ABC/Code Enforcement/Zoning:
Contact: Lee Downey (e) Lee Downey (h) 354-1942

Code Enforcement - Following the FDA's mission statement of being dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the area, this committee works very hard to bring severe city code building violations to the attention of our city managers for corrective action. The work of this committee has resulted in certain neighborhood buildings being addressed by the City of Richmond's Operation Squalor and Community Assisted Public Safety (CAPS) programs.
|Committee Profile

Zoning - With direction of its Board of Directors, the Fan District Association actively participates in zoning variance, and Special Use Permit requests that come before the City's Board of Zoning Appeals and City Council and takes a position on the request in accordance with the FDA's mission statement. Once the City notifies us of a pending case, the committee then reviews the proposal, visits the property, meets with the property owner or representative, and talks to immediate neighbors of the property. After these steps, the committee makes a recommendation to the FDA Board. Then, following the directive affirmed by the Board's vote, the Zoning Committee Chairman attends the appropriate meeting to present the FDA's position. Position possibilities include opposing the request, not opposing the request, or supporting the request.

The Zoning Committee meets the Tuesday before the scheduled FDA monthly meeting, which is normally the second Tuesday before the first scheduled BZA meetings. The meeting is held at the FDA Office at 208 Strawberry Street. Committee Profile

Click to download helpful information about Variances
Zoning Variances in the Fan District -Timeline and Helpful Tips

Building:
Contact: Denny Fox (h) 353-7883 (e) Denny Fox
Committee Profile

Furnish and maintain the FDA headquarters building (208 W. Strawberry St.) so that the exterior of the building is an asset to the neighborhood and the interior serves the needs of the Board and community.

Community Grants:
Contact: Jim Klaus (h) 519-7011 (e) grants@fandistrict.org
Committee Profile

The Grants Committee works with local non-profit organizations, Fan District school PTA’s, and other groups interested in projects that improve the life and environment of the Fan.  Most grants are given to match donations of time and money already raised by the groups sponsoring the projects.  Recent grants have included the rain garden at Binford School, Federal Park’s playground equipment, sponsorship of the Fox School Strawberry Street Festival, and alley beautification along West Grace Street.
Process and Procedures
Community Grants On-line Application

Education:

Contact: Sandra Swalley 359-7259

Committee Profile

The Education and Schools committee is designed to offer organized support to the two city schools located in the Fan: Fox Elementary and Binford Middle. The Committee reinforces the concept that education is not only in the hands of the city, but also in the hands of the neighborhood that it serves. The support includes working with the parent/teacher organizations of both schools to assess needs, providing assistance to students in both schools such as mentoring programs, and strengthening each school's relationship with the neighborhood.

Environment:
Contact: Lee Downey (h) 354-1942 (e) ldowney@mckinney-usa.com
Committee Profile

The most important function of this committee is to coordinate the alley clean up twice a year, usually April and October. This involves contacting the city to reserve the trucks, publicity, recruiting volunteers, providing refreshments and delegating truck captains. This effort requires more than 50 volunteers. Additionally, this committee attends court hearings, when possible, on graffiti cases and maintains resource files on graffiti-related issues. The chair of this committee often handles calls from Fan residents during the year concerning excessive trash or construction debris and then follows up with the appropriate city officials responsible for handling these complaints.

Fanfare:
Editor: Tucker Greer(h) (e) Editor
Committee Profile

FanFare is a neighborhood newsletter published by the Fan District Association (FDA) for the residents and businesses of the Fan.
Published eight times a year, its focus is to highlight events and activities within the Fan and neighboring communities that may be of interest to those within the Fan.
FanFare is distributed to its readers by three methods: central site pickup, email or mail. Readers have the option to select their desired method.
FanFare readership extends outside the Fan thanks to mail and electronic subscriptions.
If you want to help as a writer or editor for the FanFare, please contact Editor via email at fanfare@fandistrict.org.


Holiday House Tour:

Chair: Janet Heltzel, email janet.heltzel@garden-place.com or phone 340-1955

The annual Holiday House Tour is the Fan District Association's only fund raising event. Proceeds of this grand event, now in its 47th. year, fund neighborhood improvement projects all year long. This December event requires over 300 volunteers and planning begins in February of each year. To make this tour happen, we need people to: volunteer their homes to be on tour, serve as hosts in the featured homes, plan and coordinate the tour volunteer party, deliver and place posters, assist in ticket and ornament sales, publicize the tour through the media, serve refreshments to tour visitors, solicit donations and sponsorships, and the list goes on. So, if you like old houses, like people, like to make others feel welcome, like being part of a winning team, call to volunteer! (updated 10/22/2009)

Lighting Project:
Contact:Barbara Hartung (h) 353-6699 (e) Barbara Hartung
Committee Profile

The mission of the Lighting Committee is to help preserve the historic character of the Fan District by installing additional lighting intended to enhance the safety and aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood

Master Plan/Neighborhood Design:
Contact: VACANT
Committee Profile

The mission of the Master Plan Committee is to evaluate community needs regarding land use, transportation, public facilities and infrastructure, and develop a long-range plan of goals to be accomplished by the City of Richmond.

