01 May Richmond Could Give Pullman Neighborhood Its First Park

“Not having a district representative on the City Council made it so no one was here to speak for this lack of park space,” said Richmond City Council member Doria Robinson referring to the Pullman neighborhood, which she now represents. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

More than 2,000 kids in Richmond’s Pullman neighborhood could get their own park as the city looks to correct what some council members say is a systemic underinvestment in the area.

City Council members took the first step toward creating the neighborhood’s first park at Tuesday’s meeting, unanimously voting to explore buying land for the project and the feasibility of bringing the project to that location.

Pullman, which Vice Mayor Doria Robinson and council member Claudia Jimenez said is home to one of the city’s highest concentrations of children, does not meet national standards for park access that look to increase safe outdoor spaces.

“This has been something that has been a need for a really long time. It’s one of those things that not having a district representative on the City Council made it so no one was here to speak for this lack of park space,” said Robinson, who represents the district and co-sponsored the item with Jimenez.

The move does not allocate any funding toward the project. City staff and the Pullman Neighborhood Council will work together to figure out if the project is possible.

Recommendations from those conversations will be presented to the City Council for consideration in 90 days, according to the direction given by officials.

Naomi Williams, co-president of the Pullman Neighborhood Council, has been working on bringing a park to her neighbors for decades.

“Living on the Southside, you know what that is? That’s where they throw everything they don’t want, and things they do want, they put on the other side — north, east, west. Not south,” said Williams. “So now, this park is very important to us.”

Williams stayed put at the podium well past her allotted speaking time of two minutes — at times, successfully fending off officials’ attempts to end her speaking and earning laughs from behind the dais and the audience. Nearly every council member who spoke thanked her directly for her work.

“Mrs. Williams, I can assure you that you have 100% behind you on this council,” said Martinez.

The lot, located at South 27th and Florida streets, has been a sore spot for the community, according to Robinson.

The surrounding area is mostly residential, but the lot has faced issues of illegal dumping and people who are unhoused living on the site. About one-fourth of the neighborhood’s residents live under the federal poverty line, and nearly one-third make less than $50,000 annually, census data shows.

Council members Cesar Zepeda, Sue Wilson and Jimenez said they hoped that this project would not be the only one that benefits the area or others that lack a park.

Jimenez, who was told by Robinson that the proposal would not “jump the line” ahead of other parks, said the Pullman neighborhood was one of several in districts one, three and five that lack adequate green space.

“It’s all these communities that don’t have enough green space, parks,” said Jimenez. “So I think that is something that with this first step; I am hoping we will continue to advocate for these opportunities.”