REMINDER
Please do not respond directly to this email, as the email address is not monitored. If you wish to reply, please email me at my City government email address.
|
|
|
|
June is jam-packed with amazing things to do in the City!
|
|
Unveiling a New Historic Marker: John Washington
|
|
|
Mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 21st at 2:00 PM for the unveiling of a new historic highway marker commemorating the “Great Exodus from Bondage” and honoring John Washington, sponsored by the City of Fredericksburg and the UMW James Farmer Multicultural Center. The public is invited to this historically and culturally significant ceremony at the Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 810 Princess Anne Street, followed by the marker’s unveiling on Princess Anne Street. More information can be found here.
For more on John Washington and his remarkable journey to freedom, check out my May 2022 Front Porch article here.
|
|
June 17th: Planning District 16 Juneteenth Celebration
|
|
|
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the country. This year, on Saturday, June 17th from 1:00 – 7:30 PM, the Planning District 16 Juneteenth Celebration Planning District Committee is hosting an amazing celebration for Juneteenth at the Virginia Credit Union Stadium, with live music, a career fair, fireworks, local artists, local vendors, education, fun for kids, health screening, voter registration and more! There’s so much happening, you should go here to learn all there is to know, and definitely plan to celebrate Juneteenth with your friends and neighbors.
|
|
June 18th: Celebrate Juneteenth with Eriq La Salle
|
|
The afternoon of Sunday, June 18th will be an unforgettable afternoon of celebrating Juneteenth with Eriq La Salle, a renowned author, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. This intimate conversation – “Juneteenth with Eriq La Salle: Thoughts on Reinvention, Resilience and the Black Experience'' – will feature Eriq’s insights, experiences, and wisdom, all against the backdrop of celebrating Juneteenth. We are so fortunate to have Eriq here for Juneteeth this year!
- When: Sunday, June 18th at 1:30 PM
- Where: Seacobeck Hall on the University of Mary Washington campus
- Tickets: $15.00 each (plus $1 processing fee). Purchase them here.
More information here.
|
|
June 19th: Fredericksburg’s History and Legacy of Slavery: A Juneteenth Conversation
|
|
|
From 6:00 to 7:00 PM at the Fredericksburg Food Co-op (320 Emancipation Highway), Dr. Gaila Sims, Curator of African American History and Special Projects at the Fredericksburg Area Museum, will host a conversation about enslavement and emancipation in the Fredericksburg region. Dr. Sims will be joined by the renowned Sonny Holmes and Ms. Alexa McNeil in what promises to be a fascinating conversation.
|
|
|
Definitely clear your calendar for this incredible event. The March begins at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 24th. The MY CITY LOVES ME! theme of the day encapsulates the welcoming nature of our City. The march route will lead directly into FXBG PRIDE at Old Mill Park, where the celebrations will continue. There are lots of sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. Click here to learn more. Details are emerging, so check back on the website as June 24th grows closer. And take a look at all the wonderful sponsors of FXBG Pride this year on the Facebook Page! Don’t forget to get your tee shirts and other gear for the event at the FXBG Pride online store.
|
|
Tomorrow's City Council Meetings
|
|
|
|
You can attend the City Council meetings in person. You can also watch the Regular City Council meeting online, or on Cox Channel 84 and Verizon Channel 42.
|
|
Work Session: 5:00 PM, City Council Chambers, City Hall
(note time change)
We will continue our interviews of applicants for the Economic Development Authority, receive a brief update on the Comprehensive Plan and have a discussion about Accessory Dwelling Units. The agenda is here.
|
|
Regular Session: 7:30 PM, City Council Chambers, City Hall
The agenda for the Regular Session is here. Among other things, we will:
- hear a proclamation naming June as “Immigrant Heritage Month”
- hear a proclamation honoring Fredericksburg Police Captain Michael P. Presutto
- receive a General Assembly Wrap-Up by Eldon James and Laura Bateman (see below)
- vote on a resolution (second reading) to amend the Covid-19 Relief Fund of the FY 2023 Budget to appropriate a $578,000 grant under the American Rescue Plan for law enforcement efforts to reduce violent crime and gun violence (this item is on the Consent Agenda)
- vote on a resolution (second reading) amending the FY 2023 Budget to appropriate $500,000 to support Opportunity Fund economic development projects including the five-year performance agreement with the EDA and the owner of the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center (this item is on the Consent Agenda)
- vote on a resolution (second reading) that commits $2M of General Fund Unassigned Fund Balance to Homeless initiatives, and amends the FY 2023 budget in the Covid-19 Relief Fund and various Capital Funds (this item is on the Consent Agenda)
- discuss Pedestrian Safety in Ward 4
- vote on a resolution (one reading) creating a Working Group tasked with making a formal recommendation on the Renwick Complex comprised of the Renwick Courthouse, Wallace Library, and Jail, and appointing members to the Working Group
- vote on a resolution (first reading) to amend City Code Section 2-387(A) “Small Purchases” to better synchronize with the Virginia Public Procurement Act
|
|
About Public Comments
Citizens who wish to participate in the public hearing or public comment period during a Regular City Council meeting (not a Work Session) will be able to speak in person or send their comments in writing. Please click here for public comment guidelines.
|
|
- Economic Development Authority (EDA) Meeting: Monday, June 12th at 8:30 AM at the Executive Plaza, Third Floor (601 Caroline Street). You can find the agenda here.
