and other infrastructure improvements closer to completion.
Nearly $7 million of one-time unspent dollars have been allocated to six different projects and initiatives in Richmond, following a vote by the city council on Tuesday. Of those funds, $2.2 million will go toward roof and gutter replacement, repainting and a courtyard renovation of the Booker T. Anderson Community Center.
Staff had initially requested the council allocate $2.7 million to the project, covering its entire funding gap, but $500,000 of that request was redirected instead to resolve chronic funding issues in the Parchester Village neighborhood.
“How do you get to a place where something like flooding a whole neighborhood happens for 50 years? You get there because no one takes this step to say it’s this important,” said Councilmember Doria Robinson, who pushed for the funding change. “I think that Parchester Village has waited long enough and I think we need to put our money where our mouth is.”
Public Works Director Daniel Chavarria warned staff capacity is limited and work on the project would likely not occur this year, but Robinson said the money is meant to signal the project is a priority for the city.
Another $1.4 million will be allocated toward the city’s efforts to convert a Motel 6 on 24th Street into a 48-unit permanent supportive housing site. The contribution is being made as a loan to the city’s Housing In-Lieu Fund and will be repaid as the site becomes operational.
The city has already contributed $4.9 million to the project.
Another $2 million worth of loans are still needed to cover future operating costs. The remaining portion of the project budget is being covered by the state through a $14.5 million Homekey grant, of which $12.1 million is for capital improvements and $2.4 million is for site operation. Contra Costa County also contributed $1 million toward capital costs.
A $1.22 million allocation was made to the Carlson Boulevard Crosstown Connection Project, which calls for traffic signal upgrades and safety enhancements along the road from Broadway to San Jose Avenue. Still in the planning phase, the project will result in new bicycle lanes, pedestrian ramps, bus shelters, asphalt paving, sidewalk repairs, signs and striping, and a streetlight study once complete.
Improvements to Boorman Park were also funded.
A total of $650,000 will go toward removing soil contamination from a park built on the site of a former tile manufacturing business in 1976 and abutting industrial uses and a trail line. The funding will also go toward paving a concrete pathway, installing mile marks along the path and building a chain-link fence as part of the initial work to revitalize the park with a skate park, sports facilities, play areas and community space.
Rounding out the near $7 million expenditure is a $1 million allocation to an immigrant relief fund approved during a previous council meeting. The money is meant to sponsor legal services, know-your-rights campaigns and municipal identification cards for vulnerable residents facing threats of deportation under the current federal administration.
