ECONOMY
A Richmond City Council committee advanced a measure Thursday that could create a $10.1 million pool of loan funding to aid economic development, create affordable housing and alleviate blight, among other projects…. timesdispatch.com
….The City Stadium, which sits in [councilor E. Martin Jewell]’s district, has left him excited, but also a bit disappointed that he was the last to know about the meeting…. wtvr.com timesdispatch.com
….Richmond’s Economic Development Authority….subsidizes the building’s costs — which amounted to $114,000 last fiscal year….the authority doesn’t track jobs that incubator tenants have created, or how long companies last after they leave. It doesn’t require that tenants meet business goals, or even move out after a set time….Some newer tenants aren’t fledgling businesses…. styleweekly.com
Richmond scores low in two recent reports by the Brookings Institution, which tracks the world’s metropolitan areas by collecting such data as economic growth, housing price fluctuations and household income. The low scores fly in the face of the cheerful propaganda about the region put out by economic development officials, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. styleweekly.com
Richmond making fixes to juvenile detention center
[Mayor Dwight C. Jones] officials say the city’s juvenile detention center will be repaired and its staff fully retrained by April to fix the problems that led the state to put the troubled facility on probation for the second time in three years….could lead to the center’s decertification by the state if not addressed….city would leave itself vulnerable to having the detention center closed….additional $400,000…. timesdispatch.com nbc12.com
.
Gas-line replacement crowding Capitol traffic
[Mayor Dwight C. Jones] gas-line replacement downtown is making it more difficult to navigate streets near the state Capitol at an awkward time — the early days of the General Assembly session….The road work temporarily eliminates downtown parking spaces, closes sidewalks and creates noise. It forces downtown visitors to navigate around road closures and cope with the traffic created from only one lane being open…. timesdispatch.com
.
Councilman: Social Services Director “Lied”
“I want to tell you unequivocally, I believe you stood up here and lied,” [Councilor Bruce W. Tyler] scolded a visibly shocked Doris Moseley, director of [Mayor Dwight C. Jones] Department of Social Services….[Councilor Chris A. Hilbert], apologized to Moseley for the “verbal assault.”….“We have disagreements … you’re going to have differing opinions, but we can address those in a civil matter,” Hilbert said to a gallery filled with nodding city workers…. styleweekly.com City Hall Review
.
The 10 Fastest-Growing (and Fastest-Declining) Cities in the World
Richmond and Sacramento are the only American cities in the bottom ten….”Government cuts and real estate over-investment from the better years are dragging down growth.”…. theatlantic.com wtvr.com
.
Anticipating the local 2012 elections [West of the Boulevard]
This year Richmonders will be voting at the local level for city council, school board, and mayor. Candidates have until summer to officially get on the ballot; here is a look at where we start off 2012… wotbn.net
.
Preview of the 2012 local elections [Fan of the Fan] fanofthefan.com
The center, located at 5th Street Baptist Church, 2800 Third Ave., where Rev. Dr. F. Todd Gray is senior pastor, is designed to assist unemployed workers find jobs.
According to Jamison Manion, Workforce Development Program Administrator, City of Richmond, “the center is part of the city’s back to work initiative and will provide a number of services to assist unemployed residents find jobs”.
via Examiner.com.
Richmond saw the largest one-year decline in retail jobs out the 100 largest metro areas, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Richmond: Worst metro area for retail jobs – Richmond Metro, VA Local News.
Lowering the residential review fees will be a step in the wrong direction.
Residential growth isn’t economic development – Richmond Metro, VA Local News. By Paul Grasewicz