Join the Richmond Food Co-op

The Richmond Food Co-op is a member-owned, full service grocery providing affordable, local, sustainable and healthy food options.

The store, planned for Scotts Addition, will provide food products from local suppliers who use environmentally and socially responsible practices and access to organic and local crops at often lower prices because of bulk purchases. The co-op store will be open to the public. Members receive discounted prices.

Members become part owners of the store and share in the profits. Memberships begin at $150 a year per adult, with deductions for larger households. There’s a $25 joining fee per household for members. Participants in SNAP/EBT, WIC, SSI, Medicaid, Family Health Plus, Section 8 Housing, and Advantage programs can join for $15.

The co-op blogs at www.richmondfoodcoop.blogspot.com. You can "like" them on Facebook at Richmondfoodcoop and follow them on Twitter at @RVAfoodcoop.

Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit

Supporting Bus Rapid Transit is part of the city's Sustainability Plan. A BRT dedicated lane on the roadway increases the bus' ability to move quickly through downtown traffic. BRT offers improved travel times, reliability, safety and security, and moves commuters at a higher capacity, reducing the need for downtown parking, and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

Population densities above 10,000 people per square mile are amenable to higher transit use, and this includes the Monroe Ward (the area immediately east and south of Belvidere and Broad), the Fan, areas around Virginia Commonwealth University, and the surrounding Richmond Redevelopment and Housing authority communities. These areas are also major employment hubs.

BRT offers many of the advantages of rail transit at a more affordable cost using new routes, high quality stations, and roadway improvements.

The Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) study team presented the latest plans to improve transit service along the seven mile length of Broad Street from Rocketts Landing east of downtown Richmond to Willow Lawn just over the city limits line to the public in August.

The study website and electronic comment form, with corridor maps

To send comments by mail, address them to Larry Hagin, Director of Planning, GRTC Transit System, 301 E. Belt Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224

Buses Running on Compressed Natural Gas

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones presided at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueled buses on Aug. 1, at the GRTC Transit System Maintenance Facility on East Belt Boulevard. Following the ribbon cutting, the bus carried the Mayor back to City Hall.

In 2011, the Mayor’s Office met with GRTC officials about the benefits of transitioning the bus fleet to CNG fueled vehicles as retired buses were replaced. The benefits included significantly reduced fuel costs, improved air quality, and reduced noise pollution. GRTC initiated the procedure to replace vehicles, as they were retired from the fleet, with new CNG fueled vehicles for both its paratransit and fixed route services.

In early July 2013, GRTC received its first shipment of 8 CNG buses, with plans for an additional 21 to arrive at the end of the year. GRTC already has 15 CNG paratransit vans that have been in service since November 2012, and has 15 additional vans on order.

To support the transition to CNG fueled vehicles, GRTC’s maintenance and fueling facilities are being modified to accommodate CNG vehicles. A new CNG fueling station that will be located at the GRTC facility is scheduled to break ground in October 2013.

Meanwhile, at Richmond International Airport, nine CNG shuttle buses were put into service on Aug. 8 to carry customers from the terminal to the economy parking facilities, and a CNG fueling station was built on airport property.