Happy Friday Second District! 

In today's newsletter, we look ahead to the Mayor's budget presentation, provide a reminder about our zoning community meeting coming up on Tuesday, and more. As always, be sure to check out the bulletin board for upcoming events, City resources, and engagement opportunities. 

Budget Season Is Here 
Council kicked off our budget process with our first budget work session this past Monday. The meeting included discussion of shared priorities, and the establishment of a schedule for public meetings and deliberation on the budget. You can view a recording of the meeting here. The full Council budget schedule, including work sessions, public hearings, and final adoption anticipated for May 8th, can be viewed here. 

The Mayor will share his proposed budget with Council this coming Monday at 3pm. You can watch the presentation live here. We look forward to providing an update from our office on the proposal, with a specific focus on the Second District, later next week. 

Zoning Changes Meeting Reminder
Our 2nd and 5th District zoning changes community meeting is coming up this coming Tuesday, March 7th at 6pm at Binford Middle School (thanks to Principal Rickey for hosting us!). You can find more information and RSVP here. 

If you're new to the three proposed zoning changes (allowing for accessory dwelling units, eliminating parking minimums, and amending our short-term rentals regulations) please be sure to check out the City zoning changes site, which includes summaries of the proposals and of the previous rounds of engagement and discussion, which started last August. 

Council Week In Review, And Week Ahead
I want to highlight a number of important City meetings coming up next week, as well as recap the Education and Human Services Committee meeting this past Thursday: 

• The Education & Human Service Committee met on Thursday and received presentations from RPS on the timeline for construction of George Wythe High School and Fox Elementary, the RPS budget, and other School Board initiatives. Superintendent Kamras reiterated his expectation that Fox is slated to re-open in 2025, and a newly constructed George Wythe will open in 2027. You can watch the full meeting recording here.
• The City Planning Commission will meet on Monday at 1:30pm, and the agenda includes a presentation on the Mayor's CIP (capital improvement project) budget, re-zonings for the Diamond District, and discussion of the Council-passed Richmond 300 amendments appendix resolution. 
• Council's Special Meeting to receive a presentation on the Mayor's proposed budget will take place at 3pm on Monday. You can tune-in live here. 
• City Council's Organizational Development Committee will meet following the Mayor's budget presentation on Monday, at 4pm. The agenda includes updates on Council committee work, and an update from the Richmond Ambulance Authority. 

• First Fridays is back tonight! More info here. 
• RVA Black Restaurant Experience kicks off their week long celebration with Mobile Soul Sunday at Monroe Park from 12pm to 5pm. More info here, and below the bulletin. 
• Celebrate the unofficial start to the Squirrels season at the annual "Nutzy Block Party" this Saturday at the Diamond from 11am to 2pm. More info here. 

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