Committee forwards six papers including a Safe Streets planning grant and Gillies Creek Greenway funding

At its meeting the Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee voted to forward multiple agenda items to counsel with recommendations to approve and continued one item to a later meeting.

Key outcomes

• Item 1 (Ordinance 2025‑278): Forwarded with recommendation to approve — a one-year lease (with option) between the city and Virginia Community Voice for 2015 Ruffin Road. Virginia Community Voice executive director Leah Whitehurst Gibson spoke in support of using the space for community programming.

• Item 2 (Ordinance 2025‑279): Forwarded with recommendation to approve — master agreement enabling use of Commonwealth transportation funds via the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). Diana Moore Clark (deputy director, DPW) described the master agreement as a standardizing framework for future project agreements and said master agreements commonly run on a ~3‑year period.

• Item 3 (Ordinance 2025‑280): Forwarded with recommendation to approve — execution of a grant agreement for a FY24 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant totaling about $1,250,000 (approximately $1,000,000 federal/80% and a $250,000 city match). Staff clarified these funds are for planning activities (post-crash action plan, pedestrian master plan, roadway safety assessments, speed management outreach, and a health‑and‑transportation assessment), not construction.

• Item 4 (Ordinance 2026‑002): Forwarded with recommendation to approve — a standard project administration agreement with VDOT providing $1,500,000 for Gillies Creek Greenway Phase 4 (0.45 miles of 10-foot shared asphalt path); staff said the award is 100% reimbursable with no city match.

• Item 5 (Resolution 2026‑R002): Forwarded with recommendation to approve — request to VDOT to amend the city's moving-lane-mile inventory, increasing the inventory by 1.23 moving lane miles and an estimated FY26 payment increase of $21,681 effective 07/01/2026.

• Item 6 (Ordinance 2025‑281): Forwarded with recommendation to approve — lease with Bakery RVA LLC to allow temporary overflow parking and rideshare drop‑off at 212 North 18th Street; staff said a deposit of $5,000 will be required and the arrangement is temporary.

• Item 7: The committee moved to continue Item 7 (Resolution 2026 R003) to the next committee meeting.

Vote notes: For each forwarded item the clerk conducted a voice/roll call vote; the transcript records members responding "Aye" and the clerk announcing each motion was approved. The transcript does not provide a complete numeric roll-call tally for every item in the record provided here.

Next steps: Each forwarded ordinance/resolution will go to counsel and the full council process for final action.