- Architectural Review Board (ARB) Meeting: Monday June 12th at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. You can find the agenda here.
- Planning Commission Meeting: Wednesday, June 14th at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. When available, you can find the agenda here.
- School Board Meeting: Monday, July 10th at 6:30 PM (closed session) and 7:30 PM (open session) in the School Board Chambers at the Walker-Grant Center, 210 Ferdinand Street. When available you can find the agenda here.
- After tomorrow, the next regular City Council meeting is on Tuesday, June 27th at 5:30 PM (Work Session) and 7:30 PM (Regular Meeting). When available, you can access the agendas here.
|
|
Strategic Plan for Economic Development
|
|
|
As I have said many times, as our City’s population grows, we must find and maximize new sources of revenue for the City. This will help us continue to be fiscally sound and reduce our reliance on real estate taxes. More revenue from business development and tourism is critical to the City’s future.
Updated every six years, the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan is a roadmap for City government’s efforts to help strengthen our local economy. It’s guided in large part by the City Council’s 2036 Vision Statement, along with a professional survey of business stakeholders and an economic overview that identified trends which shape the national, state, regional and local economies.
The Economic Development Strategic Plan outlines many of the City’s recent economic and placemaking accomplishments that will help generate additional sources of City revenue. They’re much too numerous to list them all here, so just a sampling:
- Negotiating to attract the FredNats Minor League Baseball team and supporting construction of the Virginia Credit Union Stadium
- Negotiating an infrastructure improvement agreement for the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center
- New downtown commercial development, including restaurants, office space and a boutique hotel at the site of the old Free Lance-Star building
- Expanding the City’s trails and parks network, including building Riverfront Park and securing Federal grant money for its restrooms and a covered stage
- Establishing the Creative Maker District and helping to recruit several new businesses to locate there
- Developing a new tourism program including new marketing efforts and a new orientation video
- Working to relocate the Visitor Center to the Executive Office Building
- Helping develop and roll-out the new FXBG Brand
- Telling a more complete story of our history, establishing the City as a more welcoming place for everyone
- Helping navigate the challenges of civil unrest and assisting businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic
- Prudent fiscal management decisions by City Staff have helped the City retain an enviable AA+ bond rating
Going forward, the strategic plan includes ten goals, and each has its own action items:
- Recruit new businesses to the City
- Develop pro-business policies
- Enhance the City’s tourism operation, with a focus on sports tourism
- Enhance public infrastructure that will drive tourism and business growth
- Redevelop areas of City consistent with Small Area Plans
- Maximize the potential of the City’s few remaining greenfield sites
- Help create a competitive workforce
- Enhance the City’s marketing strategy
- Help develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Analyze City-owned real estate
I am impressed with the work coming out of the City’s Economic Development & Tourism department, as well as the City Manager’s office and the Economic Development Authority. While nothing is perfect, I think we are on a very good path toward realizing an even more vibrant, healthy economy, continuing to make Fredericksburg the envy of other small cities across the United States. No one else has what we have.
I hope you’ll take some time to read the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan, and I welcome any and all input you might have.
|
|
General Assembly Legislative Update
|
|
|
The 2023 General Assembly finished its work this Spring, and here is a very brief overview of just a few pieces of legislation that passed into law (click the links for much more information):
Bicycle Safety (SB 1293): Authorizes Fredericksburg to adopt an ordinance authorizing a bicyclist to treat a stop light as a stop sign and a stop sign as a yield right-of-way sign, provided that certain safety measures are observed.
Urban Green Space (HB 1510): Authorizes Fredericksburg to establish programs to provide regulatory flexibility to encourage the preservation, restoration, or development of urban green space, defined in the bill. The regulatory flexibility may include (i) a reduction in permit fees or (ii) a streamlined process for the approval of permits.
Housing Reports (HB 2046/SB 839): Requires Fredericksburg to submit annual reports summarizing any local housing policies, ordinances, or processes affecting the development and construction of housing during the preceding fiscal year to the VA Dept. of Housing and Community Development by September 1st for publication on the Department’s website.
