October 21, 2025
Community Development
DATE: October 21, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Beatriz Guerrero Auna, Transformative Climate
Communities (TCC) Project Coordinator
Matias Eusterbrock, TCC Associate Administrative
Analyst
Eduardo Romero, TCC Intern
Subject:
Richmond Rising TCC Grant Annual Report – Year 2
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The City and its partners executed a $35 million Transformative Climate Community (TCC)
Implementation grant agreement in 2023. This is the
second-year report related to the project expenditures
and project status.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
June 21, 2022
August 23, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
In late 2022, the City was awarded a Transformative
Climate Communities (TCC) Implementation Grant by the
Strategic Growth Council for its Richmond Rising Project.
The 5-year project was kicked off in August 2023. City
staff is providing the City Council and community a Year- 2 update on implementation of the Richmond Rising TCC
Project.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE the Annual Report for Year 2 of the Richmond
Rising Transformative Climate Communities (TCC)
Implementation Grant – Community Development
Department (Lina Velasco/Beatriz Guerrero Auna 510-
620-5450).
AGENDA
REPORT
October 21, 2025
DISCUSSION:
On June 21, 2022, the City Council authorized an application for a Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Round 4 Implementation Grant from the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) for the Richmond Rising: Healthy, Connected, and Climate Strong project (Richmond Rising). The City’s proposal included six (6) co-applicants: Groundwork Richmond, GRID Alternatives, Rich City Rides, Trust for Public Land (TPL), U.C. Berkeley, and Urban Tilth. As described in additional detail below, Richmond Rising includes specific projects, programs, and Transformative Plans which will provide environmental, health, and economic benefits to the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods (Project Area), with a focus on the following areas:
Transit access and mobility
Solar installation, energy efficiency, appliance electrification Water efficiency
Urban greening and green infrastructure
Health and well-being through parks and healthy food
On October 27, 2022, the Richmond Rising application was awarded a $35 million(M) grant from SGC; the agreement between the City and SGC was executed on August 23, 2023. As part of the Grant Agreement, the Richmond Rising collaborative shall present an annual report to the City Council on the status of grant implementation (Attachment 1).
PROJECT STATUS UPDATE:
In total, Richmond Rising partners have spent $5,786,604.85, with a remaining budget of $29,213,395.15, as of June 30, 2025. A summary of each project and status as of June 30, 2025, is below (unless date otherwise stated).
Grantee (Project Lead: City of Richmond)
Project Goals: As the Lead Grantee of the TCC Grant, the City is responsible for ensuring the Richmond Rising Project is completed on-time and within budget to meet project goals. This responsibility includes project coordination, grant administration, and reporting to SGC.
Project Status: The Richmond Rising Grantee team onboarded a new intern in March 2025. Over the past year, six bi-monthly progress reports and invoices were submitted, as required by SGC, for a total of $3.6M, with reimbursement received for five to date (total $3.1M reimbursed). In collaboration with Project Partners, a set of internal tools were developed to support review and timely submittal of required deliverables. Additionally, the Richmond Rising Grantee team supported coordination and data collection by the U.C. Berkeley Indicator Tracking Plan team.
Total Budget: $693,675.66
Spent To-Date: $393,372.93
Budget Remaining: $300,302.73
October 21, 2025
Project 1: Neighborhood Complete Streets (Project Lead: City of Richmond) Project Goals: The Neighborhood Complete Streets project will install new bike lanes, pedestrian facilities, bus-stop enhancements, streetscape improvements, street-crossing enhancements, connections to the Yellow Brick Road and Harbour-8 Hall and park projects, and traffic calming measures to ensure safe and accessible transportation infrastructure for all users.
Project Status: The City of Richmond hosted three townhalls with draft project designs to share information and receive community input. The grantee team submitted the 30 percent, 60 percent, 90 percent, and permit-level construction documents for City review and worked with several City departments to ensure the project met City standards and remained within the approved grant budget and requirements. Additionally, Neighborhood Complete Streets and Richmond Wellness Trail are in the process of securing a $10 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Regional Measure 3 (RM3), and were awarded for a $9.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program. City staff and the Trust for Public Land are currently finalizing project budgets and scopes to receive these funds.
