The East End's newest "third place" is a public jewel

One of the best things about living in a city is access to “third places,” a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989 to describe that is neither home nor work where you hang out and nourish your soul. Breweries, restaurants, coffee shops, et cetera. You get it. But with the notable, and glorious, exception of libraries, American cities in general and Richmond in particular lack third places that are operated as public goods, rather than for-profit businesses. Now, the East End has one: the brand-spankin’-new Luck’s Field Community Center. And buddy, it’s drop-dead gorgeous.

Built with $20 million in federal funds Richmond received via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), this stunning, 30,000-square-foot facility has been under construction at the eponymous park on U Street for almost exactly two years. (City Council unanimously approved the project as part of a $65-million package of community centers around the city in 2021.) Now, it’s juuuuust about ready to go: Mayor Danny Avula and City Council President and longtime 7th District councilmember Cynthia Newbille attended a ribbon-cutting at the gleaming new center earlier this month. It opens fully at the beginning of next month.

The Lookout toured Luck’s Field Community Center last week, publishing a brief photo essay you might have noticed at the bottom of last week’s edition:

I encourage you to click through and check out some shots from within the East End’s new three-story third space, because it’s truly that impressive. As I joked with my tour guide, Coach Tyler, as we wandered the place last week: turns out $20 million buys an extremely nice building.

Richmond hasn’t been in the buying mode in quite some time. As Sarah Vogelsong reported for The Richmonder late last year, as the Luck’s Field Community Center was nearing its completion (emphasis mine):

Clearly, community centers like the one at Luck’s Field—which boasts three basketball courts (including a full-size hardwood indoor court, and one on the damn roof), a full kitchen, indoor and outdoor fitness areas, multiple spacious rooms for studying and gaming, and a state-of-the-art playground—were a long time coming to Richmond. People need third places to hang out! This one will be a jewel of the East End for years to come.

I want to make one more point. This is exactly the sort of people-focused investment that Richmond must continue if it wants to meaningfully curb drug use and gun violence in the East End. We obviously don’t have any data yet on how Luck’s Field Community Center has affected those rates, because it’s not even open yet, but we can see how similar investments in similar cities have dramatically improved civic life and made communities safer.

Baltimore, for example, saw a 22% year-over-year drop in homicides through the first half of 2025, with a similar decline for the full year of 2024. This was driven not by simply increasing the size of its police force, or giving existing cops more overtime—an expensive-but-politically popular strategy that has been proven time and again not to meaningfully decrease crime—but by treating crime as a public-health crisis. That included, among many shifted priorities and investments, extending the hours at nine of its community centers across the city so the children of Baltimore had something else to do at night besides doing drugs or getting shot.

Richmond can do likewise—and Luck’s Field Community Center is an excellent step in that direction.

📜 Possum Poetry

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

⚽️ The Bill Robinson futsal court gets lit

The days are getting shorter, which means the nights are getting longer, which means there’s less time for outdoor activities that require sunlight. (So like… most of them.) Over at the Bill Robinson futsal court—that’s futsal, not football (soccer), try to keep up—Lookout Drew Olsen noticed the field of play was getting mighty murky in twilight. So he emailed 7th District Cm. Newbille, who forwarded that email to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and, well, look:

“[A]s of our pickup game last night there are lights,” he told The Lookout via email last Friday. “And they put out more light than I thought they would given how small they are.” It’s a big win for the neighborhood’s ballers, A frankly, a pleasant surprise to see Richmond elected officials and administrators literally respond to constituent requests at light speed. Well done.

💰 Newbille mum on property-tax rate debate

Last month, the city issued property-tax assessments for 2026. A Lookout analysis of recent years’ data indicated that overall property values in the East End rose 7.62% compared to 2024, which outpaced both the citywide increase (5.74%) and the East End increase last year (6.76%.) To blunt the impact of rising assessments on property-owners’ tax bills, City Council has the option to reduce the current property-tax rate, which currently stands at $1.20 per $100 in assessed value. Indeed, multiple members of City Council have been pushing to drop the rate to $1.16.

“I’m trying to champion protecting the taxpayer and particularly our long-term residents of the city of Richmond,” the 4th District’s representative, Sarah Abubaker, who supports the reduction, told The Richmonder. “I just don’t think we’ve done a very good job as a city of showing that we’re good stewards and we deserve that additional tax revenue.” Mayor Avula—himself an East End homeowner—begged to differ, saying in a press conference last week that “[t]his does not feel like the best time to actually pull back on the revenues that are available to us as we're trying to improve service delivery to our residents.”

Where does your 7th District councilmember stand on the great rate debate? The Lookout couldn’t find a definitive statement from Cm. Newbille one way or another in press coverage of the matter, which has since been deferred until City Council’s October 14th meeting. So I reached out for her position on the rate, and her perspective on Abubaker’s dim view on the city’s spending history. Newbille did not respond to two requests for comment.

📢 Happenings on The Hill

• Pitch it: Dear Neighbor’s tent sale is back on Jefferson Ave. from 11am-5pm tomorrow (9/27), with deals and steals from the shop, plus Mother Daughter and Le Stuff. Peep the flyer.

• Hoist it: Triple Crossing’s Oktoberfest party is tomorrow from 12-5pm at its Fulton location. Die Informationen.

• Can’t rain on this parade festival: The East End Festival is still on for tomorrow from 12-7pm, but due to inclement weather it’ll be held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. More info here.

• Dance, dance!: Stone Brewing is hosting a Salsa Bachata Bash this Sunday (9/28) from 5-9pm, and all skill levels are welcome. Check it out.

• Book ‘em: Second Bottle’s monthly Culture Club event with author Jessica Hendry and eats from Hem and Her Food is Monday (9/29) from 6:30-8pm. A few tickets still available!

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

📸 A Very CHill Photo

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.