THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY 2019 Newspaper Pacemaker Winner
COMMONWEALTHTIMES.ORG @theCT
VOL. 61, NO. 20 FEBRUARY 19, 2020
Men’s hoops fall to Dayton Flyers 66-61 RYAN GRUBE Staff Writer
VCU proposal for Navy Hill in limbo after City Council strikes project The VCU proposal would renovate the area between 9th and 10th streets, and Leigh and Clay streets. Photo by Alessandro Latour
The proposal would renovate block of Navy Hill and add hospitality housing for nonprofits KATIE HOLLOWELL Contributing Writer A VCU proposal to build temporary housing for relatives of long-term hospital patients remains pending a week after Richmond City Council voted to strike down the Navy Hill development plan. The proposal for an area in Navy Hill called “Block D” would include new office spaces for the VCU Medical Center, a facility for the families of pediatric patients and a replacement hospitality house for The Doorways, a nonprofit organization that provides lodging to patients and their families. “It’s also important to note that the D Block development requires the full cooperation and support of the Mayor and City Council to go forward,” VCU spokesperson Michael Porter said. VCU was set to appear in court Feb. 5 to determine if they would hand over documents, but released the “Block D” plan the day before, as reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. VCU rejected a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, filed by nonprofit news site MuckRock, to see any documents or plans between VCU and NH District Corp. Charlie Schmidt, VCU adjunct political science professor and board member for Richmond For All, filed a writ of mandamus asking the court to release the document after VCU rejected the FOIA request. Schmidt said he will drop the case because the news was made public. “No one else was competing for the site development,” Schmidt said in an email. “There was no private hospital trying to swoop in and get the land. There was no competing university or other private
actor vying for the land. This was an exclusive deal between Navy Hill and VCU.” The development would replace the old Richmond Public Services building and renovate the area between 9th and 10th streets, and Leigh to Clay streets. A retail pharmacy, shopping and dining locations, and child care are included in the proposal. The plan would entail a public-private partnership, meaning the city would sell property to a private developer, which then would lease it to VCU. This would allow the development to generate long-term tax revenue for the city. President and CEO of The Doorways Stacy Brinkley said she wants this plan to be a new start for her organization and expand what it can offer for people who use the facility in the future. Brinkley said her organization has to turn away many potential patients and families because of a lack of space. The Doorways’ hospitality house accommodates more than 50,000 nights of service that include lodging, meals and support to 10,000 children and adults on average each year. Almost 50% stay longer than a month, according to VCU Health. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond, or RMHC Richmond, which provides support and housing for families with pediatric patients in the Richmond area. RMHC Richmond executive director Kerry Blumberg said in an email they also face the dilemma of turning families away. Last year, 2,431 nights of care were provided by RMHC Richmond, and studies project that by 2025, 22,630 nights of care will be needed. In 2019, the average length of stay was 8.5 nights according to VCU Health.
Blumberg said a new facility would service 30-40 more pediatric patient families than the current nine that can be accommodated. The new RMHC would include features such as immune-compromised suites, which are designed for patients with low immunity, as well as new community spaces and around 45 more sleep rooms. “Having immune compromised suites (think efficiency apartment) and expanded ADA compliant features will allow us to extend the reach of our mission and help a more diverse population of families, who are faced with a full range of pediatric acute and chronic illnesses,” Blumberg said. The plan calls for an increase in space for The Doorways’ guest rooms, from 115 to 145 rooms, and for RMHC Richmond, from 14 to 60 rooms. Brinkley says this development would ensure that a large, diverse population can continually access medical care and advanced research in our community. He said Richmond will continue to rise in the ranks of cancer research, trials and treatment; bone marrow transplants; organ transplants; rehabilitation from traumatic injuries and more. “When Richmond’s health care ratings rise, so does its ability to attract students, families, retirees and businesses to our community,” Brinkley said. Porter said an estimated timeline for the project would be 36 months, and that it is too early in the process to estimate cost. Richmond City Council voted on the Navy Hill proposal on Feb. 10 and rejected it with a 7-2 vote.
The pilot light was lit ahead of men’s basketball’s matchup against No. 5 Dayton on Tuesday night as Rams fans packed the Siegel Center for VCU’s much-anticipated date with the Flyers. But not enough gas followed for the Rams. Although the crowd brought an uptick in energy following their team’s loss to George Mason last week, the noise was not sufficient. VCU fell 66-61 to ex-Rams coach Anthony Grant and his crew Tuesday, despite freshman guard Bones Hyland’s 18 points. Dayton entered Tuesday’s contest as the highest-ranked opponent VCU has ever welcomed to the Siegel Center. The previous high came when the black and gold took on then-No. 7-ranked Virginia on Nov. 17, 2017 — a game the Rams lost 76-67. VCU fell behind in the early going Tuesday, as the Flyers opened the game on a 6-0 run after 3-pointers by Obi Toppin and Ryan Mikesell found the bottom of the net. But the Rams responded with a quick 7-0 run of their own, finished off by a layup from Hyland, and the Siegel Center was ignited. The Wilmington, Delaware, native started in the place of redshirt-senior guard Marcus Evans, who was active for the game but didn’t receive any playing time. He put together a strong showing before the halftime intermission, dropping 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, 2-for-4 from three, to pace the black and gold in scoring. See MEN'S BASKETBALL on page 5
Freshman guard Bones Hyland totaled 18 points. Photo by Megan Lee
“BRAIDING IS JUST AS TECHNICAL AS GRAPHIC DESIGN”:
Professor draws inspiration from African identity
See BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROFILE on page 7 Illustration by Rey Carlson