Author Archives: Scott

Remembering Slavery, Resistance, and Freedom Event Saturday

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From the Remembering Slavery, Resistance, and Freedom Project:

October 12, 2013 – Community Conversation on African and African American Resistance to Slavery in Richmond, VA

On Saturday, October 12 from 10 AM – 12:30 PM at the William Byrd Community House, Ana Edwards will lead a presentation on two revolutionary African Americans, Gabriel and Lucy Goode Brooks. Following the presentation, Dr. Michael Blakey will facilitate an open dialogue and discussion. What are the stories of resistance that you know and would like to share? What modes of resistance or key figures would you like to learn more about? What do these histories mean to you?
Following a break for lunch after the discussion, Omilade Janine Bell of Elegba Folklore Society will lead a guided walk of the Trail of Enslaved Africans, beginning at 2:30 PM and ending at 6 PM.

The flyer for the event is available here. Because of space constraints, we ask attendees to RSVP through Facebook, email (remembering@wm.edu), or phone (757-221-7889).

Hopefully, Robert Pleasants and Samuel Parsons will be mentioned.

Harvie’s Deed Contradicts Venture Richmond’s Flawed History

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New documentation from deed research that confirms that the 30 foot wide tow path on the site of Venture Richmond’s proposed amphitheater is authentic and dates from at least 1801.

As documented in Henrico Deed Book 6, page 260, when John Harvie and his wife on June 26, 1801 conveyed to the James River Company his property for the canal and for the upper basin, he reserved the right to fish in the basin and reserved the condition of a “public Road” on the lower side of the canal not more than 30 feet wide from the edge of the water. In this deed, the tow path embankment was referenced as a “Dam” for holding back the water that was to overflow the upper basin.

In this 1801 deed, Harvie and his wife conveyed to the James River Company, “… the following portions or parcels of land, lying and being in the County aforesaid, near James River, that is to say one hundred feet in breadth horizontal measure, of the said land, thro’ which the said Canal passes in the present direction of the said Canal, and which shall not extend more than thirty feet horizontal measure below the lower edge of the water in the said canal for the purpose of a public Road being part of the land purchased by the said John Harris from Samuel Overton, and also all the land which shall be overflowed by means of the Dam or wall of the said Canal …” (Please see attachment, “Henrico DB 6, page 260.”)

This 30 foot wide public access is clearly shown on the 1848 Plat of Harvie’s land. (Please see attachment, “Henrico Plat 3-417.”)

Henrico Plat 3-417 (crop)

The 1868 Pleasants/Bates map, which shows the Canal company owning a 45 foot property width on the the south bank of the canal, has an inscription in the canal that references this June 26, 1801 Deed: “From John Harvie, strip 100′ wide and ground covered by water of upper basin … Extending from lower Belvidere line to Harvie’s lower line June 26, 1801” (Please see attachment, “1868 Pleasants/Bates map, detail showing 1801 Harvie deed reference.”)

1868 Pleasants-Bates map, detail showing 1801 Harvie deed reference

As John Harvie recognized early on, by harnessing the water power available in the canal, there was great potential for industrial development on his land between the canal and the James River. He was a highly respected businessman, who not only was a Director of the James River Company and former Mayor of Richmond, but was one of the original statesmen in the Virginia delegation who ratified the U.S. Constitution. Harvie could command concessions in his sale of land to the James River Company that assured adequate access on the tow path for his industrial interests.

Hopefully, this new deed documentation will end the mistaken effort to alter the south bank of the canal from its authentic 1801 configuration for sight lines for the proposed amphitheater.

Henrico DB 6 p. 260, Harvie reserving 30 ft. road on south bank of canal

Venture Richmond’s “Temporary Events” Should Concern All Richmond Neighborhoods

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Is Venture Richmond planning to use the city ordinance that authorizes “temporary events” to circumvent zoning requirements?

Every neighborhood in Richmond should be watching this closely. Venture Richmond is proposing $500,000 in permanent alterations, which would damage the historic James River and Kanawha Canal, for its proposed “Tredegar Green” theater. But the theater is not a permitted use under current zoning. Remember, as reported in yesterday’s post, Jack Berry of Venture Richmond told the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association that “we would probably be open to the idea of renting it.” which is not the same story that was told to the Planning Commission.