Accessible Housing (HB 1805/SB 1401): Adds community development projects related to the production and preservation of housing, including housing for persons and families of low and moderate income, to those projects that the Virginia Resources Authority may finance.
Residential Land Development and Construction Reports (HB 1671): Requires Fredericksburg to report annually to the VA Dept. of Housing and Community Development. The report must contain the total fee revenue collected by the locality over the preceding calendar year in connection with the processing, reviewing, and permitting of applications for residential land development and construction activities. The reports shall be available to the public.
Willful Disregard of Local Zoning Ordinances (SB 1495): Authorizes courts to award compensatory damages, attorney’s fees and court costs in enforcement actions against persons who willfully disregard a zoning ordinance.
Public Meeting Notice Requirements (HB 2161): Standardizes the frequency and length of time that notices of certain meetings, hearings, and other intended actions of localities must be published in newspapers and other print media.
Moratorium on Annexation (HB 1676/SB 1185): Extends by eight years, from 2024 to 2032, the current moratorium on city annexations.
Business Improvement District (SB 956): Authorizes Fredericksburg to create a local business improvement and recruitment district plan, consisting of fees charged to businesses and used to fund business improvements, business promotions, and business recruitment activities.
This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of all the legislative activities that impact the City of Fredericksburg. If you wish to learn more about all the legislation affecting the City, please watch the presentation by Eldon James and Laura Bateman at the Regular City Council Meeting tomorrow night.
|
|
|
|
image Emilia Weinrobe
|
|
At the last City Council meeting during our discussion of ADUs, I suggested that as our City’s population grows, one of the greatest threats to the character of our older neighborhoods outside of the Historic District may come from gentrification.
There are many definitions of gentrification. Here is one example: “Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses.”
I saw it happen when I lived in the Denver area. There, steadily rising land values and strong demand for high-end housing created profit opportunities for developers to buy up older single-family homes, demolish them, and build million-dollar homes in their place. These construction sites are called “scrape-offs” because the older, charming homes that collectively defined the character of working-class neighborhoods for generations were bulldozed to the ground.
Typically, gentrification can wreak havoc on neighborhood character and community identity:
- As property values rise, so does the cost of living: higher property taxes, higher rents, and higher market rates for home buyers.
- Low-income and moderate-income residents who have been an active part of the community for generations are often displaced, forced by economics to move out of their homes.
- Gentrification changes the demographic composition of a neighborhood and the community at large, making it more homogeneous and exclusionary, and therefore less diverse, altering the locality’s sense of place and its community identity.
There is no silver bullet for dealing with gentrification. Experts in urban planning widely agree that gentrification is best approached as a balance of equities, acknowledging the needs of current residents and new residents. Where possible, policies that respect those equities should be implemented. These might include a variety of initiatives and incentives that help stabilize housing costs for working-class households, add more affordable housing stock, and pursue inclusive zoning practices that encourage multi-generational working families to remain in place.
I sincerely believe that gentrification is one of the greatest threats to the wonderful character of Fredericksburg’s neighborhoods, and I urge my colleagues and officials to undertake a comprehensive approach that identifies and implements appropriate measures to deal with gentrification … before it’s too late. It broke my heart to see it happen to some of the most eclectic and interesting neighborhoods in Denver. I don't want to see it happen here.
|
|
On Monday evenings, starting tonight at 6:30 PM and going through most of the Summer, “Music on the Steps” returns for its 38th Season on the steps of the Fredericksburg Branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library at 1201 Caroline Street. Live Concerts by amazing musicians – free of charge – are the perfect anecdote to Mondays. Bring a chair and enjoy!
June 12th – Spanglish Latin American Band
June 26th – Laurie Rose Griffith and Peter Mealy
July 3rd - Cabin Creek
July 10th – Frank Solivan and Jillian Lea
July 17th – The Nethers Hot Club
July 24th – The Don Brown Project
July 31st – The Steven Gellman Trio
August 7th – The Wellbillies
August 14th – Elby Brass
August 21st – Harry Wilson
August 28th – B.E. Farrow and What Got Over
Click here for more information.
|
|
|
Downtown Fredericksburg has a cool new thing to break up the week. Every Wednesday evening, you can stroll through downtown and engage in some, shall we say, “retail therapy” in shops that are open a little later for you, and indulge in savories, sweets, and libations in any of the great participating restaurants. Deals and specials abound for Wednesdays After Hours – check it all out here.
|
|
The Around The Town Trolley is Back
|
|
|
“Around the Town” free trolley service is back every Friday and Saturday from 5:00 – 8:30 PM during the Summer (June 3rd through September 2nd), provided by Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg.