Total Budget: $5,181,173.15
Spent To-Date: $103,059.74
Budget Remaining: $5,078,113.41
Project 2: Richmond Wellness Trail (Project Lead: Trust for Public Land)
Project Goals: This project will construct two miles of protected pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure along Marina Way South to connect the City's downtown, including the Richmond BART/Amtrak station, to the WETA Richmond Ferry Terminal, as well as the parks along the shoreline and the San Francisco Bay Trail.
Project Status: Trust for Public Land and consultants advanced construction documents through the 90 percent stage and submitted for permitting review by the City. Trust for Public Land coordinated with Caltrans on I-580 overpass improvements, AC Transit on overlapping intersections, and railroad owners on crossing standards. The project was awarded $150,000 through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Active Transportation Program Technical Assistance Grant. Additionally, Richmond Wellness Trail and Neighborhood Complete Streets are in the process of securing a $10 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Regional Measure 3 (RM3), and were awarded a $9.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program. The Trust for Public Land and City staff are currently finalizing project budgets and scopes to receive these funds.
October 21, 2025
Total Budget: $4,816,153.60
Spent To-Date: $330,338.94
Budget Remaining: $4,485,814.66
Project 3: Electric Bicycle Lending Library (Project Lead: Rich City Rides)
Project Goals: The Electric Bicycle Lending Library (e-BLL) at Unity Park will offer free access to electric bicycles, as well as courses in safety, maintenance/repair, and community engagement.
Project Status: Rich City Rides completed final design documents at 30 percent, 50 percent, and 100 percent, which were reviewed twice by the City’s Design Review Board and approved by the City. Updated cost estimates identified an increase in construction costs as compared to initial budget estimates; Rich City Rides and City staff are working together to identify opportunities to secure additional funding. An Outreach Manager was hired to lead engagement, finalize branding, and conduct outreach at community events and meetings.
Total Budget: $2,461,051.99
Spent To-Date: $261,703.59
Budget Remaining: $2,199,348.40
Project 4: Resilient Homes (Project Lead: GRID Alternatives)
Project Goals: This project will install 875 kilowatts (KW) worth of solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades free-of-charge for approximately 250 income- eligible homes in the Project Area.
Project Status: Within the project Area, 41 solar projects, 30 electrification installations, and 42 energy efficiency upgrades were completed for residential properties. Nine projects also received battery storage through leveraged funds, and GRID secured $890,000 for roof repairs, electrical upgrades, and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment installations for Project Area homes. A promotional video was created showcasing installations, training, and a TCC Summer Celebration event was hosted in August 2025.
Total Budget: $6,966,695.91
Spent To-Date: $966,431.49
Budget Remaining: $6,000,264.42
Project 5: Basins of Relations (Project Lead: Urban Tilth)
Project Goals: This program provides free water-saving technologies (e.g., greywater recycling, water conservation, drip irrigation systems) to residents in
October 21, 2025
the Project, and offers professional skills development for young Richmond residents.
Project Status: Urban Tilth installed 44 systems from August 2024 to July 2025, including 3 laundry-to-landscape greywater systems and 41 drip irrigation systems paired with 323 drought-tolerant plants. These improvements are expected to save about 300,000 gallons of water annually. Urban Tilth staff participated in water catchment training, developed a new curriculum for training apprentice, and began outreach for the Fall 2025 Basins of Relations Training Program.
Total Budget: $1,680,703.78
Spent To-Date: $352,290.28
Budget Remaining: $1,332,613.50
Project 6: Bosque del Barrio (Project Lead: Groundwork Richmond)
Project Goals: This project will plant 1,000 drought tolerant/resistant trees in public and private properties in the Project Area, including care and maintenance.
