OHNA Letter To ‘Richmond300’ Planners

From City announcement:

Richmond 300, the city wide master plan process, is still requesting feel back from the public through the online visioning survey. It takes 15-30 minutes depending on how much feedback you have.

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/richmond300visioning

The image above is Urban Design Typology Map found in the Insights Report www.richmond300.com/insights

From October 1, 2018 letter (which refers to Page 9 of 5th District maps):

Dear Councilman Parker Agelasto and Steering Committee for the Richmond 300 master plan,

At the September 25, 2018 meeting of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA), the membership approved a resolution requesting that the 5th District map in the Richmond 300 master plan be corrected to identify the “Master Plan Future Land Use” of the Oregon Hill neighborhood as “Single-Family (medium density)” with “Community Commercial” in the Cary Street corridor.

We strongly object to the “Downtown General Urban Area” and “Downtown Urban Center” designations of Oregon Hill found in the draft “Master Plan Future Land Use” Richmond 300 map. We note that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is identified with the “Downtown General Urban Area” and “Downtown Urban Center” designations. While these designations may be appropriate for this huge state institution, these designations are not appropriate for Oregon Hill which is characterized by modest 2-story single family homes.

As noted the in the Richmond 300 urban design typology, “Downtown is dominated by tall office buildings … the area mostly consists of financial offices, state offices, VCU Health, and Virginia Biotechnology Research Park.” This Downtown typology bears no resemblance to the modest single family homes of the Oregon Hill Historic District.

It is important to note that “Single-Family (medium density)” is the “Master Plan Future Land Use” designation for the Fan District and the Randolph neighborhoods with the “Community Commercial” designation on Cary Street along the Fan. Oregon Hill is characterized by having the same “Single Family (medium density)” as the Fan and Randolph. Historically, Oregon Hill and the Fan were created from the same Town of Sydney grid, and we should receive the same Master Plan Future Land Use designation of “Single Family (medium density).”
The Richmond 300 master plan identifies the “Single Family (medium density)” designation as being appropriate for the R-7 zoning, which is predominant in Oregon Hill.
We strongly believe that the Richmond 300 master plan process offers us an opportunity to remove the inappropriate Downtown General Urban Area, and Downtown Urban Center future land use classifications for Oregon Hill. The Master Plan Future Land Use for the historic Oregon Hill neighborhood should be changed to the appropriate “Single Family (medium density)” designation with “Community Commercial” in the Cary Street corridor.

Please let us know as soon as possible if these designations for Oregon Hill will be changed in the Richmond 300 master plan.

Respectfully,

Charles Todd Woodson, president
Oregon Hill neighborhood Association

Folk Festival Saturday

Good weather and the crowds came…

Zuni Olla Maidens

Lulo Reinhardt and his German friend supplied some Gypsy jazz

Jarlath Henderson

Not sure the crowd got the finer points of millenarian Rastafarianism, but the band also seemed like they were still waking up…Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus…

Mother Nature still putting on a show…

Overflow tent watchers…

Questionable parking…

Night fell…Claire Lynch on stage

The Zhou Family Band, on their first tour of the U.S., may have stolen the whole festival with their joyous cacophony…

Salsa band Orquesta el Macabeo got dancers excited…

Farah Yasmeen Shaikh’s brilliant dance and music…

Now, who’s ready to do it again? The Folk Festival starts again at noon today.

With Hurricane Michael’s Remnants Gone, Weekend Folk Festival Is A Go

After slamming the Richmond area with a lot of rain and wind yesterday, what’s left of Hurricane Michael has moved off the coast. City of Richmond schools will open with a two hour delay, but the rest of the weekend weather should be dry and cool.

This is a relief to many, but especially the Richmond Folk Festival, which takes place just down the hill, and kicks off at 6 pm this evening.

Because of the massive crowds expected, visitors are encouraged to use shuttles and other options instead of parking in Oregon Hill. But hopefully, everyone can enjoy this great festival.

Agelasto On MSNBC

A MSNBC camera crew followed around the Real Local RVA Urban Farm Tour today. At one point, they interviewed Mayor Stoney and Councilperson Parker Agelasto at the Tricycle Urban AG over in the Manchester neighborhood. We MIGHT see part of this on television on MSNBC network on a Sunday in a few weeks, but here is raw footage (sorry for all the background noise):

IMG_4524 from Scott Burger on Vimeo.

Richmond’s 13th Annual Halloween Parade Scheduled

The Richmond Halloween Parade, it goes without saying, has become a real tradition for Oregon Hill.

Graciously hosted and organized by the All The Saints Theater Company, the event continues to grow and evolve.

There have been many YouTube videos and photo postings devoted to past years’ parades.

From the new FaceBook event page:

* PLEASE HELP US GET THE WORD OUT!
* RSVP TO THE EVENT PAGE
* SHARE THE EVENT IN YOUR FEED
* INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Richmond’s 13th Annual Halloween Parade presented by ALL THE SAINTS THEATER COMPANY and friends is right around the corner! Join us on October 31st!

Guys and gals and all non binary conforming pals, join us in this all inclusive Richmond tradition!

Dress up in a costume, make your own giant puppets or flags, and/or volunteer to assist withour giant puppets, flags, props and more!

We are so excited to continue this yearly Richmond Halloween tradition! Join us as we take the streets in celebratation of our 12th year with costumes, live music, dancing, creativity, puppetry, and comraderie!

*The 13th Annual Halloween Parade is a “Funeral March for Patriarchy”!

A Celebration of the Divine Feminine! We return the number 13 to the Matriarch and dismantle patriarchy to remove flying monkeys ICE & the NRA with their King NoOne to save humanity.

We return to grandma society with Grandma Elder on her Tiger, day of the dead 2 person 15 ft “families belong together” Madonna skeleton puppets, queen Harriet, trans remembrance, Black Lives Matter, Matriarch & Mother Red with Goddess of Tree sits fighting the patriarchy of pipelines against Mother Earth.

The All the Saints Hawk (the resistance) and Black Snake (pipeline) featured at the ICA will also March with us! We look at the fierceness it takes to organize, and the gentleness it takes to be fierce together.

Wednesday Oct 31st
No later than 7pm
meet at Monroe Park!

Support includes: cardboard, fabric, bike tubes, brown paper!

Open Letter In Regard To ONE VCU Master Plan Draft Open Houses

In Regard To ONE VCU Master Plan Draft Open Houses, the following was recently sent to VCU officials, local media, local government, neighbors, and ‘community partners’:

Dear Dr. Weiss,

Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association representatives have met with you repeatedly, and have repeatedly respectfully requested two things:
1) A commitment that VCU will not encroach further south of West Cary Street into the Oregon Hill Historic District.
2) A commitment that VCU will limit the height of buildings on the north side of West Cary Street to 3 or four stories out of respect for the Oregon Hill Historic District across the street.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge the neighborhood has yet to receive any commitment to these two issues.

Oregon Hill residents have pointed out that since VCU has a Memorandum of Understanding with the distant country of Cuba, it is perplexing why VCU cannot engage with a Memorandum of Understanding on these two points of neighborhood concern with VCU’s adjacent neighbor, Oregon Hill.

As you are finalizing the draft of the VCU Master Plan, please consider these valid concerns of your neighbors in Oregon Hill.

Sincerely,

Scott Burger
(served as President of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, 2003 to 2010, and as OHNA VCU liaison)