Richmond approves purchase and options for Bellevue site to support men’s recovery center

The Richmond City Board of Commissioners voted to approve Order 26-64 authorizing acquisition steps for property at Bellevue School (300 Ballard Drive) that the city intends to use for a men’s recovery center.

City Attorney read the order outlining purchase of approximately 4.34 acres identified as Lot 2 and authorizing an option and lease on an adjacent Lot 3 (10.48 acres). The formal reading in the record lists a purchase figure of $915,000 for Lot 2 and authorizes the mayor to execute the agreement on the city’s behalf. The order also allows the mayor to sign a $10,000 option on Lot 3 and to enter a lease beginning Jan. 1, 2026, for three years with a one-year extension option.

City Manager (identified in the record as the city manager) told the commission the project is tied to federal funding and local partnerships. “We finally are at the point where we can purchase the property,” he said, and described a $4,970,000 EDA grant referenced in the meeting and an expected 80/20 grant match. He added that any costs exceeding the grant would be split with the county “50/50” using opioid abatement funds, and that Bluegrass Area Development District and a private group are working on phase-two funding for transitional housing. He said the city expects to put the project out to bid and that federal grant guidelines require opening by roughly December 2028; he estimated about 18 months for construction if bidding begins in the fall.

Commissioners asked about timing and funding; the city manager reiterated the grant partnership and schedule. After the discussion the commission recorded a roll-call vote; the clerk recorded ‘Yes’ votes by Commissioner Newby, Commissioner Cole and Mayor Blythe and the order was adopted.

Why it matters: The approved order commits the city to execute purchase and option documents that will allow construction of a recovery center and related transitional housing in partnership with county and state/federal funders. The record contains both the purchase/option terms read into the order and the city manager’s additional remarks about grant funding and project timeline; those two parts of the record include different numbers and funding descriptions, so the article reports both as stated in the meeting transcript.

Next steps: The city is authorized to execute the sale and option documents; staff will proceed to procure contractors according to the grant timeline and bring construction and funding updates to the commission as needed.