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Richmond Free Press © 2020 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 29 NO. 50
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
Henrico Coliseum?
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DECEMber 3-5, 2020
Navy Hill developers who were rejected in Richmond plan to build a bigger $2.3B development with a new 17,000-seat arena off Parham Road in Henrico County
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Richmond is about to lose its title as the region’s entertainment capital. A replacement for the closed Richmond Coliseum in Downtown is now almost certain to be developed in Henrico County, accompanied by a potential $2.3 billion, environmentally friendly office, retail, hotel and housing development. Under the GreenCity plan unveiled Tuesday with the backing of the county’s top administration official, a 17,000seat arena for touring concerts, sports and other big events would be a centerpiece of the massive development that could include 2,400 homes envisioned for the long dormant countyowned real estate. Location: A 250-acre parcel on East Parham Road purchased by the county in 2011 that once housed the headquarters of now-defunct Best Products. The site, for which the developers would pay $6.2 million — the same amount as the county paid — is about a mile east of Brook Road and Please turn to A4
GreenCity Partners LLC
This rendering offers a view of the proposed $2.3 billion GreenCity development in Henrico County that would include a 17,000-seat arena. The 250acre site, currently owned by the county, fronts East Parham Road and abuts interstates 95 and 295 about 4 miles north of the city line.
Federal lawsuit filed over tear-gassing of inmates at Richmond Justice Center
Virginia NAACP names new executive director — Da’Quan Love By Jeremy M. Lazarus
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Mr. Love
Da’Quan M. Love is the new executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. Rumored to be the choice, the 28-year-old Henrico County native was officially announced Tuesday as the person who will fill the civil rights group’s long vacant leadership post. The Hampton University graduate is the sixth and youngest person to hold the post in the 85-year history of the state NAACP. Although he officially is to start Jan. 1, Mr. Love already is in the headquarters office in Richmond as he begins the task of guiding the organization through the pandemic, according to Robert N. Barnette Jr., the NAACP’s state president. Mr. Barnette made filling the post a top priority after he was elected state president a year ago. At least 60 applications flooded in, he said, adding that Mr. Love, who previously served as president of the state NAACP’s Youth and College Division, stood out. Working with the Youth and College Division in 2012, he successfully led a campaign to stop the proposed invalidation of more than 16,000 voter
In late August, during an outbreak of the coronavirus at the Richmond City Justice Center, deputies under the command of Sheriff Antionette V. Irving tear-gassed inmates who raised concerns about safety practices. Dozens of others in the same
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area also were impacted. One inmate was stripped naked and taken to an isolation cell, with bare floors, no sink and a hole for a toilet, where he spent three days. The allegations of brutality, first reported in the online RVA Magazine, are now the subject of a class action lawsuit filed this
Richmond City Justice Center
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
City Council member wants to send Richmond 300 plan back to the drawing board By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
She’s got skills Chrishona Wilson, 8, works on her basketball skills with Coach Jonathan Hargett at Hotchkiss Field Community Center in North Side last Saturday. The youngster, who attended practice with her stepmother, played last year for the South Side Ducks, a youth team under the auspices of the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.
Too many flaws. That’s City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson’s take on a proposed new master plan, dubbed “Richmond 300,” to guide the city’s future development and enable Virginia’s capital to become the “welcoming inclusive, diverse, innovative place” it seeks to be. For her, the plan that has been four years Ms. Robertson in the making appears to keep the city on its current trajectory, with continued neighborhood gentrification that is chasing out longtime residents and a focus on increasing development in current growth areas. The 17-year City Council veteran and chair of the council’s Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee is preparing to call on her colleagues to reject the plan that is up for consideration on Monday, Dec. 14. Ms. Robertson wants the plan returned to the city Planning Commission for revision. For her and any other council member with objections, rejection Please turn to A4
week in U.S. District Court in Richmond. Seth Carroll of the Commonwealth Law Group filed the suit on behalf of the affected inmates and others against Sheriff Irving and some of Sheriff Irving her staff. The suit, according to Mr. Carroll, seeks unspecified monetary damages and a court order to force the sheriff to properly implement safety measures without subjecting inmates to further abuse. “It is unacceptable that incarcerated members of our community would be subjected to cruel and unusual retaliation for attempting to protect the health and safety of themselves and others during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr. Carroll stated in announcing the suit. “The Sheriff’s Office has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of inmates,” Please turn to A4
Free COVID-19 testing Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Dec. 3, 1 to 4 p.m., The Diamond parking lot, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., drive-thru testing. • Friday, Dec. 4, 1 to 3 p.m., Eastern Henrico Health Department, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., Eastern Henrico. Drivethru testing only for those pre-registered. • Tuesday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to noon., Eastern Henrico Health Department, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., Eastern Henrico. Drivethru testing only for those pre-registered. • Thursday, Dec. 10, 2 to 4 p.m., Southwood Management Property Office, 400 Southwood Parkway, South Side. Rain date: Friday, Dec. 11 at Eastern Henrico Health Department. • Friday, Dec. 11, 1 to 3 p.m., Eastern Henrico Health Department, 1400 N. LaburnumAve., Eastern Henrico. Drive-thru testing only for those pre-registered. Appointments are encouraged by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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