Development at Point Molate

By Rhonda F. Harris

I want to find ways to bring our City leaders, neighborhood organizations, non-profits, and community organizations together to move our City forward.

I think we should ask the voters if they favor development at Point Molate, not if they favor the construction of a casino. I think we should not restrict potential development to a casino. The City Council often spends years debating proposed development projects without ever making a decision. The question "yes" or "no" vote has divided our neighborhoods, churches and communities. I want to take actions that bring us closer together not divide us. We should follow a standard process and accept proposals for development and make decisions based on what is best for the City.

As a general contractor, I know that the City gains economic strength from the creation of new jobs during construction and a consistent stream of revenues from taxes employed Richmond residents during operation. It should not matter if the development is a casino. What matters is how many jobs it will create during construction and how many Richmond residents will have full time jobs in the new facilities (casino or not) in the future.

As a City Council person, that is one of the standards I will be considering for development projects on the North Richmond Shoreline and throughout the City. As a City Council person, I will be seeking development opportunities that enable expansion of existing small businesses and encourage the re-location of new industries providing jobs for Richmond residents.

Finally, the current development proposal offers more than a casino which our citizens are seriously divided on. I find the major amenities such as: the bay trail, the use of a ferry, which so many residents want to see returned, the numerous acres of open space in the front and rear, the 1100 room hotel, the 85 restaurants, the conference center, the performance theater, the restored historic Winehaven District, gardens, playgrounds and green building and landscape design out weights the proposed casino, this project has what it takes to turn our city's image around and attract new businesses that are not afraid to come to Richmond.