Once a promising and exciting projection of Richmond’s future, the southern waterfront in the last two years has seen a shocking reversal of fortune.
After years hosting events attended by thousands, the Craneway Pavilion, after a flash in the pan run as a pickleball club, has gone dark. Along with it, Assemble Restaurant is also vacant.
Figure 1 – Once, thousands thronged to events in the Craneway
Figure 2 – Even the pickleball courts are now gone
Next door, the Rosie the Riveter WW II Home Front National Historical Park Visitors Center has been closed by the Trump Administration government shutdown.
Figure 3 – Visitor Center closed by Trump
Across the channel, the once lively Riggers Loft, has been forced out of business by the Richmond City Council.
Figure 4 – The last glass of wine was poured at the Riggers Loft a week ago
At the geographic protrusion that is the namesake of “Point Richmond,” and therefore, the City of “Richmond,” Terminal One remains vacant with its 100-year-old buildings burned out, vandalized,
and covered with graffiti.
Figure 5 – Terminal One fire
With the exception of the Visitor Center, all of these vacancies are a result of Richmond City Council action or inaction. Developing the City’s stunning waterfront and attracting visitors to
enjoy it used to be a priority for the City Council, but all that has changed. Instead, the City Council is focused on supporting Hamas, decimating the police force, and doing everything they can to discourage new businesses and housing developers.
Meanwhile, the mayor has been focusing on places a long way from Richmond. Two years ago, instead of promoting tourism to Richmond, he was in China attending the International Islands Tourism
Conference in Zhoushan. He has also been to Cuba and just recently established a sister city in Palestine.
Two huge opportunities for Richmond are at its port (the maritime industry and offshore wind power) and tourism,” Martinez said in the email. “Zhoushan has managed to excel in both areas in a relatively
short amount of time, and we have a lot to learn from their development activities. This is the primary goal of this trip.”
In a couple of weeks, Mayor Martinez will once again travel to China to at a cost of $5,000 to the City to discuss “tourism and economic development.”
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