Richmond’s Green Team, formed by Mayor Levar Stoney in January to identify and prioritize city-owned parcels of land that are candidates to become parks and green spaces in areas of the city in which access is poor, found that it tends to be poorest in communities of color south of the James River.

Following the recommendations of the Green Team, Mayor Stoney and 8th District Councilwoman Reva Trammell recently proposed the creation of five new public green spaces on city-owned parcels in Richmond’s southside comprising a total of 36 acres in order to improve access to green spaces for local residents.

Mayor Stoney, Councilwoman Trammell and Councilman Michael Jones (9th District) introduced an ordinance to designate the five subject city-owned parcels as public parks at the City Council meeting held on September 28 and will be considered by City Council’s Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee in October. If City Council passes the ordinance, five new parks will be designed using community input. The proposed parks are Broad Rock Creek Park, Ernest Road Park, Hioaks Park, Reedy Creek Wetland Park and Rosemont Road Park. The James River Association (JRA) contributed to the identification of these prospective parks as a member of the Green Team and is a champion of expanding public access to the James River and its tributaries through the creation of riverside parks.

Parks and green spaces promote community resiliency by reducing the urban heat island effect, sequestering carbon emissions, improving local air quality and absorbing stormwater that contributes to localized flooding and river pollution. Help advocate for an accessible James River enjoyed by resilient communities by joining the JRA Action Network at TheJamesRiver.org/What-You-Can-Do/Take-Action.