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RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia has permanently protected 14.5 acres on Mayo's Island, clearing the way for the City of Richmond to transform the underused island in the heart of the James River into a more natural, public park.
A new conservation and open-space easement that protects the property from development, finalized yesterday, is co-held by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC), an accredited nonprofit land trust in Richmond. The easement was required under state grant programs that supported the project. In 2022, DCR awarded a $7.5 million Community Flood Preparedness Fund grant to the city and the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation awarded a $1.5 million grant to CRLC for the protection and restoration of Mayo's Island.
The city, which acquired the property in January 2024, pursuant to the grant funding, will manage it as part of Richmond's James River Park System.
"Virginia is rich with an abundance of best-in-class outdoor recreational opportunities, and Richmond has the unique distinction of being the only urban city in the country that sits on Class IV rapids," said Governor Glenn Youngkin. "By establishing this new park and greenspace, visitors in the greater Richmond region, the Commonwealth and the world can come and enjoy the wonders of the James River."
Previously home to a baseball stadium, boat club and music venue, the island also has a history of flooding over the past three centuries. City plans call for removing asphalt parking lots and industrial buildings and planting mixes of meadow grasses and various other plants, including wildflowers.
"This project could not have occurred without the partnership between the Commonwealth, the City of Richmond, and the Capital Region Land Conservancy," said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Stefanie Taillon. "Through collaborative funding sources, like the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and the Community Flood Preparedness Fund, we are able to deliver on projects, such as Mayo's Island, that transform properties into new opportunities for recreation and protection."
The Community Flood Preparedness Fund was established in 2020 to support localities across Virginia to plan for and increase their capacity to reduce the risk of flooding and implement flood mitigation projects. With its purchase of Mayo's Island, the City of Richmond aims to provide floodplain and wetlands restoration and the installation of forested buffers, while permanently protecting it from future development by converting existing pavement and buildings on the island to parkland.
"The transformation of Mayo's Island into open space will provide significant environmental and flood resilience benefits, while at the same time creating a much-needed recreational outlet for the area," said DCR Director Matthew Wells. "DCR is proud to partner with the City of Richmond and Capital Region Land Conservancy to help protect and restore Mayo's Island in the heart of the James River."
Phased demolition is expected to begin on the east side of the island before the end of the year, with an opening of the new park planned for October 2026.
"As the City of Richmond welcomes Mayo Island into the James River Park System, we celebrate more than a land purchase and the establishment of the conservation easement," said Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. "We celebrate the power of vision, the strength of partnership, and our shared commitment to a thriving Richmond - one where our environment is sustainable, our neighborhoods are strong, and our river continues to flow at the heart of our city's life."
Since 2021, CRLC has been championing the long-envisioned plans to make Mayo's Island a public park. The organization raised an additional $1 million towards the purchase of the land, applied for the VLCF grant, and conducted substantial due diligence for the city to consummate the acquisition from the Shaia Family, the previous landowners.
"Following the success of other DCR co-held riverfront conservation easement projects like Dock Street and Brander Street, CRLC recognized the unique timing for state grant funding that could fulfill the City's comprehensive plan by working to acquire Mayo's Island," said CRLC President L. Preston Bryant Jr. "We understood the singular opportunity this presented and also its challenges but were undeterred as our dedicated staff partnered with an incredible team to protect these additional 14.5 acres. It is therefore with great privilege that CRLC has assembled 25 acres of additional parkland on the James River in downtown Richmond since 2021."
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