Latest news with #Avula
Axios
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Richmond's Allianz Amphitheater: What to know before you go
Allianz Amphitheater — Richmond's newest, 7,500-seat music venue — opens this weekend. Why it matters: We got a sneak peek into what concertgoers can expect at the 30-plus shows planned through October, starting with Rick Springfield on Saturday. The big picture: The general admission entrance is off Fifth Street, where you'll walk down a long-ish bridge before entering the venue. The bathrooms are immediately to the left, and the first line of bars, which are stationed throughout the amphitheater's perimeter, are to the right. The entire venue is cashless, and doesn't have wristbands for people 21 and up — which means you'll have to show ID every time you get alcohol. Zoom in: The bars are stocked with liquor including Tito's Vodka and Grey Goose and will offer canned wines, beer like Modelo and Michelob Ultra — and local ones from Starr Hill — and White Claw and Smirnoff seltzers. You'll also have the chance to get a shaker cup cocktail, such as a cherry bourbon lemonade, strawberry vodka lemonade and a watermelon chili marg. Some NA options include: a sparkling ginger peach iced tea and a watermelon Red Bull with strawberry lemonade. If you go: Drink prices vary depending on the event, per organizers, but beers will start at $5. The food: There will be 12 different food trucks cycling in and out throughout the season, a spokesperson tells Axios. They'll include Goatocado, Smokie Joe's BBQ, Timber Pizza, Four Brothers, Scoop O Dough and more. Getting there: The Amphitheater has a map of places to park that are within a 15-minute walk of the venue. Per the organizers, the closest Pulse bus stop is a 13-minute walk away, but the GRTC has a stop at Second Street and Brown's Island via Route 87, which runs every hour. We'd personally Uber (drop off at the Seventh Street roundabout by the CoStar building) or park across the bridge in Southside and walk over. What's allowed: Clear bags smaller than 12" by 6" by 12" Non-clear bags smaller than 6" by 9" Small blankets Factory-sealed water bottles What's not allowed: Weapons, empty containers, aerosols over 5 ounces, outdoor food or drink, hula hoops, flashlights, music instruments or outside chairs (you can rent one for $15). What we're watching: Most of the shows are around sunset, but after the community preview Wednesday night, people took to social media to critique the lack of shade. They also wondered whether the bathroom situation would work during a sold-out show. Fun fact: Mayor Avula tells Axios if he wasn't going to be out of town when Counting Crows (July 12) and Dave Matthews Band (July 15 and 16) perform, those are the concerts he'd get tickets to.
Axios
20-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Richmond homeowners face tax chaos after 33,000 billing errors
It's a confusing time to be a Richmond homeowner. Why it matters: The past few months have been full of city flubs, which include thousands of property owners receiving the wrong tax rebate checks and getting real estate tax bills meant for their mortgage lenders. The latest: Those real estate tax bills were sent over the weekend after a system error messed up at least 33,000 taxpayer records, per a city release. The mistake left multiple residents — including Mayor Danny Avula — stressed and confused over whether the bill was real, and they owed money, or whether they should ignore it. One bill obtained by Axios said to pay by June 14 to avoid late fees and interest. Zoom in: Now, officials are telling taxpayers whose mortgage lenders typically handle these bills to do nothing. To make sure the payment is covered, you can call your lender. Taxpayers who've accidentally paid twice can request a refund by calling 311 or logging into their online account. If you don't have a mortgage lender and typically pay your real estate tax bills yourself, do so before June 14, the city says. Meanwhile, thousands of Richmond homeowners are still awaiting the tax rebate checks initially promised early this year (now arriving by June 30) after: The city sent checks last year to the wrong people and properties that didn't exist. Some of the correctly issued checks bounced. What's next: The Department of Finance, which many Richmonders have lost trust in after years of failures, and the real estate tax billing vendor are investigating what happened with the system error and are working to fix the issue. Avula, in a statement Tuesday, said he's "personally spending time" with finance department staff to "understand the breakdowns that occurred." He also said he plans to bring in an expert on improving communication and processes "to prevent this type of issue from happening again." The department just finished fixing more than 200 Richmonders' incorrect personal property tax bills, which are due June 5.
