Mayor Avula talks reelection, reopening Observation Deck in Reddit AMA
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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:
👀 Richmond is launching an "Infrastructure Council" in May that will assess the conditions of city-owned buildings, roads and facilities.
🏀 There's a rooftop basketball court coming to Church Hill in June.