Project Status: Groundwork Richmond planted 169 trees (151 residential and 18 non-residential) between July 2024 and June 2025. Over 100 site visits were completed for planting assessments, and community engagement included canvassing and Adopt-a-Tree outreach. Groundwork attended many events to conduct community engagement, including Arbor Day, MLK Day of Service, and Earth Day. The 11 Green Team participants completed summer service, and eight workforce trainees graduated in spring, with four hired onto the permanent Tree Crew. Additionally, Groundwork has continued to coordinate with City staff on planting and maintenance activities, and with community groups through neighborhood councils and Collaborative Stakeholder Committee (CSC) meetings.
Total Budget: $1,088,012.75
Spent To-Date: $246,224.85
Budget Remaining: $841,787.90
Project 7: Universally Accessible Community Garden (formerly known as ADA Garden) (Project Lead: Urban Tilth)
Project Goals: This project will create an edible, pollinator-friendly garden in Unity Park that will be accessible for seniors and those with mobility challenges via large pathways, supportive rails, raised planters, and other design features.
October 21, 2025
Project Status: Urban Tilth has prepared construction level plans for permit review, and has undergone several rounds of plan check comments with City Departments to ensure compliance with City requirements.
Total Budget: $955,044.00
Spent To-Date: $110,627.65
Budget Remaining: $844,416.35
Project 8: Orchard for ALL! (Project Lead: Urban Tilth)
Project Goals: This project will provide 2,000 free fruit trees to Project Area residents and will create an employment and training program to teach young Richmond residents how to properly plant and care for fruit trees. Excess fruit from these trees are donated to Urban Tilth's free food distribution programs.
Project Status: Urban Tilth hosted their seventh Annual Fruit Tree Giveaway at Unity Park (second via TCC), distributing 214 fruit trees, for a total of 614 trees.
As part of outreach efforts, newsletters containing educational resources to support fruit tree care were distributed to recipients, with four editions completed over the reporting period. Two six-week apprenticeship programs were completed which trained seven young adults in fruit tree care. Participation in the gleaning program continues to grow, with 19 homeowners actively engaged and 90 households expressing interest in future involvement.
Total Budget: $1,168,213.63
Spent To-Date: $235,444.41
Budget Remaining: $932,769.22
Project 9: Veggie RX (Project Lead: Urban Tilth)
Project Goals: In partnership with LifeLong Medical Care, this project prescribes fresh fruits and vegetables as preventative and restorative medicine, which are given free of charge to enrollees. This program also trains local residents to teach health- and climate-friendly diet workshops in the community.
Project Status: Urban Tilth and LifeLong Medical Care distributed 3,359 produce bags and 326 patients were enrolled in California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) between July 2024 and June 2025. A total of 58 Climate Health Promoters successfully completed the training program, and four follow-up sessions were held with previous cohorts. The most recent cohort (Cohort 3) also utilized seven previous program graduates as co-facilitators, including leading group projects in collaboration with TCC Project Partners. A series of 15 Climate Friendly Diet workshops and cooking demonstrations engaged 300 participants, and 240 produce bags were distributed during community events. Additionally, a VeggieRX webpage was launched with event and resource updates.
October 21, 2025
Total Budget: $3,238,872.00
Spent To-Date: $916,125.81
Budget Remaining: $2,322,746.19
Project 10: e-Bike Share (Project Lead: City of Richmond)
Project Goals: This project is providing e-Bike hubs serviced by Charleston Mobility in the Project Area, as well as discounted memberships for Project Area residents.
Project Status: Eight e-bike hubs were installed in the Project Area, with a total of 70 maintained bikes. Activation events promoted the program, and free vouchers were distributed to incentivize ridership. Additional funding was secured through the City of Richmond’s ECIA program to support citywide operation.
Total Budget: $998,979.21
Spent To-Date: $526,057.13
Budget Remaining: $472,922.08
In addition to the Projects described above, Richmond Rising also includes the following Transformative Plans:
Community Engagement Plan (Project Lead: City of Richmond)
Plan Goals: This Plan includes coordination of a monthly Collaborative Stakeholder Committee (CSC) as well as facilitation of a Youth Fellows Program in partnership with Rich City Rides. The CSC consists of all Project Leads as well as up to six (6) community members who live, work, or learn in the Project Area.
The City and partners are conducting engagement during various community outreach events.
