Project leads for Richmond Rising told the Collaborative Stakeholder Committee that a $9.5 million award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, received in January as an award letter, has not been finalized and grantee onboarding has been repeatedly postponed. Beatriz Guerrero, the TCC project coordinator for the City of Richmond, said the federal welcome webinar for grantees had been postponed six times since January and that the city cannot wait for final federal agreement execution to proceed on work scheduled under the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant timeline.

“Award letter set $9,500,000,” Guerrero said, noting the city must finalize work plans by August 2025 and that federal agreement execution typically takes about six months. She and other staff said that, to avoid risking state TCC funding tied to timeline commitments, they will continue core project activities funded through TCC and seek to rescope the Neighborhood Complete Streets work rather than pause while waiting for the federal contract. Terrence Wu of Trust for Public Land, a project partner, confirmed design funding for parts of the Richmond Wellness Trail has been secured from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission but that construction funding gaps remain for that project.

Project staff said proposed rescoping would prioritize safety and areas with the largest community impact — specifically approaches to schools and portions of the Greenway where pedestrian and bicycle collisions are most common during school drop-off and pick-up times. Guerrero said the team will refocus community engagement and consultant work to craft a smaller, construction-ready package that fits available TCC funds and city budget allocations while the city pursues any remaining federal funds.

Committee members asked about the effects on schedule and safety reviews. Guerrero said internal technical reviews with police, fire and city engineering staff will continue and that the city will ask consultants for updated budgets and scopes to match the smaller footprint. Committee members were told the city will try to seek additional funds in the next fiscal cycle to cover elements that cannot be completed through TCC.

The committee asked for continued transparency as staff refine the rescope; staff said they will report back at future meetings and adjust community outreach to reflect the revised project area and timeline.