Meet Our Team: Max Hepp-Buchanan

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Plain and simple, I believe in Downtown Richmond. I don’t think there is a person out there who thinks our downtown is perfect, but it is getting better all the time. The desire to help improve upon, promote, and activate the transportation and public space elements of downtown is what drew me to this role at Venture Richmond.

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I was proud to see Richmond’s second, but longest, protected bike lane installed on Franklin Street about a year ago, running from Belvidere Street to 9th Street. This makes east/west travel through downtown really easy and safe for people riding bikes. But we still need some better north/south routes, particularly for getting to the riverfront, across the river, and into surrounding neighborhoods. We also have some sidewalk issues in downtown where people in wheelchairs or pushing strollers really have hard time. I am looking forward to working with the City of Richmond to tackle some of these issues and make Richmond’s downtown the most bicycle and pedestrian friendly in the nation.

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I can tell you what I would like the experience to be for the next 10 years and beyond. I would like to retain some of the wild and untamed elements of the James River Park System while offering more opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, and income-levels to access what I think makes Richmond amazing: the James River. You should not be required to own a car to access the James River, nor should you have to be able-bodied in order to reach its most beautiful attractions. I think we must find ways to create an accessible path network and designate public space that is reachable by transit while also protecting the single-track network and making sure our trails are well maintained and fun to be on.

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Placemaking in this context is really about inspiring Richmonders to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of social interactions in our downtown and riverfront. For me, an effective placemaking process results in the creation of inviting public spaces that contribute to Richmond’s health, happiness, and well-being. People who want to learn more about placemaking should check out Project for Public Spaces.

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The T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge is a perfect example of this. We’re not just talking about a bridge from one point to another – it has become a place within itself. There are places to linger, watch wildlife, and take in the power of the James River. I would like to find ways to further enhance either end of the bridge, particularly on Brown’s Island. Another example is the Low Line, courtesy of Capital Trees, which has enhanced the beauty and comfort of the Virginia Capital Trail through landscaping. I also think the transformation of Grace Street into a two-way slow-speed street has done wonders for Grace becoming more of a vibrant downtown street. Two-way streets help support healthy cities by facilitating social interaction as they cross each other’s paths – even things as minor as more eye contact and smiles.

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This usually involves witnessing the ribbon cutting of a transformational project, whether it’s the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge in 2016 with Mayor Jones or the Franklin Street protected bike lane with Mayor Stoney in 2018. Both of those projects required a ton of advocacy, community engagement, and sleepless nights to get to that point, and I am honored to have played a role in both of those success stories.

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One thing that blew my mind when I moved here was the Pipeline Walk. Such a thing does not exist in Seattle! Or if it does, it’s surrounded by barbed wire. I love all the adventures that are just wanting to be found in downtown and in the James River Park System.

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Good restaurants and breweries. Just kidding! But I do think we are lacking a bit in affordable housing, public plazas with shade and seating, artistic crosswalks, a network of protected bike lanes, activated alleyways, and street performers – all things I expect to see in a vibrant and healthy downtown. I also think we have too many surface level parking lots, but there’s an opportunity there to transform those lots into great buildings and places that invite these other things that I would like to see more of.

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I do this for people as often as possible. I would meet you at the Maggie Walker plaza, walk through the Arts District to the riverfront, across the Potterfield Bridge and back, down the pipeline walk, Canal Walk, and Low Line (I hope you have your walking shoes on!). We’d grab a beer at Stone, take the Pulse back to Grace Street and get food in our bellies, grab an RVA Bike Share bike, and go see some live music at Brown’s Island.

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Three words: urban adventure playground.

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I want everybody in Richmond to be able to have the same quality of riverfront experience I am privileged enough to have, regardless of their age, race, ability, income-level, where they live, or how they get around.