The first of four community meetings will take place tonight at 5pm at the Robinson Theater that will change the face of Churchill as we know it. These community meetings, called a Charrette, are intensive planning sessions which will condense meetings between the community, city planners, city officials, and community leaders which normally take months into one week. While I definitely agree with the principle of bringing all of these individuals together to plan the future of Churchill, one wonders how much effort the city has really put forth to make this an event truly open and accessible to all. Advertising the event as a Charrette is the first mistake. I have a Master's degree, and I don't know what the heck a Charrette is. If you want to reach the public you shouldn't use any language above a 8th or 10th grade level at the most. When you use fancy words when simple ones will do when advertising these events, it's off-putting and intimidating to the people you're trying to reach. That being said, I hope everyone reading this with an interest in Churchill, and even Richmond in general, will attend. Forward this to as many people as you know - let's make sure our voices get heard!
The main focus will be on the 25th Street/Nine Mile Road corridor in Churchill. This area has great potential, but is currently run-down, with many vacant houses and businesses. I myself am going to strongly push for mixed income apartments on this stretch, with the first floor available for retail space. Many businesses currently exist along this street, and I feel we could meaningfully add to what already exists to create a thriving "Main Street" in Churchill. The location of Churchill, being so close to Shockoe Bottom and MCV campus of VCU, lends itself well to mixed income housing. Many of the city's working poor currently call Churchill home, and rising middle class professionals are also starting to call it home. Rather than forcing lower income residents out of homes that their families may have lived in for generations, lets provide a place for all. The benefits to this arrangement are many, including:
- Decreased segregation in communities and schools
- Lower wage workers are able to live closer to where they are employed, which helps keep wages down while improving quality of living
- Higher income housing is able to offset the cost of building and maintaining the lower income units
- There are many government grants available to offset the cost of mixed-income communities
- Rent-to-own opportunities for lower income residents allow them a chance to better their life circumstances and get on the property ladder
- Higher income residents are able to make a secure investment in the community that will maintain the same property value as comparable housing that is not located in a mixed-income community
For more information on mixed-income housing, download this informative PDF.
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