In a bizarre twist, the City Planning Commission approved the “location” of the amphitheater although it is not permitted under the zoning, and no re-zoning application has been submitted. Apparently Venture Richmond may be relying on an ordinance, intended for yard sales and other temporary events, to try to force through the project without complying with zoning laws.

If you scroll to the very end of the ordinance below you will find the section on temporary events:

http://eservices.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/clerkstracking/getPDF.asp?NO=2012-234-2013-2

It refers to the definition section of the ordinance, which defines a “temporary event” as four events annually.

At this time, aggrieved neighborhood residents cannot appeal because the zoning administrator will not rule on hypothetical situations, and Venture Richmond received approval for the “location” of the project before applying for a Special Use Permit, re-zoning, or for work permits. If Venture Richmond can receive City permission to implement $500,000 work for “temporary use” of a development not permitted under current zoning, wouldn’t that also allow someone to put in a motorcycle race track in a residential zoning so long as they said they would stage only four “temporary events” a year?

This would truly open Pandora’s Box if any developer could implement any development, not permitted by zoning, by saying they only intended to use it four days a year. (Later, after the damage was done, they probably would say that it was a hardship to only be allowed to use such a facility four days a year.)

Phil Updates Bike Questions

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With the help of Bunny Hop bicycle shop’s new location, Oregon Hill is becoming more well known as a bike neighborhood.

In a recent “Why Richmond, Why?!?” Richmond.com column, Phil Riggan supplied the goods on “dead bikes” and more.

Some informative excerpts:

I bike often and consider myself a cyclist, so I feel qualified to say that the cycling community is it’s own harshest critic. Many of the questions I get about cycling issues and traffic violations come from cyclists. Usually, the conversations will lead to a need to have drivers and pedestrians improve their knowledge of the rules of road for bikes. Questions like “can bikes ride on sidewalks (yes),” “can bikes ride against traffic in roadway lanes and on one-way streets (no),” “can bikes ride through stop signs and red lights (no),” and more. Check VDOT for more biking tips and regulations.

It seems like a majority of the complaints about bike violations centers around the Virginia Commonwealth University campus, a place flooded with students who — surprise! — bike, walk, run and even skateboard all over the place.

As for traffic violations, RPD shared figures on citations were issued to cyclists:
In 2012: 47 citations issued to cyclists. Of those 21 were for code section 46.2-1015, which is not having lights and/or reflectors on the bike.
In 2013: As of this past Friday, 83 citations issued to cyclists. Of those, 20 of them were for code section 46.2-1015, which is not having lights and/or reflectors, and 21 were for code section 46.2-833, which is for a Signal Light Violation.
That is a big jump in violations and I hope this is satisfactory for anyone who doubts that cyclists are held responsible for their behavior on the roads. I’d like to think that there has been a correlating increase in the number of cyclists in accounting for the rise in citations, but no way to know for certain as we currently don’t have a bike census.
One more thing for you James River Park System trail riders (and anyone else who uses the trails): The system to utilize the flexible brown trail emergency locator markers (pictured at left) are not yet operational. You may have noticed the markers, they have ID marks for locations that 911 operators could use to dispatch responders for injured users.
“Regarding the trail marker signs, they are not yet fully operational. We are currently working with the James River Park System, the Richmond Fire Department and the Richmond Ambulance Authority to make sure everything is all set up and working properly,” according to Dionne Waugh of the Richmond Police Department.

Pine Street Baptist Church Helps The Homeless

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The Religious Herald newspaper has an article on the 160-year old Pine Street Baptist Church’s efforts to help the homeless.

Excerpts:

Home is where your mailbox is and for some homeless residents in Richmond’s historic Oregon Hill neighborhood, that’s now Pine Street Baptist Church.
The recent addition of 50 lockers and 25 mailboxes is about more than a safe place for the homeless to keep belongings and a mailbox with their name on it, said Jennifer Turner, director of the Oregon Hill Baptist Center. It may be the first step in transitioning to a more stable lifestyle.

…

“Over the past couple of years, Pine Street Baptist Church entered a ‘Pursuing Missional Faithfulness’ process to help the church identify who we are in light of where we are, and the theme of hospitality continued to rise up in our gatherings,” said pastor Philip Turner, Jennifer’s husband.

“The homeless population around our church has increased — along with the number of students attending Virginia Commonwealth University,” he said. “The church felt that a ministry of hospitality to both the students and homeless needed to be part of our mission.”