Axios
30-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Richmond mayor slashes city credit card use after scandals
Mayor Avula announced Wednesday that he's cracking down on how government employees use city-issued credit cards following some questionable purchases. Why it matters: Avula has previously acknowledged wanting to rebuild the fractured public trust in City Hall, which has stemmed partly from how taxpayer dollars are spent. Driving the news: In a release, Avula said the number of city-issued credit cards (known as p-cards) will drop from 320 to about 60 by next Friday. The only allowable purchases, per Avula, are those needed for public health and safety reasons. That means no food, Amazon or travel-related purchases while the city figures out how to "reset" the p-card program. Flashback: A city watchdog report last fall found Richmond's elections office wasted nearly $500,000 in taxpayer money through p-card purchases that included remodeling the office, buying lingerie and helping pay for two workers' college tuition. And just this week, the RTD reported that a former employee is under investigation for allegations that he racked up nearly $40,000 on his p-card for his own company. What's next: Avula says the city plans to redesign the program over the next two to three months "in an effective way that really serves Richmonders" before relaunching it.
Axios
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Mayor Avula talks reelection, reopening Observation Deck in Reddit AMA
Mayor Avula's "Ask Me Anything" thread on RVA Reddit this week is offering a snapshot of where Richmonders stand after his first 100-ish days in office. Why it matters: It's been a long 100 days. The big picture: Questions in the thread, which has nearly 600 comments, revolved largely around housing, cost of living, transportation, speeding, gun violence, frustration with city services and the budget. Zoom in: We combed through the responses and found some gems Avula sprinkled into his responses, from the "serious" to how much he tips. The serious: 🏃 He plans to run for reelection (a common thing Richmond mayors do). 🏢 The Department of General Services is working on a plan that could include reopening access to the Observation Deck at City Hall, which has been closed since 2020. 🏠 He's hoping the zoning ordinance rewrite will help reduce rents by making it easier to build more housing. 💰 The city is also considering the idea of "tiny homes" to help with the affordable housing crisis. 🏗️ He still wants to do something about the area around the Coliseum, years after City Council killed the controversial Navy Hill project. The lighthearted: ❤️ He has weekly date nights with his wife, a few weekly family dinners and goes to his kids' games when he can. 💀 When asked if he could confirm whether or not you can get chlamydia from the James River, he said, "Depends on what you're doing in the river?" 🎭 Former Mayor Stoney gave Avula "a massive poster of his face for me to admire" as a prank before leaving office. 💅🏼 He tips 20%, minimum. 🍽️ His go-to restaurants when out-of-town friends are visiting: Heritage, L'Opossum, Grisette, and Edo's. 🦅 He's an Eagles fan. The immediate future:
Axios
14-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Richmond bills set to climb this summer
Locals who live in or visit the city of Richmond should expect to pay a little more for services and fees later this year, The Richmonder's Graham Moomaw reports. Why it matters: If all the proposed increases are approved, coupled with a likely coming-soon increase from Dominion Energy, Richmonders will be paying just over $26 more a month for their regular bills starting this summer. The big picture: Mayor Avula's proposed city budget for the next fiscal year includes fee increases for roughly half a dozen city services or fines, from parking and recycling to trash pickup and water bills, per The Richmonder's review. By the numbers: ♻️ Monthly recycling fees would go from $2.99 ➡️ $4.33. 🗑️ Solid waste charge (aka, trash pickup), from $23.75 a month ➡️ $24.75. ⏱️ On-street parking via meters, from $2 an hour ➡️ $2.50 an hour. 🚗 Parking in a city-owned lot or deck, from $1, $2 or $5 an hour ➡️ $2, $3 or $6 an hour, while monthly parkers who currently pay between $55 and $155 would pay $5 more. 🅿️ Parking tickets, from $25 ➡️ $30. 🧯Tickets if you block a fire hydrant or park on the sidewalk (which can include one tire slightly on the curb, per our lived experience), $40 ➡️ $50. That's in addition to a possible $12.83 monthly utility bill hike for gas, water and wastewater, as Axios previously reported. Meanwhile, Dominion Energy petitioned the SCC this month to approve rate increases that would raise Virginia's power bills by around 15% over the next two years, per VPM. If approved, bills would go up by $10.92 in July and then another $10.51 over the next two years.
