The gate is finished at the Carver Garden and the veggies are really coming in!

The Center for Neighborhood Empowerment and Enterprise Development (C-NEED) is sponsoring a “Yes, We Can” Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, July 22, to develop strategies to create jobs, build affordable housing and create more vibrant neighborhoods. [via]

The “Yes We Can” Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday July 22, at Ebenezer Baptist Church , 216 W. Leigh Street. The meeting which starts at 6 P.M seeks to gain input from citizens in the creation of what is being called the “Peoples Platform”. The “Peoples Platform’ will include innovative strategies to end poverty, create jobs, build truly affordable housing, develop alternatives to crime and build vibrant neighborhoods. The “Yes We Can” meeting is non partisan and not connected to the Obama Campaign. It however fully endorses the concept of “Change” and is a response to concerns that many important issues are not being addressed in the platforms of candidates. According to Lillie A. Estes, a planning committee member, “Change begins at home”. Through the People’s Platform, for the first time citizens will have a chance to direct what the “Changes” for Richmond should be. Candidates for mayor, school board and city council will be invited to attend however, unlike “meet the candidates’ forums” they will not be allowed to use the meeting to make campaign speeches. It is the hope of the planning team that the “Peoples Platform” will be a document that will guide political candidates and serve as a tool to hold them accountable after they are elected. For more information call 648-4800 or email grchh1@gmail.com.

The Richmond Voice, going out into the neighborhood, has found black business owners in the Jackson Ward area are generally supportive of the Downtown Plan so far. The article quotes one anonymous business owner saying that he did not find anything controversial in the plan and that is the reason for him not attending the meetings, another says “it will be great”, and a third says “it’s well deserved and I hope that all taxpayers in the city will be able to take advantage of it”.

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Tuesday Verses; An Aquatic Branch of the Underground Railroad: The James River and the Keziah Affair of 1858; Bend Your Ear; MORE…

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Style Weekly’s John G. Haddad gets to The Black Sheep and has good things to say:

It’s comfort food with flair, all reasonably priced. Roberts and Hess made a conscious decision to price their meals moderately to attract the wide range of clientele that the Carver neighborhood draws. So far it’s working for the diverse distribution of neighborhood, student and foodie guests.

The City of Richmond Planning Commission will hold what may be the last public hearing on the June 2008 Revised Draft Downtown Master Plan TONIGHT, July 7 @6:30PM on the 5th floor conference room in city hall. John Sarvay over at Buttermilk&Molasses has a timely update and recap on the Richmond Downtown Master Plan.

The Richmond Parcel Mapper is a map of the city of Richmond that “permits querying and display of real estate Parcels”, and can also be used as an interactive map of the various Council Districts.

Where is there free wi-fi in the Carver or Jackson Ward areas? (&props to wotbn for the good question)

From the May 20 minutes of the HJWA association:

Several members were quite vocal about the presence of a new enterprise located at First and Clay Streets called the “Golden Goat.” Other than the proprietors not coming before HJWA to introduce its business for feedback; the membership felt it unsightly and against the image that the community is trying to create for itself. Most members felt it looked like a pawn shop that is in no way representative of the type of business that would maintain the community’s integrity. There was also a great deal of concern that it could attract crime.

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Are you interested in starting a community garden in your neighborhood? Tricycle Gardens is hosting 4 identical workshops on how to jump start a community garden. Covered will be the nuts and bolts of what it takes to get a garden off the ground, and sustain it. Wednesday June 25th, Wednesday July 9th, Wednesday July 30th, and Wednesday August 13th. All workshops are free, and are from 6:30-9pm, at the Tricycle Gardens office: 211 W. 7th St in old Manchester. More information is available by emailing lisa@tricyclegardens.org or phone 231-7767

Style Weekly’s Short Order has the word on the opening of the cafe Ambiance @ 415 North First Street, describing it as “contemporary fare in a lovely, rustic setting (formerly Anniebell’s), with an emphasis on freshness and affordability — oxtail, pork chops, full breakfasts, Southern side dishes and desserts. Open daily. 608-0998.”

richmond.com’s Art Library shines the light on Gallery5’s move to open a community library, resource center and meeting space:

“We are going to have a ton of books for people to read, comfy furniture to sit on, art to look at, free coffee and maybe even some community instruments for people to play,” said Gallery5’s assistant director Kevin Orlosky.

“Our ultimate goal is to have the space used by community members to hang out, educate themselves and meet new people, without the tension of a corporate atmosphere,” Orlosky said. “It will be open to artist groups, activist groups or even local business organizations to conduct meetings. We really want it to feel like you’re sitting down in your own living room.”