The trolley makes 20-minute loop of downtown and stops at six locations (conveniently located near parking lots and garages – see the Downtown Parking Map):
Please note that on the first Friday of each month, additional stops are added to stop at art galleries. See the First Friday Trolley Shuttle map for the locations of additional stops. Thanks to the Fredericksburg Arts Commission for providing the shuttle.
|
|
|
Speaking of free transportation on Fridays, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) announced that it will be fare-free on Fridays this summer from June 2nd to September 1st. See VRE’s press release here. Additional information is available here.
|
|
The Little City That Votes
|
|
|
|
Early voting for the June 2023 Democratic and Republican Primaries began on May 5th. This is the last week when today through Friday, June 16th, from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM, you can cast your vote in person at the Registrar's Office, 601 Caroline Street, Suite 500. In-person Saturday voting will take place this Saturday, June 17th from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (the last day to vote early, in-person). Go here for complete information.
|
|
Democrats will choose between two candidates to run in the November election for the General Assembly State Senate District 27 (Ben Litchfield and Joel Griffin)
Republicans will choose between two candidates to run in the November election for the General Assembly State Senate District 27 (Tara Durant and Matt Strickland) and House District 65 (Michael Kasey and Lee Peters, III).
You can see the sample ballots here.
Want to know where you vote? Are you registered? Check online here.
|
|
|
For much more information about what's happening in Fredericksburg City Public Schools, please click here.
|
|
|
The FCPS Mobile Café is providing food for the summer from June 12th through July 21st. Click here to see routes, times, and other important details, or you can email or call 540-372-1130, ext. 2397.
|
|
2023 Marguerite B. Young Awards
|
|
|
|
At the June 5th FCPS School Board meeting, three FCPS employees were recognized as the recipients of the 2023 Marguerite B. Young Excellence in Education Awards sponsored by the Fredericksburg Branch NAACP. Nominations are received from FCPS colleagues. One teacher, paraprofessional, and support staff member are selected annually to receive a cash award and plaque from the Fredericksburg Branch NAACP. The winners this year are:
- Sarah Cook, a Math Coach at Lafayette Elementary School received the Teacher’s Award
- Mary Anderson, the Guidance and Attendance Administrative Assistant at Lafayette Elementary School received the Support Staff’s Award
- Sediqa Baher, a Preschool School Paraprofessional for the FCPS Preschool Programs, received the Paraprofessional’s Award
The recipients of the awards will be recognized for demonstration of the ideals and educational principles of Mrs. Young. To learn more about the criteria for winning, and history of the award, please click here.
|
|
|
Keep the kids engaged in learning throughout the summer by taking advantage of available Summer Reading opportunities. Click here for more information.
|
|
YMCA Before and After School Program for the Next School Year
|
|
|
|
Next school year, the YMCA’s School Age Child Care program will provide school kids with a familiar place where they can be safe, active, learning and engaged during their time before and after school. Care for Lafayette & Hugh Mercer participants will be held at Hugh Mercer Elementary. To learn more, click here.
|
|
- Important Tax Deadline Information – Personal Property Tax Bills must be paid by June 20 to avoid penalty. For more information, please contact the Treasurer's Office (540) 372-1001, option 5 or by email.
- Revamped FXBG Economic Development Website: The new website for Fredericksburg’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism (EDT) has a look and feel that incorporates the City’s brand, colors, fonts and logos. It also better organizes the voluminous business content that EDT produces. Be sure to sign up for the department’s weekly newsletter, Fred Focus, if you have not done so already.
- Boards and Commissions: The City is seeking City resident volunteers to serve on its very important boards and commissions. It really is a great way to be involved in the City. I started as a member of the Architectural Review Board and look what happened! If you’d like to serve your City on a Board or Commission, visit the City’s Boards and Commissions page here.
- Vacation Watch Program: Any City resident can request extra patrol for their home or business while they are away. A request can be made anytime by calling the 911 Communications Center at (540) 373-3122, option 2, or filling out the Vacation Watch Form.
|
|
Feel free to reach out to me anytime. I want to hear your ideas, priorities, and concerns.
Residents near Old Mill Park asked me for help. The “No Parking” signs on Caroline Street in front of the park were not clear about where parking is allowed. I contact the City Manager, who worked with Public Works to improve the signage and striping, clarifying where folks can and cannot park on Caroline Street. So, if you have a City issue you need help with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Serving the needs of Ward Two constituents is why I love being on City Council.
The next newsletter is scheduled to come out on June 26th. Previous editions of my newsletter can be found here.
|
|
|
As always, take care and be good to each other,
|
|
Note the email address from which this newsletter was sent is not monitored. If you wish to email me, please use my City government email address. I’d be happy to talk to you about your priorities for the City.
Please be aware that all email correspondence to and from my City government email address is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the Virginia Public Records Act which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties.
|
|
|
|
