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TAC recommends Diamond District off‑cycle request with 80% regional interest support, 20% city match
Summary
The CBTA Technical Advisory Committee recommended forwarding Richmond’s Diamond District off‑cycle funding request to the Authority, proposing 80% from CBTA regional interest ($10,369,508) and 20% from the City ($2,592,377); the motion passed by roll call. The city agreed some combination of new dollars and limited swaps of out‑year regional funds would be considered.
Richmond’s request for off‑cycle funding to support the Diamond District advanced from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority Technical Advisory Committee on a procedural recommendation approved by roll call.
Chair Joe proposed that 80% of the project’s requested funds come from CBTA regional interest income and that the City of Richmond make up the remaining 20% from local sources. He also recommended the city forgo a wild‑card allocation in Round 5 as part of the arrangement. Staff later provided the dollar split during debate: $10,369,508 from regional interest income and $2,592,377 from a city source, figures the committee used in weighing its recommendation.
City representative Jerone told the TAC that options labeled a and b in the staff report were not available locally and that the administration was prepared to advance options c, d and e for finance committee consideration. Both city staff and TAC members discussed whether the requested regional funds would unbalance support for higher‑ranked highway projects in the round‑4 scoring.
Staff (Chet) told members the staff review validated the off‑cycle need, confirmed eligibility under the authority’s framework (including possible wildcard treatment), reviewed project scoring and noted the city had answered staff questions included in the packet. Chet framed the options staff identified in the packet as starting points for finance committee discussion rather than final commitments.
Several TAC members pressed Richmond to show local commitment. Chair Joe said he would like to see ‘‘some skin in the game’’ from the city and proposed the 80/20 split, explaining the city could draw its 20% from any legal source, including capital improvement funding if regional funds proved unavailable. City staff said the administration preferred a mix of new dollars and a smaller amount swapped from out‑year regional allocations rather than taking an entire existing project’s funds.
Sharon seconded the chair’s motion and the TAC took a roll call vote. Voting members responded in the affirmative and the motion passed. The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Authority for final consideration, and finance committee members will be briefed in advance of the Authority meeting.
The vote record on the roll call included affirmative votes from the jurisdictions represented: Town of Ashland (Miss Amos), Chesterfield County (Miss Walker), Guichlen County (Mister Longerbeam), Hanover County (Chair Vidunas), Henrico County (Miss Meidler), New Kent County (Miss Inman) and others present; the motion passed.
