October 3, 2023
Community Development
DATE: October 3, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Samantha Carr, Environmental Manager
Subject:
Sole-Source Contracts with Urban Tilth and Urban Tilth
as fiscal Sponsor of Rich City Rides for Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation
Grant
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The City and its Co-Applicants were awarded a $35 million Transformative Climate Communities (TCC)
Round 4 Implementation Grant. The subject contracts
will be funded by the TCC grant. Account string:
15061219-400201-16G09
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
June 21, 2022, December 20, 2022, September 19, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
On October 27, 2022, Richmond and its co-applicants
were awarded a $35M Transformative Climate
Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation Grant by
the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC).
Richmond’s project is titled Richmond Rising: Healthy,
Connected, and Climate Strong and focuses on projects
serving the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado
neighborhoods. The City and its Co-applicants have
completed the Post-Award process and the $35M TCC
grant agreement between SGC and the lead applicant,
City of Rihcmond, has been executed. In order to
implement the Richmond Rising project, contracts
between the City and each of the five CoApplicants will be used as the mechanism for distributing the grant
funds. City staff members are requesting approval of the AGENDA
REPORT
October 3, 2023
contracts between the City and each co-applicant to
distribute the TCC grant funding.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE two sole-source contracts with named grant
co-applicants: 1) $7,042,833.41 with Urban Tilth and 2) $3,680,656.75 with Rich City Rides, operating with fiscal sponsorship by Urban Tilth, to implement certain
subprojects funded by the $35 Million Transformative
Climate Communities (TCC) Round 4 Richmond Rising
Project focused on serving the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods, with a term ending
December 31, 2028 – Community Development
Department(Lina Velasco 510-620-6706/Samantha Carr
510-620-5407).
DISCUSSION:
On June 21, 2022, the City Council authorized an application for a Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation Grant. The grant requested applications be limited to five-square miles and focus on supporting disadvantaged communities (California Senate Bill 535: Disadvantaged Communities) The City’s proposal, Richmond Rising: Healthy, Connected, and Climate Strong, included five Co- Applicants: (1) Groundwork Richmond, (2) GRID Alternatives, (3) Rich City Rides, (4) Trust for Public Land, and (5) Urban Tilth. On October 27, 2022, Richmond’s application was awarded a $35M Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation Grant by the California Strategic Growth Council. Richmond’s TCC project focuses on projects serving the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods. The ten projects included in the Richmond Rising application are:
1. Neighborhood Complete Streets: walking and biking improvements on Harbour Way, Ohio Avenue, and some AC Transit bus stops. – City will be the subproject lead.
2. Richmond Wellness Trail, Phase 2: walking and biking improvements to connect with Phase 1 to connect the Richmond BART and central neighborhoods with the waterfront. – TPL will be the subproject lead.
3. E-Bike Lending Library: long- and short-term e-bikes access for free to target neighborhood residents to improve carbon-free mobility options. – Rich City Rides will be the subproject leads.
4. Resilient Homes for Healthy Communities: residential solar panel installations and home energy efficiency and health and safety upgrades at no cost to income-qualifying residents. – GRID Alternatives will be the subproject lead.
5. Basins of Relations: residential greywater systems and rainwater capture systems at no cost to income-qualifying residents, installed by local youth who receive training in watershed stewardship and installation. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
October 3, 2023
6. Bosque del Barrio: tree planting throughout the project area to create a healthy urban forest. – Groundwork Richmond will be the subproject lead.
7. ADA Accessible Garden: edible and pollinator garden at Unity Park with specially designed planting beds so seniors and wheelchair users can comfortably participate in gardening and community activities. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
8. Orchard for ALL!: creating a distributed orchard through fruit tree giveaways, with tree care and harvest support offered in exchange for a share of the harvest, which will be distributed at free farm stands and in veggie boxes. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
9. Veggie RX: prescription veggie boxes in partnership with the local health clinic, to provide free fruits and vegetables as preventative care along with community health workers and programming to support change to a more sustainable diet. – Urban Tilth will be the subproject lead.
10. E-Bike Share: expand the City's current bike share program and infrastructure through a partnership with Charleston Mobility. – the City’s Transportation Division will be the subproject lead.
In addition, the Richmond Rising application includes four Transformative Plans including Community Engagement, Workforce Development, Displacement Avoidance policies and programs, and Indicator Tracking. For more information on the Transformative Climate Communities Grant Awardees visit: California Awards $96 Million for Climate Projects in 10 Frontline Communities | California Governor.
The City and its Co-Applicants have completed the Post-Award process and the $35M TCC grant agreement between SGC and City of Richmond has been executed. The City will distribute the funds to the five named Co-Applicants. The grant requires that all eligible project leads are local public agencies, non-profit organizations, or joint powers authorities. A question has been raised regarding Urban Tilth’s non-profit status. More specifically, Urban Tilth requested and received a 90-day extension to provide required audits that are due on October 30, 2023. The Registry of Charitable Trust within the Office of Attorney General (DOJ) confirmed that Urban Tilth can still solicit and receive contributions and/or otherwise conduct its day-to-day operations during this period. The City can still distribute funds to Urban Tilth.
City staff is requesting approval of the contracts between the City and the last two of the five Co-Applicants to facilitate distribution of the TCC grant funding. The first three Co- Applicant contracts were approved by the City Council at its September 19, 2023 meeting.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – TCC Grant Award Letter Richmond
Attachment 2 – Urban Tilth Contract with Sole Source Form Attachment 3 – Urban Tilth Contract as fiscal sponsor of Rich City Rides with Sole- Source Form