I have been watching this case unfold in our neighbors’ lap up in Church Hill.
Without commenting specifically on the developer or the proposed development (because we have seen what can possibly happen if we do), I will say that it sadly reaffirms what Oregon Hill neighbors have long suspected- voting to put our neighborhood under the Commission for Architectural Review will not protect Oregon Hill’s historical assets as long as City Council continues to live by its undeclared ‘Leave No Developer Behind Act’. We always knew that VCU is exempted from City code, but evidently so are others. In other words, our own City Council does not live by CAR’s decisions, so why should we?
As King, I have already declared my own version of historic preservation protection. I swear to do my best to defend the neighborhood from disrespectful development and I continue to ask my neighbors to join me in doing so. Of course, the door is still open if my neighbors do eventually decide they do want to become a “City Historic District”.
By the way, even though I already annexed Belle Island, I will honor City Council’s decision to support the James River Conservation Easement.
I have always considered the city council a self serving pack of hypocrites, and a den of thieves. To think that they would put the historicity of neighborhoods and the city environs before the coffers would be deluding oneself.
VCU shall always be able to raze and rebuild in its own ivory tower vision because they wave the money, and Richmond has very little else to recommend it as a destination city because it has already prostituted itself to the university for too long and not developed a wider tourism or manufacturing base. Other developers shall always be able to build their obscene vernacular “town-developments” because the city council sees only their dollars.
I don’t even hold much hope of the james river conservation because the first time VCU or a private developer with enough money comes along, they will conveniently forget any greater good to community at large and will take the money and run.
Has City Council ever voted against a big money development?