Folk Festival and Not Just the Folk Festival

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RVANews.com and Richmond.com have good previews of some of the artists who will be at this weekend’s Richmond’s Folk Festival.

Speaking of which, one of the most disturbing things about the Venture Richmond theater proposal is how Jack Berry and others have been suggesting that its just about the Folk Festival. What’s even more exasperating how local media has gone along with this suggestion (The original title for this linked article was “Explainer: Amphitheater Project Will Decide The Folk Festival’s Fate”). As with VCU in the past, sometimes all I can do is post the truth.

The transcript of Silver’s recording of Berry’s presentation to OHNA has some important quotes:

“Thought about using the War Memorial Amphitheater …”

[Good idea. Why not??]

“We’re going to have a tented, new tented venue very large tent over on Tredegar on top of the steps..”

[Great. Why not put the large dance tented venue that needs to be on a level surface now on Brown’s Island in the new very large tent on Tredegar on top of the steps?? This would open up Brown’s Island for the large stage.]

“We don’t have any plans to add parking resources …”

[Parking requirements required by the current M-1 zoning are not met for the Venture Richmond property. Why not put the large stage on Brown’s Island where parking is not a problem??]

“I think we would probably be open to the idea of renting it.”

[This is not the same story that was told to the Planning Commission. This is not about the Folk Festival. It seems like this is more about Venture Richmond making money from renting this venue than anything else.]

As the Folk Festival (and Venture Richmond’s propaganda push) gets closer, expect more information and history to be shared on oregonhill.net. Why not use Brown’s Island and two smaller stages instead? It’s important to recognize that Oregon Hill is not against the Folk Festival, but the neighborhood association is strongly against the current ‘Tredegar Green’ plan that Venture Richmond is wrongly insisting on and arrogantly pushing upon our historic neighborhood.

Grace-On-The-Hill

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St. Andrew’s has a fairly new program called Grace-On-The-Hill, “a partnership between St. Andrew’s Church and the Diocese of Virginia that invites young adults to live in community while engaging deeply in the social, relational, economic and ecological regeneration of the Oregon Hill neighborhood and the wider community of Richmond, VA.”

They have a website for it and a blog. Here’s a blog post from last month:

The first couple of weeks of Grace-on-the-Hill, living in Richmond/Oregon Hill, and my work site have been wonderful. Everything is still new, exciting, and just a tiny bit overwhelming. I’m glad that I’m feeling a little more settled. Each day I’m adjusting more and more to my new surroundings.

The spirituality, service, community, and social justice embedded within the Grace-on-the-Hill program are intriguing. I was especially drawn to this program when I learned more about Oregon Hill/Richmond and the work sites. I am so happy to be here! I am excited to be somewhere new, yet not very far away from where I grew up in Maryland. I really like where I live. I appreciate the small town and close-knit feel of Oregon Hill while still being able to walk, bike, or take a bus to most places. I love being able to walk to church and my work site. There are many exciting places to go in Richmond. On Labor Day, Vincent, a friend of his, and I went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I adore the arts, especially visual arts, and truly enjoyed my visit. We stayed mostly in the abstract art section of the museum. The museum offers much to see and I look forward to going back and exploring different parts of the gallery.

My work site at William Byrd Community House is very rewarding. I yearn to work in social justice and health and am eager to work in areas related to these topics. I have a particular interest in food and nutrition. I often read about such topics for pure enjoyment and recreation. I love how the overarching theme of WBCH is building self-sufficiency. I believe this is the ultimate way of helping and serving people. This agency addresses immediate basic needs and then helps people progress and become self-sufficient. One of these most basic needs reflects my particular area of interest in food and food justice. I consider myself a big advocate for local food for a variety of health, environmental, and social/ community related reasons. I’m excited about being a part of the library/ education-community garden-farmlet-farmer’s market area of the agency. WBCH’s programs connect harmoniously. For example, the onsite farmlet contributes to the agency’s food pantry. I look forward to help further connect more programs of WBCH. The area of WBCH in which I work supports access to fresh, healthy, local food to communities that face barriers to such food. One of our goals is to further connect with communities and address these challenges. So far I have been oriented, attended meetings, collected and organized information, and have helped out at the farmer’s market. Did I mention how excited I am to be working here?! I see my whole experience in Richmond, Grace-on-the-Hill, and William Byrd Community House as a true blessing. I am so grateful to be part of such a supportive community and to be working in areas of my most profound interests.

