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Richmond Renaissance Partners
ISSUE AREA: LEADERSHIP
City: Richmond, VA
Economic Development - Public/Private Partnership - Central City
Contact:
John F. Berry
Executive Director
Richmond Renaissance
600 E. Broad Street, Suite 960
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 644-0404
Date Published: October 2006
Richmond Renaissance is an organization created with the intentions of forming partnerships
between corporations, cultural organizations, and public institutions to fully realize the
redevelopment potential of the downtown Richmond area. Richmond Renaissance reports its
mission to be a leader in building greater vitality in the Richmond Community, particularly
downtown, through economic development.
As a partnership of the corporate community, the African-American community and Richmond City
government, Renaissance is a forum for building consensus in a diverse community. Renaissance
initiatives include development along Broad Street, development in historical Jackson Ward,
the Clean and Safe Program, African-American economic participation, education and advocacy.
Current projects include the expansion of downtown living options; riverfront development;
development in Shockoe Bottom and Shockoe Slip; and investment within the financial district,
bio-technology growth, downtown infrastructure and neighborhood development in Monroe Ward.
Richmond Renaissance was founded in 1981 through a biracial partnership. This agreement
brought together the city’s diverse leadership under a new cooperative agenda that identified
projects attracting new business and commercial activity to the Richmond area. Today,
Richmond Renaissance is led by a 26-member executive committee, whose members equally
represent Richmond’s African-American and white residents. This bi-racial leadership agenda
has laid the foundation for improved race relations in the city and set the stage for success
stories of downtown development and metro improvement strategies spearheaded by Richmond
Renaissance.
Richmond Renaissance’s first large scale effort was the 6th Street Marketplace, a downtown
shopping mall, which opened in 1985. Since then, Richmond Renaissance has been involved in a
wide array of efforts to preserve, strengthen, and improve Richmond’s downtown. Through
partnership with the corporate community, the local government, and community members,
Richmond Renaissance has worked towards the economic development of decaying Broad Street,
including the construction of a convention center, a performing arts complex, a Federal
District Courts building, and a new hotel. Richmond Renaissance is also working to
revitalize the historic Jackson Ward.
Other initiatives of Richmond Renaissance include the Clean & Safe Program, which sponsors a
group of "ambassadors" in downtown Richmond to provide information and help to visitors and
residents, and to keep the area clean. Also, Richmond Renaissance works to further African
American economic participation, improve education, and provide advocacy for Richmond. The
organization has also created Renaissance Partners, a group to foster a network of
individuals interested in working to forward the goals of Richmond Renaissance. Additionally,
the group serves as an advocacy base for the improvement of downtown Richmond, and will
connect parties invested in the growth of downtown Richmond, educate them on the issues
facing Richmond, and help them get involved in projects to improve downtown. This network
has proved vital to promoting and sustaining projects to improve the city.
Today, Richmond Renaissance is one of the city’s major civic organizations. Through its work
as a public-private partnership, Richmond Renaissance has provided funding, networking
resources, and technical support to many projects in Downtown Richmond that have helped the
city’s economic and community growth.
Resources:
www.richmondrenaissance.org |
