RICHMOND — Environmental justice projects in neighborhoods next to some of the city’s heaviest industrial areas have gotten an injection of financial support.
The state has awarded Richmond $35 million to plan and implement nine different community initiatives that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health, specifically in the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe and Coronado neighborhoods.
Richmond Rising — a collaboration of Trust for Public Land, Rich City Rides, GRID Alternatives, Urban Tilth and Groundwork Richmond nonprofits — will work with the city to provide residents more affordable options to walk, bike and get around town; renewable energy-powered homes; gray water systems; urban greening and cooling; and enhanced food security.
These projects are concentrated in a 3-square-mile section of Richmond, where 56% of the population is Latino and 19% is Black, according to grant application documents. Additionally, the area has an average median household income of $49,882.
Guillermo Rodriguez, California state director of the Trust for Public Land, said he is proud that this collaborative effort will help make Richmond a healthier place to live.
“We know the importance of having safe ways to access parks and nature, and the Richmond Wellness Trail will provide this critical access for nearly 18,000 residents, while focusing on improving park equity and community health in historically underinvested Richmond,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “This project and the Richmond Wellness Trail represent the best of what can happen when community-based nonprofits work together.”
The list of newly funded projects is estimated to slash up to 18,700 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in Richmond.
A Neighborhood Complete Streets plan will close gaps in access to walking and bicycling connections between transit, cultural, commercial and recreational destinations — including the safe pedestrian and bike “Yellow Brick Road” route along Eighth Street and a 2-mile “Wellness Trail” linking the Richmond BART station with the marina and ferry terminal.
“Bosque del Barrio” is a project proposed by Pogo Park, a local organization that beautifies otherwise neglected city parks, to plant 1,000 trees and install thousands of square feet of plants that filter stormwater along walkable corridors.
An “Orchard for All!” project will expand Richmond’s annual fruit tree giveaway. In addition to handing out up to 400 trees to residents each year, the program will train youth to help households properly plant and care for their seedlings, as well as redistribute excess fruit to families in need.
Richmond’s current bike-sharing resources will be expanded with an E-Bike Lending Library, featuring a new long-term sharing program, while the “Resilient Homes for Healthy Communities” project will help install solar panels, EV chargers and electrified appliances to roughly 250 residences.
Arthur Bart-Williams, executive director of GRID Alternatives, a renewable energy nonprofit, said the $35 million grant is a “game changer” for an “area that’s been so ignored and discriminated against.”
Richmond’s grant is part of a larger $96.2 million that the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program awarded to 10 disadvantaged, unincorporated and tribal communities across California. Since 2016, the TCC has awarded $230 million to plan and implement projects in 26 communities.
Gov. Gavin Newsom touts that this latest round of funding will help reduce 64,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions — equivalent to taking 14,000 cars off the road for one year.
“California is empowering communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis to tackle pollution and build resilience in their own neighborhoods,” Newsom said in a statement. “This innovative support for community-led projects across the state will bring environmental, health and economic benefits to Californians for decades to come.”