Theater Controversies Continue: Venture Richmond Main Stage Comparisons

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This weekend Venture Richmond employees and volunteers will be putting together stages for the upcoming Folk Festival. Still looming in the background is the controversy over Venture Richmond’s ‘Tredegar Green’ theater plan. It seems like a good time to present this information from concerned citizen C. Wayne Taylor:

I have an aerial photo that show the Newmarket venue after a festival. People trampled the grass except where it was protected by structures. The stage, control tent, cable runs, and concession tents locations are clearly visible as green areas. I marked the areas that the audience occupied; excluding space for foot traffic.

Then I laid the area over the Venture Richmond (ed.- proposed ‘Tredegar Green’) site. It’s interesting that none of the Newmarket footprint reaches the “upper lawn” of the VR site. Spectators in the upper lawn would be further away from the stage than anyone at the Newmarket venue.

Sq Ft Percent
Newmarket 86,234 100%

Venture Richmond

Lower 34,567 40%

Upper 16,419 19%

TOTAL 50,986 59%

Reduction 35,248 41%

The canal, street, etc. on the Venture Richmond site eliminate 60% of the Newmarket footprint. The upper lawn adds back 19%. That is a net reduction of 41%.

The Venture Richmond venue is very poor and cannot accommodate the crowds experienced on the Newmarket site. I think a main reason Berry (ed.- Jack Berry of Venture Richmond) wants to modify the canal is to increase the lower lawn square footage.

It appears to me that it really does make sense to consider moving the main stage to Brown’s Island and move the two stages on Brown’s Island to the lower lawn and upper lawn. The sizes of the venues would more closely match the sizes of the audiences. The regrading expense would be less. I don’t understand why Berry has rejected that alternative.

3 2012 venture richmond venue2 2012 newmarket venue 21 2012 newmarket venue

As the Folk Festival (Venture Richmond’s propaganda push) gets closer, expect more information and history to be shared on oregonhill.net. It’s important to recognize that Oregon Hill is not against the Folk Festival, but the neighborhood association is strongly against the current ‘Tredegar Green’ plan that Venture Richmond is wrongly insisting on and arrogantly pushing upon our historic neighborhood.

Correspondent of the Day: Renovate Monroe Park carefully

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Oregon Hill neighbor had the Letter of the Day in the Times Dispatch this morning:

Renovate Monroe Park carefully

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Monroe Park is Richmond’s first and most historic municipal park. Once the site of an agricultural fairground, the city’s first baseball games and concerts by Bruce Springsteen and Jerry Lee Lewis, the city’s upcoming $6.2 million historically sensitive renovation is cause for jubilation as the park has fallen into deep disrepair.

As we improve the physical aspects of Monroe Park, let’s not forget its essence which should also be preserved and celebrated. As a forum for free speech over the years, the grounds have echoed with voices supporting civil rights, reasonable gun control, anti-war sentiment and other just causes.

Its beautiful old-growth trees have shaded generations of Richmonders and deserve protection, care and augmentation to re-establish the lush greenery of its historic era circa 1900. A conservation easement such as the one placed on James River Park is strongly advised to define that protection.

The park also needs a zero impact policy with enforcement regarding bringing large amounts of trash in for feedings, etc. Too often groups come in and leave huge amounts of garbage on the ground, which eventually gets blown by the wind into surrounding neighborhoods. It should be a group’s responsibility to remove what it brings into the park. The city must step up, enforce these rules and provide requisite supervision. Richmond Parks Division simply can’t cover this job.

What the park doesn’t need is to be transferred via lease to a third party, establishing VCU as the operating agency. This could destroy its essence as a free gathering space and homogenize it into something very different. Monroe Park is not Maymont; it is a 7.5-acre green space well within the city’s capacity to manage.

The renovated Monroe Park should welcome all residents, students and visitors with open arms. It can truly be Richmond’s gem.

C. Todd Woodson. Richmond.

(ed. note: This letter comes after VCU recently placed a metal billboard sign up in Monroe Park but then removed it after the City declared it illegal. There is another controversial VCU sign at the corner of Belvidere and Cumberland that has not been acted on yet.)