Bellemeade

Bellemeade residents believe that if “you build it, they will come”. Just one short adage informs many of the community efforts happening every day within this residential region on Richmond’s southern side. With the James River to its north and Richmond Highway to the west, Bellemeade benefits from being roughly 4 miles from downtown. This proximity to major thoroughfares and public transportation routes means Bellemeade residents don’t have to miss out on metropolitan amenities. Locals can enjoy their own park and community center within the neighborhood or head farther afield for more recreational options. The area is bordered by several industrial businesses, but organizers and neighborhood leaders are the true heart and soul of Bellemeade. Advocacy abounds, as local groups like GroundworkRVA, RVA Thrives, and the James River Association venture to create a more connected community, with a more sustainable environmental infrastructure.

Bellemeade offers a narrow array of home styles, primarily featuring one-story capes with wraparound yards and street parking. Larger two-story homes are interspersed throughout the neighborhood, with some newer construction toward the western side in areas like Mimosa Creek Circle. Home prices in Bellemeade are generally below the national average, but the area is considered an Opportunity Zone by the state, offering tax incentives to those investing in neighborhood growth.

The Bellemeade neighborhood rests near Richmond Highway and Commerce Road.

The heart of Bellemeade is its community center, located alongside Bellemeade Park. The complex provides easy access to exercise facilities like basketball courts, a fitness room and swimming pool, as well as other recreational amenities like the kitchen, computer lab, and game room. Residents can take a class in dance, sports, cooking, computers and more. The center also hosts community events, workshops and tournaments.

Bellemeade Park serves as the cornerstone of the Bellemeade community. Situated just behind Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School, the multifunctional green space reimagines the boundaries of the traditional classroom and, thus, is more aptly referred to as an Outdoor Learning Campus. The 6-acre public domain features two forested trails, a wildflower garden, a sustainable wildlife ecosystem, and a flowing stream which is often used to teach water quality testing. Volunteers at Bellemeade Park operate under the principle that “if you nurture something, it will grow”, and regularly actualize this proverb by planting new trees and maintaining the park’s growing bee apiary, which they employ to educate visitors on the importance of bees and pollination. The park also offers several opportunities for community building and enrichment; offerings include regular flyfishing lessons, a weekly “Mom’s Club” for mothers and their young children, and an intuitive bike program within which individuals may volunteer to work in the on-site Bike shop – learning to make minor repairs – in exchange for their own free, refurbished bicycle.

As a part of the Richmond Public School system, Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School provides resources in both English and Spanish to students and parents. While currently rated below average in academic performance, Oak Grove-Bellemeade offers special extracurriculars to challenge its students. After-school clubs like Mind Games offer students a chance to compete in puzzles and problem-solving, while the school’s proximity to Bellemeade Park provides opportunities to learn about the local environment. Gifted students can qualify for the Special Programs for Academic and Creative Excellence or ‘SPACE’ to pursue even more educational opportunities.

Bellemeade community advocates are determined to bridge the resource gap. A history of urban disinvestment explains the disadvantages faced in the area, but that history is in the process of being rewritten. While the area was once home to a community of tobacco industry workers, factory relocations in the mid-twentieth century resulted in a seismic shift in employment opportunities. Today, the neighborhood is freckled with small businesses rendering automotive repairs, towing services, and other general contracting. This spirit of resilience extends well throughout Bellemeade. While the area has long experienced limited access to fresh produce and nutritional food sources, farms like Sun Path Family Farm, a backyard farm cultivating cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and leafy greens, work to fill in the gaps.

Written By

Mya White

Photography Contributed By

Evan Melgren

Video By

Jaried Frogosa