Author Archives: Scott

“Fancy Flea” Market Today Near Fine Foods

Posted on by
Reply

From Craigslist ad:

THE FANCY FLEA – SUNDAY APRIL 29 – 11am-4pm

700 Idlewood Aveue (at the corner of S. Pine St.) Oregon Hill Neighborhood

Many vintage, rare, kitschy artifacts from the Fifties, Sixties & Seventies.

Decorative Items
Unusual books & printed memorabilia
Books, Magazines, Photos
Record Albums (25 boxes of fine Rock, Soul, Jazz & New Wave LPs)
CDs (hundreds: music from the Sixties to today)
Neato toys
MORE!!!!

### The Fancy Flea occurs every other Sunday all through the Spring & Summer ###

We’ll be outdoors in today’s beautiful weather – Free admission.

“Save Richmond’s canals, again”

Posted on by
3

A Times Dispatch guest editorial by Jack Pearsall makes a strong case for making Richmond’s historic canals a priority. There have been previous posts here on the proposed 2nd St. Connector, but Pearsall is more knowledgeable of the planning history that should negate it.

Here’s the beginning of his piece, but I urge readers to click here to see the rest of it.

Our historic canals should be saved so their future development can put Richmond on the map, as in San Antonio and Georgetown. But this opportunity could be mooted by well-intentioned pending schemes, which injure the canals in five places. There need not be this choice between canal and improvements.

In 1988, a canal committee of leading citizens designed a waterway for tour boats from the James River at the Great Shiplock to Maymont. The navigable James River & Kanawha Canal would be spliced with the millrace Haxall Canal. Renowned architect Carlton Abbott prepared plans and cost estimates.

Thanks to smart planning, much of the restoration was accomplished as part of the city’s Combined Sewer Overflow project. The rest remains unfinished, but possible.

Editorial on New VCU Building

Posted on by
18

From the Times Dispatch article (also on the FanoftheFan site):

Located at the corner of Broad and Belvidere, near one of the most-traveled entrances to the city, the ICA will be a signature building for the School of the Arts and VCU, representing the best in international contemporary architecture and art, and a valuable community resource for Richmond. The ICA, which is expected to be about 32,000-square-feet, will feature approximately 8,000-square-feet of gallery space, an outdoor installation space, a 210-seat auditorium with tiered seating, classrooms, a gift shop, a café with a catering kitchen and an entry hall suitable for exhibitions, installations and social events.

This announcement was expected for a while now. The new building is certainly going to improve the look of the intersection- anything is an improvement over the parking lot that’s there now. However, I hope Richmond considers all the ramifications thoughtfully.

Continue reading →

Chicken Controversy Continues

Posted on by
7

I received this bit of political activism from Laurel Street neighbor Tommy Birchett:

Honorable Charles R. Samuels Councilman,

My name is Tommy Birchett and I spoke last night at City Council
during the public comments. I have been enrolled in courses on
backyard chickens at the William Byrd Community House. I initially
became interested in raising chickens when I was visiting a former
neighbor who moved to Charlottesville. He told me moving there allowed
him to raise chickens legally. He lives downtown near the train
station where city lots are similar in size to Richmond city lots.

The reason I’m writing to you specifically is to request your
assistance regarding some recent bad news for backyard chicken
advocates. Richard Hammack, a VCU Math professor and his family were
recently cited for keeping chickens in their backyard. They had the
chickens for a long time before a neighbor complained. He has not yet
removed them, but plans to follow the law and do so within the
allotted time frame. The underground backyard chicken movement is
growing. As Mr. Hammack says in the following article on NBC 12 news,
“There are lots of chickens throughout the city. You just don’t know
they are there.”

http://www.nbc12.com/story/17586022/neighbors-divided-over-chickens-as-pets-in-urban-areas

In light of the recent recommendations from the Mayor’s recent Food
Security Task Force I think Mr. Hammack should be allowed to keep his
chickens for now. Furthermore, I have never met or spoken to Mr.
Hammack, but I support backyard chickens and feel that it’s time for a
change and this is a good place to start.

Thank you for your time. You reply is appreciated.

As stated elsewhere, it looks like chickens will be a major upcoming political topic for City Council.

When he did attend a recent Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting, Oregon Hill’s City Councilperson, Marty Jewell, did speak favorably towards changing the code regarding chickens.