City Beat With Third District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert

by Brigette Kelly 1.2022

The Diamond District 

The creation of a brand new neighborhood for the City of Richmond which will be located on the 67-acre tract bounded by Interstate-95, Hermitage Road, Arthur Ashe Boulevard and the railroad tracks. This district will include a new baseball stadium, other sports facilities, hotels, retail venues, green spaces, as well housing for low-income, moderate-income, and high-income households. “Richmond needs a win and The Diamond District will bring this to us,” Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert says. “Richmond needs to say, ‘Hey we’re doing something to gain revenue and improve ourselves.’  The city needs to stand ready to make sure that this does happen.”

(See cover story for much more on The Diamond District)

Budget Priorities

$1 Million Gun Buyback Program to address gun violence in our city. “Gun violence is a big public safety concern,” says Councilwoman Lambert. A long-time advocate of keeping our citizens safe by getting guns off the streets, Councilwoman Lambert serves as the vice-chair of the Public Safety Committee.

$1 Million for a Mobile Transit Initiative for city services, and “job opportunities for those coming home from being incarcerated,” according the Third District Councilwoman. 

$1 Million to Stop Evictions of 1000 families living within our RRHA communities. To receive assistance applicants will need to successfully complete mandatory financial literacy and parenting classes. “There needs to be an accountability piece when it comes to helping our families,” Councilwoman Lambert says. 

$100K Brookland Park Boulevard Study In an effort to make this thriving retail corridor more pedestrian-friendly, this study will examine parking and retail spaces along Brookland Park Boulevard and North Avenue. 

Calhoun Community Center 

“My biggest single accomplishment so far has been securing $8 million from Mayor Stoney's budget for the Calhoun Center, and to get that center back open for the community,” says Councilwoman Lambert. Among the amenities offered by the Calhoun Community Center are a meeting room, a computer lab and game rooms. Outside the center there are two basketball courts and one playground. There is also a football and baseball field on the premises. Recreation programs and classes in the arts, after school fun club, sports, dance, summer camp, crafts, sewing, self-improvement, computers, games, martial arts, music, and special events are among the activities offered there.

Questions? Feedback? Contact Third District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert at ann-frances.lambert@richmondgov.com  or contact Brigette Kelly at kellybs@vcu.edu 

Editor’s note: Each month Third District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert will let her constituents and all other Richmonders know what City Council is doing for them.