Plan Status:
City of Richmond: TCC staff attended 27 community outreach events, including Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo, and Earth Day, and continued to maintain communication via social media, listservs, City Managers weekly reports, and the Richmond Rising website. The Richmond Rising team also hosted 12 Collaborative Stakeholder Committees (CSC) Meetings at the Nevin Community Center, including recruitment and onboarding of for (4) new Youth Fellows as well as six (6) community members.
Rich City: Rich City Youth Fellows Project Manager developed onboarding materials and training modules for the Youth Fellows Program, including four (4) grant-required trainings and three additional trainings. The seven (7) Youth Fellows were onboarded in May 2025. Since then, these Youth Fellows have
October 21, 2025
hosted five informational tables, attended four (4) CSC meetings, and led one community bike ride.
Total Budget: $2,566,032.73
Spent to-date: $399,018.40
Budget remaining: $2,167,014.33
Displacement Avoidance Plan (Project Lead: City of Richmond) Plan Goals: This Plan includes development and adoption of a Renter Access Ordinance, Community Land Trust policy, Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) toolkit, Buy Local Campaign, and Façade Improvement Pilot Program for businesses in the Project Area.
Plan Status: The City of Richmond completed development of the ADU Toolkit which include Guideline and Pre-approved plans. The Toolkit is published online.
Planning staff conducted a public meeting to share information and respond to community questions regarding the Toolkit. Additionally, the City selected the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center to support the Façade Improvement Pilot Program, and is completing contracting and initial coordination meetings.
Total Budget: $681,635.62
Spent to-date: $159,228.59
Budget remaining: $522,407.03
Workforce Development and Economic Opportunities Plan (Project Lead: City of Richmond)
Plan Goals: This Plan will reduce barriers to clean-energy careers for Project Area residents through recruitment, development, and implementation of immersive training experiences.
Plan Status:
City of Richmond: The Place-Based Workforce Development Strategy was finalized and translated into Spanish, and an RFP was issued for a consultant to support implementation of the workforce recommendations. Proposals are under review.
GRID Alternatives: The Installation Basic Training (IBT) 200 solar training program was launched, and two cohorts with 64 applicants and 13 trainees were completed. The program achieved 100 percent retention (i.e., all participants completed the training), 85 percent graduation rate, and three job placements since completion. Outreach for these cohorts included tabling at CSC meetings, education fairs, community events, and local festivals. Additionally, a joint outreach and training video was produced in partnership with the Resilient Homes team.
Total Budget: $1,433,807.74
October 21, 2025
Spent To-Date: $263,098.61
Budget Remaining: $1,170,709.13
Indicator Tracking Plan (Project Lead: U.C. Berkeley)
Plan Goals: This Plan will document the outcomes and learnings of grant implementation, focusing on an evaluation of procedural and distributive equity as well as quantitative environmental measures.
Plan Status: U.C. Berkeley completed the California Air Resources Board Year 1 reporting, presented an annual report to the Collaborative Stakeholder Committee (CSC), and produced two case studies. The Year 2 quantitative data collection tool was refined and shared with all Project Partners to begin data collection.
Total Budget: $1,070,000
Spent to-date: $523,582.42
Budget remaining: $546,417.58
CONCLUSION:
As of June 30, 2025, over $5.7 million of the total grant funds have been spent by the City and local partners on climate justice initiatives including bike and pedestrian infrastructure, solar installations, tree planting, water efficiency systems, community garden planning, and healthy food distribution programs, with significant additional funding leveraged from State and Federal sources. The City also worked with partners to identify opportunities for additional funding to address unanticipated funding gaps.
Additionally, the City and its partners are continuing to develop and implement Transformative Plans related to community engagement, displacement avoidance, workforce development, and equity-focused evaluation of the project to ensure long- term health, environmental, and economic benefits for Richmond residents.
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
The Richmond Rising project supports the implementation of several city goals and policies, including, but not limited to:
Health in All Policies Strategy and Ordinance (adopted April 18, 2014) Climate Action Plan (adopted October 25, 2016)
Richmond Resilience Roadmap (adopted February 18, 2020)
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment A – TCC Year 2 Annual Report Slides