Dec PSG Enews: Top 9 PSG Successes of 2009

1. River City Saunter at Cloverleaf Mall
2. New Office in Church Hill
3. Citizen Role in Henrico Comprehensive Plan Adoption
4. Citizen Role in Downtown Master Plan Adoption
5. James River Branch Rail to Trail in Southside Richmond
6. Citizen Education Workshops and Events
7. Scoot Richmond Scooter Raffle
8. Goochland Garden Party
9. PSG Land Use and Transportation Work Group

1. River City Saunter: Choices and Opportunities for Growth. On October 25, Elected officials from 7 of the 9 Richmond regional localities along with 150 citizens and community leaders took a bus tour to explore the potential of our region's existing suburban commercial areas. Local food served at the former site of Cloverleaf Mall drove home the message: we must embrace the opportunity for infill development and avoid costly farmland consumption. More.

Check out the media coverage and our valued sponsors.

2. PSG's New Office in Church Hill. Thanks to the generosity of PSG Founder Jane Koontz, who donates the space each month, and PSG Founders Martha and Lynn Wingfield and donor Cobb Technologies, who sponsor the IT needs, PSG has enjoyed a new home in Church Hill. On July 17th we moved into an upstairs wing of the beautiful and historic St. John's Church Parish Administration building. More.

3. Citizen Role in Henrico Comprehensive Plan Adoption. County Planners, Administrators and Elected Officials responded to citizens concerns that the Comprehensive Plan opened up rural Varina to unnecessary growth. In August, Envision Henrico was instrumental in the passage of final amendments that improved the County's commitment to conservation. More. PSG recognizes Henrico's responsiveness in Richmond Magazine.

4. Citizen Role in Downtown Master Plan Adoption. PSG and a coalition of other organizations guided the inclusive, smart-growth oriented Downtown Master Plan into adoption in July, culminating a 2 year process. Citizens and the citizen group Envision Richmond played a major role urging the adoption of the community-based plan. More.

5. James River Branch Rail to Trail Project. PSG provided Community Outreach this summer to promote Southside's own James River Branch Rail to Trail project, working with National Park Service, the Capital Region Greenway Group, and Councilman Doug Conner. This 2.3 mile stretch of abandoned railway offers great potential to connect neighborhoods and shopping areas in Southside Richmond. A citizen group is forming to continue generating public support for the trail. More.

6. Citizen Education Workshops and Events. A number of citizens can claim mastery of Planning 101 and Smart Growth 101 thanks to PSG's Citizen Education Workshops, held in May and June in collaboration with the Capital Region Land Conservancy. Elected officials Jimmy Burrell from New Kent and Marleen Durfee from Chesterfield shared insights on the value of citizen engagement in planning. Citizen groups Powhatan Tomorrow and Coalition for Hanover's Future held quality events in their communities to educate the public about good planning principles and practices. More.

7. Scoot Richmond Scooter Raffle. Thanks to the generosity of Scoot Richmond and Chelsea Lahmers, PSG raised $2400 - the cost of a Scooter - with our awesome Scooter Raffle. We appreciate everyone who participated! We drew the winning ticket in May at the Rockett's Landing Triathlon. More.

8. Goochland Garden Party. In May, over 130 Goochland residents gathered to celebrate shared values of conservation and rural heritage at an education event and wine and cheese social at Tuckahoe Plantation. PSG partnered with Goochland County to present a Seminar on Rural Villages in November. More.

9. PSG Land Use and Transportation Work Group. Throughout the year, PSG identified regional leaders and representatives of non-profits and businesses to serve on our PSG Richmond regional Land Use and Transportation Work Group, hosted by First Market Bank. The Work Group advised PSG's strategic approach to bring smarter, more sustainable planning to Richmond. A complete list is below.