Policy & Advocacy
We “pass the mic” to our neighbors and empower Southside residents to advocate for the change they want to see in their own community. Through education, civic engagement and thoughtful dialogue, we advocate for sound policies that preserve our natural environment, strengthen climate resiliency, and provide opportunities for communities to thrive.
Our advocacy includes:
Developing policy proposals that prioritize climate action in the city’s budget to reduce emissions, mitigate heat island effects, expand access to green spaces, and phase out Richmond’s reliance on fossil gas.
Working with state legislators at the General Assembly to support legislation that will benefit localities like Richmond.
Hosting listening sessions and attending civic association meetings to uplift community concerns.
Elevating stories of environmental racism through the news media.
Our Policy Agenda
Southside ReLeaf's Policy Agenda is guided by our core values of justice, collaboration, and transformation. We are committed to advancing environmental justice in Southside Richmond, ensuring equitable access to green spaces, sustainable infrastructure, and community-driven solutions. This agenda reflects our dedication to creating a greener, more inclusive Southside for all residents.
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Commitment to New Parks in Southside:
Need a dedicated line item in the budget to secure ongoing funding for onboarding five new parks in Southside, including a minimum allocation of $250,000 per park to ensure ADA accessibility and public usability.
Community Engagement:
Actively involve community members where they are adequately compensated for their time when assisting in the planning and onboarding process, ensuring the project reflects their vision for the park. This will be a collective effort, intentionally guided by the community’s input to ensure inclusivity and alignment with their needs.
Infrastructure & Amenities:
Provide essential infrastructure such as lighting, trails, restrooms, benches, water fountains, and shaded areas to ensure the parks are functional, welcoming, and enhance the overall user experience.
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Urban Forestry Division:
Establish a dedicated budget line item to fund personnel, equipment, and operations for urban forestry, including a minimum two-year watering requirement for newly planted trees.
Ensure funding for ongoing tree maintenance, watering (2-year minimum), and care, potentially sourcing funds from DPW or the Urban Forestry Commission.
Expand staff with a goal of 8–10 full-time arborists (up from the current 4) by hiring at least 1–2 arborists per year.
Update the organizational chart to reflect the division's needs, providing direct staffing for urban forestry management.
Tree Ordinance Update:
Expedite updates to the 30-year-old ordinance in collaboration with the Urban Forestry Commission to address current challenges and preserve tree canopy.
Tree & Greenspace Preservation Policy:
Require replacement of trees removed by developers at their expense, discouraging unnecessary tree removal.
Increase zoning requirements for tree preservation from the current 20%.
Establish a city tree fund to support tree planting and maintenance efforts.
Green Space Protections:
Codify protections for green spaces, including parks, playgrounds, community gardens, and streetscapes to prevent industrial or hardscape development in these areas.
Strengthen regulations to safeguard these spaces, ensuring they remain public and protected from commercial or industrial development.
Office of Sustainability:
Fully fund and integrate the office into the mayor’s cabinet with responsibilities for sustainability, urban forestry, emergency management, and disaster preparedness.
Public Notification for Tree Removal:
Implement a policy requiring the city to post public notices before removing any trees from public or green spaces.
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Community Stipends:
Create a funding mechanism under the Department of Neighbors and Community Service to compensate community members for participation in focus groups, consultations, and planning processes.
Community Benefit Agreements:
Develop a standardized community benefit agreement template for city development projects to ensure equitable outcomes.
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Flooding & Air Quality Data:
Invest in tracking systems to monitor flooding and air quality impacts across the city.
Urban Heat Islands:
Prioritize mapping urban heat islands and align efforts with transit and walkability improvements, such as shaded sidewalks and bus shelters.
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Transit Infrastructure:
Collaborate with partners to install benches, shaded areas, and other amenities for dignified transit experiences.
Expand connectivity within Southside neighborhoods and improve walkable paths to GRTC stops by prioritizing sidewalks, shaded walkways, and tree-lined routes.
Add a dedicated transit route within Southside to enhance accessibility and connectivity for residents.
Fare-Free Transit:
Advocate for sustained fare-free transit to increase accessibility and reduce barriers for residents.
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1:1 Redevelopment Policy:
Ensure any redevelopment of public housing includes a one-to-one replacement policy to provide affordable housing in the same location.
Public Housing Improvements:
Address critical infrastructure needs such as broken sidewalks and poor lighting in areas like Hillside.
Prioritize investments in public housing beautification projects.
Environmental Justice in Housing:
Empower housing organizations to view themselves as environmental justice champions through their work on climate-related topics, including energy audits, weatherization, and air quality improvements in homes.
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Southside ReLeaf supports Virginia Conservation Network’s (VCN) policy agenda, Our Common Agenda. This agenda is the most comprehensive overview of Virginia’s environmental policy landscape. A collection of papers written by, vetted through, and voted on by VCN’s 170+ Network Partners, this briefing book explains the Commonwealth’s environmental policy background and potential opportunities for clean water & flood resilience, land & wildlife conservation, land use & transportation, climate & energy, and good governance.
Our Wins
The Fight to Save Hickory Hill
In October 2021, Southside ReLeaf along with partner organizations led a planting of 100 trees at Hickory Hill Community Center, a historically significant community center and local park in a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood. Just a year later, the city of Richmond proposed to pave over two acres of green space at the community center to build a burn tower for a fire training facility—bringing fires, smoke and more concrete to a renewed community park in a formerly redlined neighborhood. By summer 2023, the city reversed its decision to pave over the park thanks to activism and advocacy by neighbors and community groups.
Creation of the City’s First Urban Forester Position
Richmond’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Resolution calls for the creation of a new urban forester to lead the creation of an urban forestry master plan. Southside ReLeaf played a key role in Richmond City Council allocating funding in the FY2023 budget to hire the city’s first-ever urban forester to maintain and enhance tree populations.
Five New Parks in Southside
In 2020, the city announced the creation of five new park spaces in Southside Richmond. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney attributed the work of Southside ReLeaf in the city’s initiative to create those new spaces. Mayor Stoney said, “With the help of outstanding community experts, we’ve made an intentional effort to designate the first new parks space since the 1970s in communities of color. And we’re asking the community what they want to see in those spaces thanks to organizations like Southside ReLeaf.”