RNCC Meeting Minutes, February 8, 2016
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:01pm by Vice President Naomi Williams.
2. MSP approval of the Minutes from January 11, 2016.
3. Representatives from the following (16) neighborhoods introduced themselves and some gave reports: Castro Heights, Coronado, Fairmede/Hilltop, Hilltop District, Hilltop villages, Laurel Park, North & East, Panhandle Annex, Park Plaza, Parkview, Pullman, Richmond Annex, Richmond Heights, Richmore Village and Metro Square, Santa Fe, and Shields/Reid neighborhood councils.
4. City Department Heads/City Official Reports:
Public Works: Yader Bermudez – N/A
Engineering Services: Tawfic Halaby told us that the Senior Center is completed and they will start soon on the Richmond Auditorium to make it ADA compliant. Shields/Reid community center is complete and so is the traffic circle at Elm Playlot. They are starting a program that neighbors and neighborhoods can request curb ramps. The San Pablo Ave. 35% design has gone before the City of San Pablo as most of the work and the money will be in their city. There will be more Livable Corridors workshops and we received a pamphlet from the Mayor’s Office.
City Manager/Community Coordinator: Rochelle Monk told us about the City of Richmond Competitive Grant Program and that there will be funding available over the next 10 years. There is a workshop on Tuesday, February 16th from 10:00 to 11:30 am and Wednesday, February 24, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, both at the City Council Chambers.
Mayor’s office: Alex Knox updated resource guide from the Mayor’s Office. Mayor Butt will have a reception in his offices on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 from 4 to 6 to show off his NIAD picks for this year. The Mayor’s Branding and Marketing Initiative is still moving forward and could always use input from the citizens of Richmond. The Mayor would also like to get ideas from the public on what to do with Pt. Molate since it is now clean and ready to be built on.
Police Department: Captain Bisa French talked about the new Walk the Beat for all Richmond PD officers that interim Chief Brown has started. It is another way to move forward with the Community Policing started by Chief Magnus. Captrian French will be out walking 23rd Street on Thursday, February 11, 2016. She was asked about a restraining order violation and how the police respond. She said that if the person is still there when RPD arrives, they will be arrested. If they are not there when RPD arrives, they will issue an arrest warrant for the violator.
Code Enforcement: Tim Higares is putting together a PowerPoint presentation for the RNCC to show what they have done over the past year. Code Enforcement took over the neighborhood cleanup schedule last year and have done a very good job keeping it going. Tim explained that a house that is red tagged is uninhabitable and if people see people entering these houses, they need to call RPD.
Planning Department: Director Richard Mitchell is giving a presentation and has no report here.
Fire Department: Robin Pointdexter – N/A
WCCUSD: Marcus Walton – N/A
5. Announcements from RNCC PIO: Garland Ellis told us about the Richmond Promise workshops that will continue over the next few months. The Richmond Historic Preservation Awards are open for this year’s nominations, see Sandi Genser-Maack for applications and more information on the event.
6. Presentations:
1) Planning Director Richard Mitchell with an update of what has happened in the Planning Department over the last six months. As of February 2016, there are 1781 new residences and 1,050,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution capacity either under construction or going through the entitlement process. Terminal One is a 334-unit residential community and the mall is now up for sale. They are removing abandoned warehouses and will be building 208 mixed use live/work spaces. LifeLong Medical is building a medical facility at Harbor Way South and Bissell. There were questions about the size of the Senior units being built and the size is set by the State of California. There is a bid to have a 7/11 on the corner of Harbor Way South and Cutting Blvd. but there may be an issue if they wish to sell beer and wine. The long range land use plans include the Urban Greening Master Plan, the zoning update, Richmond Bay Specific Plan, and the Richmond Livable Corridors Form-Based Code. Nevin Ave. improvements are under way and are going to make it more accessible by bike or foot to go from BART to Civic Center. They are also working in the WETA Richmond Ferry Terminal to be completed by late 2017 so we can start our ferry service then.
7. Old Business: There was none.
8. New Business: There was none.
9. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by Vice President Naomi Williams at 8:46 pm.
Respectfully submitted by,
Jan Mignone
Recording Secretary