Membership:
Contact: Adella Watlington (h)355-5678 (e) membership@fandistrict.org
Contact: Wilbur Thompson (h) 283-0212 (e) Wilbur

As we are currently organized, membership is not a multi-person committee, but is a function that is handled by our Membership Chairman. The role of the Membership Chairman is to maintain a roster of current members, solicit new members, and coordinate procedures for membership renewal.

Neighborhood Patrol: INACTIVE at Present Time
Contact: VACANT

Parking:

Contact: Denny Fox (h) 353-7883 (e) parking@fandistrict.org

Contact: Tom Lisk (h )355-5678 (e) tlisk@eckertseamans.com

The mission of the parking committee is to study the parking in the fan district and make recommendations to the board to improve the quality of life for all residents. The committee has been tasked with a re-design of the Fan Restricted Parking District (Decal Parking Area) located in the lower fan. In addition the parking committee is responsible for developing a list of all businesses that have gotten zoning approval based on leasing parking from other sources and managing this list. Violators with be referred to the Zoning Chair. Committee Profile

Procedures for Expanding a Parking District

Public Relations:
Contact:VACANT (e) Public Relations
Committee Profile

The Public Relations Committee's mission is to improve and enhance the image of the Fan and FDA through positive publicity and presence at key events.

The Committee will help identify potential stories about Fan businesses, Fan schools, life in the Fan, FDA committees, FDA accomplishments, etc., to be written for Fanfare or for a press release to outside media. We will work with the Fan Woman's Club to support them in updating and distributing the Fan brochure. We will also work with the Webmaster to monitor the Web site for comprehensive, positive coverage of relevant Fan information. We will work with the media to build relationships and educate media contacts on Fan facts, such as our boundaries.

Parks and Trees:
Contact: Betsy Coffield (h) 358-2917 (e)Betsy Coffield
Committee Profile

The mission of the Parks and Trees Committee is to enhance the quality of green space and urban forestry in the Fan District. Green space includes the various pocket parks, triangular parks, and medians throughout the District. Urban forestry includes street trees, median trees and tree wells. Current projects include an upgrade of Sydney Park (improved turf, additional landscaping, new pavers, and new park furniture) and Allen Avenue (infill trees, improved turf, irrigation). Funding for projects comes from a mix of resident and business donations, city government agencies, and City Council discretionary funds. This is an excellent committee for those for you who love our city green space and want to work to maintain, expand, and enhance our surroundings!

Municipal Tree Policy (rev 1/20/2009)

Programs:
Contact: Jane Hotchkiss
(e) Jan Hotchkiss

Every year the FDA Program chair is responsible for organizing the FDA Annual Meeting/Dinner as well as the Summer Concert Series. The committee wants to take the FDA programs to new and exciting heights!
Committee Profile

Safety:
Contact:John Gilbody (h) 545-6782 (e) John
Committee Profile

The purpose of this committee is to help provide information and programs related to area crime and crime prevention. The Committee holds a town meeting on Public Safety annually. Other recent projects include a picnic to kick off Neighborhood Night Out in August, 1998, starting and maintaining a crime/safety hot line, distributing "refrigerator" magnets showing the hot line phone number (796-SAFE), and sponsoring several presentations by the police on Self Defense for Women. The Party Patrol is managed by this committee.

VCU Liaison:
Contact: Jim Vigeant   (h) 353-4447 (e) Jim Vigeant

VCU liaison serves on the VCU Committee for Government and Community Affairs. This VCU committee meets quarterly and is comprised of representatives form the university, adjoining neighborhood and civic associations, and neighboring business. The purpose is to encourage dialogue and communication among the many groups of people who share working, living, and playing space in the Fan with the long-range goal of fostering better neighbor relations. Most recently, the need for more police presence in the densely populated Lower Fan has led to the VCU police now being permitted to patrol the Lower Fan as far west as Lombardy Street. The city police still have jurisdiction in the area, but the cooperation of the VCU police helps to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood.

Web Site:
Webmaster: Brian Baird (h) 355.4703 (e)webmaster@fandistrict.org
Committee Profile

The Web site committee was formed in late 1998 and introduced fandistrict.org in January of1999. The Fan site is an exciting new way for FDA members to receive information on FDA events, reminders, official Board minutes, important dates, local businesses and restaurants, etc. We work with all of the other FDA committees as an important communication tool for all Fan residents. The goal of the web site committee is to ensure that fandistrict.org can grow with our members needs and desires in the future. the exciting possibilities are endless as technology evolves! Download Website Policy

Welcome:
Contact: Kathy Garvin (e) Kathy Garvin

This committee's purpose is to make it easier for newcomers to feel a part of the community, and also to help new members realize how vital their participation is to the ongoing effectiveness of the Fan District Association as a relevant civic association.