Bring this flyer with you when you purchase books from Barnes & Noble on March 14th! A Percentage of all sales WITH the Voucher will go to Support William Byrd! You can use the voucher at any area Barnes & Noble!
It would almost be funny if it was not so damn sad.
As VCU has continued to bulldoze and expand into the neighborhood despite protest, Oregon Hill residents warned VCU and City officials that increasing commuter traffic was becoming more and more of a concern on Cherry and Idlewood. And its not just VCU, more riverfront development such as the Dominion trading floor and MeadWestVaco has put a lot of strain on Idlewood, where VCU and young St. Andrew’s students walk.
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association even championed a plan to create a traffic circle on Idlewood near Hollywood Cemetery that would slow down traffic coming of the Expressway and allow it to have a choice between east or west. It would make it safer and easier for Oregon Hill residents (yes, remember us?) and commuters alike. VCU President Trani ‘promised’ to contribute to this plan.
But, nothing has happened with it. And we continue to see stuff like this, in columns like this Sunday’s Times Dispatch’s Street Beat, that only partly answer questions:
Q:I frequently drive through Virginia Commonwealth University by way of Oregon Hill. There is a light at the intersection of Cherry and Main streets — where you can go only left or straight. When school is in session, it is hard to make a left turn because of all the pedestrian traffic. I often have to wait through several light cycles to get through. Please see if they will consider putting a left-turn signal for people turning left to Main from Cherry. — A reader
Answer: Sometimes you can’t catch a break.
Here is what Jemila M. Woodson of the Department of Public Works said about this intersection:
“Pedestrians crossing West Main Street at this intersection are crossing simultaneously with northbound traffic on Cherry Street.” Therefore, an additional traffic phase to accommodate Cherry Street traffic would not improve traffic flow and would increase delays for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, she said.
“To improve pedestrian safety at this intersection, crews will install a ‘Turning Traffic Must Yield To Pedestrians’ sign for northbound traffic turning left on Cherry Street. They will also repaint the faded pedestrian crosswalk. These improvements will be completed within 30 days.”
My dog got out of the gate last night around 3 a.m. or so (south laurel street). She is a blue tick hound mix, medium size, has a big chunk out of her right ear, and responds to Mazzy. If you have seen or found her please call me at
804-497-9568
FROM:
Cathleen boarcho@yahoo.com
One of the benefits of living next to the largest state university in Virginia is that we often receive feedback from its students on the neighborhood. We see a lot of art projects, historical interpretations, musical dedications, and social essays. And while it’s true some of it can be burdensome, most is appreciated.
Here’s one of the latest finds ‘on the internets’, an OH guidebook by Kelsey de Sostoa.
taken from northeast corner of China and S. Pine
It is sad that City Council continues to put the wishes of developers and corporations over that of residents and historic neighborhoods. Council members have sometimes justified their decisions by claiming that people no longer want to live in small houses. Some of the counties even use such prejudices as an excuse to spurn affordable housing.
The fact of the matter is they are wrong. A global movement continues to grow that recognizes small houses for their desirability and sustainability. As more and more McMansions go up for foreclosure and energy conservation becomes more and more important, small, affordable houses are due for a serious comeback in the Richmond area.
If it really snows tonight, upload your photos to Flickr and tag ‘em with “RVAsnow”.
As stated earlier, Oregon Hill appreciates the cleanup efforts of the VCU Student Government.
The February Really Really Free Market will be on Saturday February 28th from noon until sunset-ish.
The Really Really Free Market takes place on the last Saturday of every month in Monroe Park, at the corner of Main and Laurel Streets in Richmond, Virginia.
The RVA Really Really Free Markets provide people with a chance to share the excess that they possess, to prevent the landfills from filling with stuff that will never decompose and is nowhere near the end of its usefulness, and to offer the community a chance to come together for a day of free fun in the sun! (or rain!)
So the last Saturday of every month, bring your music, your skills, your stuff, your food, and your friends and family, and help us prove that there is enough stuff in the world for everybody!
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.