Author Archives: Scott

OHNA Meeting Tomorrow

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From email announcement:

Good evening OHNA members,

I look forward to seeing everyone Tuesday at 7pm for our monthly OHNA meeting. This meeting will be hybrid: we will meet in person in the chapel of St. Andrew’s Church, and there will also be a zoom link available to access the meeting remotely, below.

Attached to this email are:
1. the agenda for our Tuesday 28 February 2023 meeting (also pasted below),
2. the 2023 schedule of OHNA meetings

We look forward to seeing everyone Tuesday evening.

Thanks,
Bryan

Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 28 February 2023
7:00PM
This meeting will be hybrid:
we will meet in person in the chapel of St. Andrew’s Church;
the meeting will also be available by Zoom, at the link below.

Topic: OHNA Monthly Meeting – February
Time: Feb 28, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
(For Zoom and phone meeting info, contact OHNA at ohnarva@gmail.com)

Welcome
• Treasurer’s Report

Community Updates:

1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Ms. Verenda Cobbs, VCU
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney

Updates:

1. Amphitheater planned for Tredegar Green.
· It is slated to seat 5,000 people and accommodate and additional 5,000 standing, as per our meeting with the developer’s representative. No additional parking is planned.
· When the previous amphitheater plan was proposed, the neighborhood raised questions about hours of operation, noise levels, and parking, none of which were ever answered.
o The applicant has not yet scheduled a meeting with OHNA.

2. An SUP application has been filed with the City of Richmond for the demolition of 708 China Street, and its replacement with a building.
· The Zoning Committee met with the applicant and asked them to reconsider demolition and incorporate the historic building into their new construction.
· The applicant has not yet come back to the neighborhood with a revision.

Continued Business

3. Traffic issues along Idlewood at Cherry and Pine Streets
· There have been several recent accidents at these two locations.
· These two intersections suffer from poor visibility and the high speed of cars exiting 195 east onto Idlewood.

New Business

4. Any items?

Bryan Clark Green, President

Harrison Moenich, Co-Vice-President

Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President

Mike Matthews, Secretary

John Bolecek, Treasurer

Trash/Recycling Tomorrow

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This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup.

Please go over what can be recycled. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If it seems like pickup did not happen, use this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, somebody left a mortar round at an Albemarle County recycling center on Saturday.

Belle Island History Hike This Saturday

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The James River Park and its Friends Of group are holding a Belle Island history hike this Saturday.

Join us for a family friendly hike to one of Richmond’s historic gems, Belle Isle. Learn about the geologic and human history of the area and the role Richmond played in the development of our nation. Please bring water, a snack and good shoes.
Parking:
Street parking on 5th street
Belle Isle parking lot
Tredegar parking lot $3 per hour or $18 for the day
Ages: 8 and Up
Location: Meet at the visitor sign in the Belle Isle parking lot under the Lee Bridge
This event is free, but spaces are limited and registration is required.
To Register contact Tyler Twyford: John.Twyford@rva.gov

Lynch’s 5th District ‘Townhall Meeting’ On Feb. 16

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5th District Councilperson Stephanie Lynch has an upcoming ‘town hall meeting’ on February 16th.

From announcement:
We would love to see you for the IN PERSON 5th District Town Hall next Thursday, February 16 at the Woodland Heights Baptist Church (611 W. 31st Street).
We will focused on the upcoming budget season, your priorities, and there will be a short update on the Charter Change Commission.
We will be recording the meeting for upload after the meeting.

Co-Hosted Ranked Choice Voting Roundtable in Richmond

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From announcement:

Forward Party of Virginia, UpVote Virginia, and FairVote Virginia will co-host a Ranked Choice Voting Roundtable in Richmond.

When: February 16, 2023 at 6:00pm
Where: Richmond Main Library, Annex room
101 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219, United States
Contact: Erin Phelan erin.forwardparty@gmail.com

BTW, I don’t think any Richmond university student governments have claimed my money yet…

BZA Boogaloo: Its WAY Past Time For Poole And Pinnock To Take A Hike

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UPDATE/CORRECTION: Since posting this, the editor has learned that Pinnock resigned from the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals.

Contrary to state code, there currently are two members of the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) who are simultaneously serving on the Richmond City Planning Commission. Virginia code Section 15.2-2308 specifically limits the number of Board of Zoning Appeals members serving on the local planning commission to one member: “…Members of the board shall hold no other public office in the locality, except that one may be a member of the local planning commission…” [emphasis added].

Mr. Rodney Poole and Mr. Burchell “Burt” Pinnock are both members of the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals and both are currently serving as members of the Planning Commission. Rodney Poole is the current Chair of the Richmond Planning Commission, and he is also a member of the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals. Mr. Burchell “Burt” Pinnock is the current Chair of the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals, and he is also a member of the Richmond Planning Commission.

Since Va. Code Section 15.2-2308 limits the number of BZA members who also may serve on the Planning Commission to one member, and since both Mr. Poole and Mr. Burchell are simultaneously serving on the BZA and Planning Commission, one or both must resign or be removed from the Planning Commission.

It is worth noting that, contrary to state code, Mr. Rodney Poole and Mr. Burchell “Burt” Pinnock also recently served in other public office in the locality as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Richmond 300 Master Plan Advisory Council. The Virginia Code Section 15.2-2308 specifically prohibits members of the Board of Zoning Appeals from serving in other public offices in the locality.

If Mr. Poole and/or Mr. Pinnock are unwilling to resign their seats on the Planning Commission, it is within the authority of City Council to remove them in order to comply with Section 15.2-2308.

It’s worth noting that according to the minutes of the Feb. 6th Planning Commission meeting, Rodney Poole and Burt Pinnock both participated in the Planning Commission meeting as members of the Planning Commission. And both Poole and Pinnock are also still listed as members of the Board of Zoning Appeals.

UPDATE/CORRECTION: Since posting this, the editor has learned that Pinnock resigned from the Richmond Board of Zoning Appeals.

Car Club Suspect Arrested and Charged After Lee Bridge Incident

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From police report:

February 7, 2023
Car Club Suspect Arrested and Charged with Assault on a Richmond Police Officer During Intentional Traffic Disruption on Lee Bridge Highway
Richmond Police officers have arrested a suspect involved in the car club disruption to traffic that occurred on the Lee Bridge Highway Friday night. Ryan Anderson, 18 of Virginia Beach, was arrested by RPD officers and faces numerous charges including assault of a law enforcement officer. The booking photo is attached.
At approximately 10:40 p.m. on Friday, February 3, officers were called to the 700 block of South Belvidere Street for the report of the south bound lanes of the Lee Bridge Highway being shut down by an illegal gathering of a car club. Hundreds of individuals and cars were engaged in dangerous, unlawful activity on the Lee Bridge. Officers arrived on scene to diffuse and disband the activity when Anderson struck an officer while operating his vehicle. The officer sustained a non-life threatening injury and was transported to a local hospital.
Officers recovered a stolen weapon from Anderson’s vehicle and charged him with the following:
· Assault On LEO 18.2-57 (F)
· Possession Of Stolen Firearm 18.2-108.1 (F)
· Concealed Firearm 18.2-308 (M)
· Blocking Roadway 46.2-818 (M)
· Dangling Objects On Mirror 46.2-1054 (T)
Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to call Detective R. Payne at (804) 646-1712 or contact Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones also may be used. All Crime Stoppers reporting methods are anonymous.