TAC authorizes staff to advance eligibility scoring for Richmond’s $12.9M Diamond District off‑cycle funding request

The Central Virginia Transportation Authority Technical Advisory Committee on Nov. 23 authorized staff to check fund availability and perform eligibility scoring for the City of Richmond’s $12,900,000 Diamond District roadway improvement request, a City representative said.

"It's asking for $12,900,000 Again, which we outlined the specifics," said Dyrana Moore Clark of the City of Richmond, who described the package as a multimodal economic development initiative that includes roadway improvements, new roads to improve movement of people and buses, and a portion of Fall Line Trail right‑of‑way included in the request.

Staff described the off‑cycle process as a five‑step framework. Chet, CVTA staff, told the TAC the matter had been reviewed by TAC and the finance committee and that staff would now pursue the steps needed to validate eligibility, funding availability and scoring for the project.

The TAC set a schedule to expedite review: staff will circulate the materials the City submitted that afternoon; TAC members were asked to submit questions by noon on Friday, Dec. 14; the City will provide written responses by Dec. 25; staff will report findings to TAC on Dec. 8 and the finance committee on Dec. 10, with the full Authority scheduled to consider the request on Jan. 23.

Chair (unnamed) summarized the requested action: to "authorize staff to move forward with the step 4 eligibility scoring and ranking relative to Round 4, contingent upon this information being sent out this afternoon and for the information to be provided back in the December 8 package." Dyrana Moore Clark moved the motion; a TAC member seconded it and the motion passed on a voice vote.

TAC members raised procedural questions during debate, asking for additional time to review technical modeling and cost files and for clarity on whether the City's use of a "wild card" would affect its ability to use that option in the regular Round 5 application cycle. City representatives said they and staff viewed the wild card as a way to establish eligibility for the off‑cycle request but that the City had not fully conceded all consequences of foregoing a future wild card without additional discussion.

Staff also confirmed consultants are performing due diligence and cost validation for the Diamond District modeling and benefit scoring; those outputs will be included in the Dec. 8 TAC packet for review. The next procedural steps are the submission of TAC questions, the City's written responses, and the staff report to TAC on Dec. 8 that will include eligibility, score and rank relative to Round 4.