1400 Tenth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 ● www.sgc.ca.gov ● (916) 324-9775 October 31, 2022
Via Email
Mayor Tom Butt
City of Richmond
Attn: Lina Velasco
Director of Community Development
450 Civic Center Plaza, 2nd Floor
Richmond, CA 94804
[email protected]
RE: Awar d Notification – Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program, Round 4, Implementation Grant Award, City of Richmond, “Richmond Rising: Healthy, Connected, and Climate Strong” Dear Mayor Butt,
The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is pleased to inform you that the Council approved a Transformative Climate Communities Implementation award of $35 million dollars to the City of Richmond for “Richmond Rising:
Healthy, Connected, and Climate Strong” at its October 27, 2022, meeting. Previously funded by California’s Cap- and-Trade Program, Round 4 of TCC was funded by a FY 2021-2022 budget appropriation from the General Fund.
This program funding empowers the communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. The TCC Program reflects the SGC’s commitment to support community-led transformation and achieve equitable, resilient communities and landscapes for all Californians. Congratulations on your successful application.
This letter provides a conditional commitment of grant funds. TCC staff will initiate the Post-Award Consultation (PAC) process soon by scheduling a meeting with the Awardee and sending a review package including review checklists for all projects and transformative plans. This process will involve addressing any outstanding issues identified by TCC staff, reviewers, and the interagency panel, as well as finalizing the grant agreement. Grantees and Partners will need to work closely and collaboratively with TCC Staff to address all issues prior to grant execution. All requested documentation and changes should be finalized within six (6) months after the Council makes awards. New to Round 4, we will provide a mini grant to support administrative, staff, and materials costs for Grantees and Partners as they complete the PAC process. Our partnering agency, the Department of Conservation, will lead the PAC process.
Following execution of the grant agreement, grant funds will be disbursed on a bi-monthly basis for eligible direct, indirect, and indicator tracking costs. All reimbursed costs must meet the requirements for reimbursable tasks outlined in the grant agreement. TCC has also been authorized for an Advance Pay Pilot program (AB 156) and will follow up on the terms for accessing advance pay once approved by Council. Please note that no funds will be reimbursed for costs and expenses incurred prior to grant agreement execution, with the exception of limited PAC costs for staff and materials in accordance with forthcoming guidance.
We look forward to our partnership in the coming years. If you have any questions, please contact Sophie Young, TCC Program Manager, at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Ly
nn von Koch-Liebert
Executive Director
California Strategic Growth Council
ACTION: FY 2021-2022 TCC Implementation Grants Round 4 Agenda Item #6 October 27, 2022| Page 8 of 57
Award Recommendation 2: City of Richmond: Richmond Rising Award Amount: $35,000,000 (Recommended); $34,413,431 (Requested) Leverage Funding: $17,342,527
Co-Applicants:
• City of Richmond
• Trust for Public Land
• Rich City Rides
• GRID Alternatives
• Urban Tilth
• Groundwork Richmond
Projects:
• Neighborhood Complete Streets
• Richmond Wellness Trail
• E-Bike Lending Library
• Resilient Homes for Healthy
Communities
• Basins of Relations
• Bosque del Barrio
• ADA Accessible Garden
• Orchard for All!
• Veggie RX
The Richmond Rising proposal is the result of years of stakeholder collaboration, including a TCC planning grant, to address environmental justice concerns in the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods that adjoin the historical heavy industrial zones in Richmond. The proposal aims to empower the city’s most marginalized communities through complete streets and affordable active transportation options; renewable energy resilient homes; water absorption and reuse; urban greening and cooling of neighborhoods; and enhanced food security for improved health and wellbeing.
The City, alongside five co-applicants, have collaborated over four years of planning and project work to develop the proposal’s objective and vision. This proposal’s Community Engagement Plan (CEP) draws upon direct ties to priority populations, as well as capacity through Richmond Rising Youth Fellows Program (annual paid fellowship for Black and Brown youth). Richmond Rising’s Displacement Avoidance Plan (DAP) includes a robust set of City programs and policies informed by quantitative data which complement the City’s existing work in developing, promoting, and passing policies and programs that address residential and business displacement. Although the proposal meets TCC Program Requirements, only .24% of the total budget (of maximum allowable 3%) was dedicated to the DAP. This amount was the result of a budgeting error caused by unclear language in the TCC Guidelines. The proposal also includes workforce development through solar installation basic training, as well as the RichmondWORKS city program which provides career skills training and supportive services.
Overall, Richmond Rising presents a strong vision for the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods informed by years of youth leadership, grassroots organizing, community engagement, and community planning. This vision is complimented by the applicant and co- applicants’ demonstrated capacity for executing the proposed plans and projects.
ACTION: FY 2021-2022 TCC Implementation Grants Round 4 Agenda Item #6 October 27, 2022| Page 9 of 57
Recommended conditions on award:
- Provide additional details on work plans, budgets, and staff capacity dedicated to the projects
- Strengthen long-term operations and maintenance plans for projects including urban greening.
- Revise Displacement Avoidance Plan (DAP) to address budget error and plans for community outreach and feedback and budget inclusion. Up to an additional $586,569 will be available for the DAP, increasing total award to $35,000,000, provided Richmond meets threshold requirements of 50% leverage funding.
- Consider mitigation measures to account for resilience to future climate change impacts on projects in low-lying coastal waterfronts, such as the Richmond Wellness Trail (Project 2).
- Provide additional details on project feasibility questions. - Provide readiness documentation for projects including Project 6, Bosque Del Barrio. - Provide additional details and possible modifications to Project 3, E-bike Lending Library to be consistent with program requirements.
- Work with TCC staff to determine whether additional implementing partners, such as Rich City Rides, need to be added to the Partnership Agreement; submit additional management and financial capacity documentation.