Westover Hills bike lanes bring bridge access to burgeoning cycling network
A new set of bike lanes were very recently added to Westover Hills Boulevard from Dunston Avenue to Riverside Drive, and bring access to the Boulevard Bridge to what is the foundation of a decent area network of lanes stretching from Dorchester Road to Cowardin Avenue.
The Forest Hill Avenue Phase II Improvements planned for 2031 will connect the existing stretch of bike lanes on Forest Hill Avenue to the lanes that run from Powhite Parkway to Hathaway. Another nearby network of bike lanes at Jahnke, Hioaks, and Carnation Street will be connected to this one with the completion of the long-planned Jahnke Road project. The James River Branch Trail (planned for 2026) will connect the Westover Hills area southeast to Hopkins Road.
RELATED
- Speeding on Semmes Avenue: “People are going fast down this road because they can”
- Motorcyclist dead in Semmes Avenue crash
- Pedestrian killed Monday on Hull Street
POLITICS/ELECTION
- RISC Mayoral Candidates Forum is this Thursday
- 6th District City Council Candidate Willie Hilliard took questions on Reddit yesterday
- This year’s City Council and School Board candidates
SCHOOLS
School is now in session!
- Attendance program a winner at Boushall Middle School
- RPS making up ground lost to COVID --> SOL scores for South Richmond schools
- Classes are cancelled until next Tuesday at Cardinal Elementary after lightning sparked a fire on the roof Monday night
ITS GETTING HOT OUT THERE
Southside ReLeaf intern Maya Basnyat has a fascinating set of thermal photos showing the temperature difference between shaded and unshaded areas around South Richmond – some places as much as 50 degrees!
Works by Rama AlFarkh opens this Thursday at SCAG.
THE MAKING OF TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY RICHMOND
I’ve read 2 fascinating (and very different) books this year that get into Richmond politics and governance over the last 50 years or so: Chuck and Monte Richardson’s Cease Fire! Cease Fire!: Councilman Chuck, A Hero(in) Addiction (2021) and The Politics of Annexation: Oligarchic Power in a Southern City by John V. Moeser and Rutledge M. Dennis (1982).
Set for release in December, The Making of Twenty-First-Century Richmond
Politics, Policy, and Governance, 1988-2016 by Thad Williamson, Julian M. Hayter, and Amy L. Howard looks to be next up, connecting the dots through some of Richmond’s darkest days to just a few years ago. Put it on your list if this is your kind of thing.
HOUSING
A 96-unit senior living facility is being proposed for the 1800 block of Richmond Highway.
One of the things that has stood out in the 8 months that we’ve been publishing SRN is the sheer number of housing units in some way in the works for South Richmond. Since we started back in January, we’ve reported on just under 2,500 units (most of them targeted to be affordable) that are either working their way through the planning system or are already under construction.
This feels like a lot, but is only a small step towards the estimated 40,000 additional units of affordable housing stock that the Richmond needs.
BUSINESS
- Zorch Pizza Parlor is now officially open
- Baltik’s Bagels is coming to former Go Bird spot in September
- Philly Vegan has launched a gofundme to recoup some of the cost their meals tax battle with the city
- =PR= Run & Walk, the family-owned running and walking specialty store with 9 locations in Northern Virginia and 1 in Midlothian, will be opening up inside BOHO Quad on Forest Hill Avenue on September 1. The new boutique will carry athletic shoes and activewear for athletes of all levels. BOHO Quad offers one-on-one and small group personal training sessions, and massage and bodywork by Parker Loesch.
