September 12, 2023
City Council
DATE: September 12, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Vice Mayor Gayle McLaughlin
Subject:
Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) lease
amendment
FINANCIAL IMPACT: N/A
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
One of the City Council goals is to create Transitional Villages for unhoused residents in Richmond
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
For the past 7 months, community group Tiny Village
Spirit (which is a project of the non-profit Rebuilding Together East Bay Network) has worked to prepare a
project of tiny houses at the Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) leased site at 175 23rd Street. The team leading this project has worked with City staff to comply with various codes and it is now time to move the lease amendment forward.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: DIRECT staff to negotiate and finalize the final form of a Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) lease
amendment at 175 23rd St. within 14 days to allow for the Richmond Tiny Home Village, Farm, and Garden Project
to be built once permits and approvals are obtained -
Vice Mayor Gayle McLaughlin (510-620-6636).
AGENDA
REPORT
September 12, 2023
DISCUSSION:
The Richmond Tiny Home Village, Farm and Garden project is a dynamic collaboration between six local community organizations creating Richmond, California's first Tiny House Village. The Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) lease amendment will allow initially six tiny houses at the site to be inhabited by six Richmond unhoused youth (later, another six tiny houses are planned). This simple lease amendment has been in the works for seven months. Many meetings have occurred with multiple City staff members to address comments. The Deputy Fire Marshal has been involved and the architect team from the project has made sure the design meets fire code requirements.
The project will not be ready for inhabitants to move in until summer 2024, but it is essential that this lease amendment moves forward, so that additional steps can be taken in terms of construction of the project. The lease amendment is a simple step that allows for the project to be a specified use in the lease agreement with RPAL (originally limited to other uses). Continued discussion with City staff will occur throughout the permitting process.
The Richmond Tiny Home, Farm, and Garden Project (led by Tiny Village Spirit) is fundraising one million dollars for this project – a fair amount of which has already been secured. The Tiny House Village will be in conjunction with the RPAL farm and garden project and link to RPAL’s Culinary Arts project. The young people who will be living there will be identified through the County’s Coordinated Entry system. Sadly, too many young people, ages 18-24, are living on the streets and in tents. This project will help to address the encampment issue we deal with daily in Richmond. The Project includes on-site services for youth . The team has obtained buy-in from the surrounding Neighborhood Councils, as well as RPAL and Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP). They have previously set up a youth tiny village in Oakland that is successfully operating.
It is time for Richmond to do the same. The City Council set as a goal the implementation of two to three tiny villages. This small village will be a great start towards achieving this goal. There has been a lot of progress and momentum on the project. Next steps include finalizing the site plan and permits for review and approval from the City, including the Fire, Planning, and Building departments.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Draft Site Plan
Attachment 2 – Summary of Tiny House Village, Farm and Garden Project