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In Richmond’s Fulton commercial district, three distinct neighborhoods and a team of passionate partners are coming together to create a green street. This project will not only reduce pollution entering the nearby James River, but it will also beautify the neighborhood, increase pedestrian safety, and create a vibrant community gathering space for residents to celebrate their community’s rich history.
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Brought together through Richmond’s East End Green Infrastructure Collaborative, the Alliance has worked closely with Innovate Fulton since 2019 to make this green street a reality. A project team that includes the Alliance, Innovate Fulton, GroundWork RVA, VHB, Community Engagement and Charette Associates, RVAH2O, and locally renowned artists Matt Lively, Tim Harper, and Hamilton Glass has been assembled to bring the Greater Fulton community’s vision of a vibrant, safer, green business district to life.
With interactive art installations at the forefront, the partners will transform two blocks of Government Road by installing green street elements such as native plants and trees, rain gardens, permeable pavement, and educational signage. These improvements will be designed to reduce flooding and heat risks while simultaneously increasing neighborhood beautification and creating safer sidewalks for pedestrians. Groundwork RVA and Innovate Fulton will work with residents of the community in a hands-on learning approach toward planning, implementing, and maintaining green infrastructure that will lead toward green job readiness and ensure the success of the green street.
Slide the yellow bars below to see artist renderings of what the green street could look like upon project completion.
“In a lot of projects, less now, but in the past, things like this were done for a community, and this is an example of things being done with the community. This is something really important in this day and age. It’s something that young people resonate with and it’s something that folks in the community resonate with. Here, there has been a real attempt step-by-step to make sure that folks in the community know what’s happening and see themselves reflected. I don’t know what’s going to happen in this community, but the mural and the art will be here for a long time and they are going to tell a story.”
A stormwater-friendly art plaza featuring a sculpture created by Richmond artists, Matt Lively and Tim Harper, will celebrate innovation, diversity, and creativity in the community and will serve as a gathering place for neighbors. Additionally, murals by Hamilton Glass have been painted on buildings throughout the project area to celebrate the neighborhood’s rich culture and create conversations through art.
All of these improvements can be seen as a catalyst to increase the potential for new, neighbor-owned businesses to move into the area. Funding for this transformative project has been provided by National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Altria, Luck Foundation, Richmond Department of Public Utilities, and Wetlands Watch.
Throughout 2022 and 2023, Innovate Fulton will bring a key community engagement piece to the project through their ongoing work to revitalize Fulton’s commercial district and celebrate the history and heritage of this historic Richmond neighborhood. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, The Confluence, to stay updated with Alliance projects like Greening Greater Fulton.
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For more information about the East End Green Infrastructure Collaborative, please contact Neal Friedman at nfriedman@allianceforthebay.org.
