Good morning, RVA! It's 64 °F, and today looks wonderful. Expect highs in the mid 70s and lots of potential hammock time. NBC12’s Andrew Freiden says today is the first of three "Best Weather Days of the Week” in a row. I hope you can find the time to enjoy them!
Water cooler
I didn’t watch the gubernatorial debate, because I’m wisely investing my time in the Korean survival horror drama Squid Game instead. I’ve got three thoughts after getting caught up this morning, though. First, Mel Leonor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a recap which should terrify you as it frames the Republican candidate as a moderate, pretty OK guy that’s not too different from McAuliffe. Second, third-party candidate Princess Blanding, who didn’t poll high enough to make it on the stage, interrupted the debate, forcing Chuck Todd to throw to commercial. You can watch video from the audience here. Third, I failed to fill out my ballot over the weekend as promised, but there is a 100% chance I will do so and will vote for Terry McAuliffe. Did I vote for T-Mac in the primary? No. Am I inspired by a repeat rich white man candidate? No. Am I terrified that a Republican governor will undo the advances made in healthcare, abortion, environment, and social justice Virginia has made over the last couple of years? Yes, very much so. It is possible to believe all of these thing simultaneously!
If you want to get bummed about the Brookland Park Boulevard bump outs (RIP), here are a couple pictures Wyatt Gordon took of the ugly new asphalt patches that replaced actual concrete infrastructure and plants. Remember, Councilmember Lambert has a community meeting to discuss the (already approved) parklet and a few other topics related to the corridor tomorrow, 6:30 PM, at the Police Training Academy (1202 W. Graham Road).
Mark Robinson at the RTD reports on two $1 million grants the Community Foundation awarded to the Better Housing Coalition and the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust. BHC plans on using the funds to build affordable housing—of course—but with a focus on folks earning between 40–60% of the area median income. Like I mentioned a couple days ago, 80% AMI was par for the course just a few years ago, so it’s pretty exciting to see these even more deeply affordable units popping up.
Speaking of, a friend sent me a link to ouRVA Collective, a “Giving Circle” supported by the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond. The idea is that you and a bunch of likeminded folks get together, pool some cash, and award grants to organizations and causes that you vibe with. You’ve probably heard of SisterFund, another (amazing) Giving Circle made up of Black women who support “the development of African American young girls and women, through significant, collective financial investments.” ourRVA is the same kind of deal, but with lower table stakes: $275—out of which $250 goes directly towards grants to local organizations. This sounds like a great place to start if you’ve got some extra cash lying around, want to put it to good use, and would like to take a first, easy step into the world of philanthropy.
InLight is one of my favorite Richmond traditions, and this year the annual light- and place-based art installation will set up shop at Great Shiplock Park, Chapel Island, and along the Capital Trail and Low Line. What an amazing location and a perfect excuse to ride your bike through the city at night (one of my absolute favorite things to do). Mark your calendars for November 12th and 13th, and you can check out their website for some more details, themes, and participating artists.
Beware Richmonders of a certain age! The RTD has pictures from the dreaded 6th Street Marketplace! Nothing else in Richmond’s recent history has had a bigger impact on the way we approach building new things than the failure of 6th Street Marketplace.
This morning's longread
Garbage odyssey: San Francisco's bizarre, costly quest for the perfect trash can
Absolutely delighted in the extreme schadenfreude I got from reading this completely bananas story about San Francisco spending tons of money and time on a designer trash can.
This is a story examining San Francisco’s bizarre pursuit of the perfect trash can: the time it has taken, the stunning amount of money being spent, and the baffling lack of curiosity on the part of many of San Francisco’s elected representatives and media observers in questioning the proposal by San Francisco Public Works to spend $427,500 to produce 15 prototype cans. Ultimately, San Francisco will spend millions of dollars to custom-produce 3,300 public trash for its use. How many millions remains an open question: The city’s initial request for proposals, in 2018, envisioned a top price tag of less than $1,000 a can. But that price has at least doubled, and could now hit as high as $5,000 a can, Public Works administrators indicated in the discussions on the process. They have since stepped back from those statements, but really, no one knows how much the cans will ultimately cost.
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