As VCU celebrates its 40th birthday, Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association President Scott Burger calls on VCU and the Richmond community to reflect on the university’s encroachment into surrounding neighborhoods.
On behalf of Oregon Hill residents, I wish to express my appreciation for Michael Paul Williams’ Times Dispatch column this morning.
The school has increased its enrollment by 9,000 students during the past decade. But it has struggled to keep pace — from a standpoint of resources and faculty — to fulfill its academic mission.
Critics of school President Eugene P. Trani, who is stepping down in July, have long complained that he has placed development and enrollment growth above academics. They might call the U.S. News & World Report ranking the chickens coming home to roost.
As the Trani era ends, his successor’s main task will be to restore confidence in academic integrity and to enhance — or repair — VCU’s national stature.
VCU’s promise must not be compromised by its unbridled growth. The school must scale down its ambitions to meet its academic mission. If it is to become a true up-and-comer, quality — not quantity — must be job one.
Despite the hard feelings, Oregon Hill residents are sorry that VCU did not get nationally ranked, we do want what is best for our neighbors (including students getting a quality recreational center), but we are also happy to see that common sense is coming to bear.
Pretty low it seems. But back to this project…this is before adding the water. Tuitions Gone Wild, indeed!
The pools of water are deepening, mainly due to outlying storms…drip…drip…wait, is that another leak?…drip…drip…wishing you a speedy recovery, Trani, AND retirement.
This past Thursday I went to Green Drinks at Built Gallery. I forgot about a Cary Street rezoning meeting held at the William Byrd Community House, but then as King I have already made the neighborhood’s position clear– we STILL support urban business rezoning for Cary and Belvidere streets and its ridiculous that it has not been rezoned yet. Thankfully, other citizens were there at the meeting to re-emphasize their convictions. Yet what is the response? The City had plenty of representation at the meeting and I heard they got an earful but were still reluctant (the quote I heard was “weird”) to answer the basic question of why rezoning has not moved forward. Something smells and frankly Oregon Hill is tired of the stink. I was glad to hear that City Council candidate Mark Brandon attended the meeting so he could experience the situation first hand.
This past Tuesday night at its monthly meeting, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association once again voted and re-, re-, and re-affirmed its support for Urban Business District zoning for W.Cary St. and 100 block of Belvidere (we have been voting on this since at least 2002). We want to save the small businesses and houses we have left and encourage more mixed use in the future.
The following email exchange is related to this issue and is posted with permission. I will note that I have not heard from Councilperson Jewell since I approached him at the end of the Richmond Crusade for Voters meeting.
From: candylandmusic@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [OregonHill] Jewell, rezoning, alley
Date: June 18, 2008 8:40:11 AM EDT
To: OregonHill@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: OregonHill@yahoogroups.com
Many many hours of hard work have gone into coming up with this UB2 proposal. The City’s Department of Community Development are to be applauded for holding the numerous meetings among stake holders and proposing a unique zoning designation that can help the Oregon Hill Cary Street Corridor become a positive pedestrian oriented business/residential area and stave off inappropriate development. Jewell’s disengagement from his constituents needs is made more disgusting by his list of donors to his campaign (google “VPAP E. Martin Jewell” to see the list of developers that are “banking” on Jewell). Im just so disgusted with this guy and his shenanigans. Every time the neighborhood has needed his support, he votes against us or ignores us, to include smashing our newly gained R7 zoning in the rest of the neighborhood to allow a parking lot for his ol’ pal Salomonsky against the neighborhoods wishes. No new street trees this year, VERY little needed infrastructural repairs accomplished and supporting higher real estate tax rates are a few of his “accomplishments” as Councilman. Please vote for Mark Brandon in November for 5th district Councilperson. We desperately need a change.
On Jun 17, 2008, at 11:51 PM, Scott Burger wrote:
Saw our Councilperson, Marty Jewell, at the Crusade for Voters
meeting tonight. Once again, he claimed to have trouble reaching me
for some reason. He also says he wants to sit down and talk to me
about the Cary Street rezoning. I told him he could talk to me right
there. He said he did not know about the proposed rezoning. I told
him that OHNA had voted and revoted to support urban business
district zoning since 2002. He said that the Community Development
Dept. had not kept him abreast of recent proposal. I told him that’s
not true, because I had email where he was cc’ed. he said that was
not good enough notification. I repeated the neighborhood’s support
for rezoning. He said he did not blame us, he blames Community
Development. I repeated the neighborhood’s support for rezoning to
ub. He said certain property owners on Cary did not want the
rezoning. I asked him for names. He would not name them. I repeated
OHNA’s longtime support for rezoning to ub. He said he would talk
with me later.
Before he could brush me off, I repeated my concerns for the alley
behind the 600 block of Cherry. He acted surprised and said that Gary
Duvall in Public Works was supposed to have fixed it. I repeated that
the alley had not been fixed for some time now, and improper drainage
was threatening the historic John Miller House and other houses. He
called his assistant’s voice mail and left a reminder for her to
remind him.
Thanks,
Scott
An addition should be added to Open High for an elevator.
Along with solar panels.
Money should not be that big of an issue.
That building is a beautiful part of Grace Arents‘ legacy to Oregon Hill and Richmond education. It should not be closed. Open High, as a small school, is one of RPS’ greatest success stories.
Congratulations to Beatty and Wolf! They have worked tirelessly on behalf of Richmond children.
Wilder is defending his stormwater utility proposal. As an environmentalist, I am not against the idea of a stormwater utility, but there is a lot more to this than meets the eye.
As Oregon Hill residents have stated, the pools of water are still pooling, and thankfully at least one mayoral candidate has taken notice…
In what is surely to bode well for future diplomatic relations with Southside, I attended a party last night off Forest Hill Avenue and was treated to a surprise coronation ceremony that recognized my new found position. It is good to be King.
Peak Oil vs. Global Warming vs. The Long Emergency and about a half dozen other scary phrases…
As the newly declared King, I intend to lead a war on fear itself by crafting a long term policy dedicated to the principle of self-sufficiency. With the price of a gallon of gasoline or a loaf of bread soaring, now is the time for Oregon Hill to start thinking about how to provide its own energy and food. This neighborhood is no stranger to faring for itself. Done properly, this strategy will only strengthen the neighborhood.
And it is important to recognize that this sort of thinking is already prevalent in many existing initiatives. The Grace Arents Community Garden, started by the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association and now administered by Tricycle Gardens, is just one of them. Obviously, even with the addition of outside produce sellers brought in by the Byrd Market, this one community garden will not be able feed all Oregon Hill residents. Community gardens should still be supported and grown, but they will most likely be stripped very quickly if crisis emerges, so private gardens are also necessary. Even if emergencies do not present themselves, residents will benefit from an abundance of fresh, less expensive food and an improved environment resulting from a determined ‘greening’.
Its not just fresh produce. While Fine Foods has a decent selection of beer, candy, and other materials, it is lacking in other categories. The Earthlings Organic Food Coop is a valuable enterprise for the neighborhood, but I am reluctant to count on the monthly truck delivery to meet all packaged food needs. Mama Zu’s, 821 Bakery Cafe, Mojo’s, and a soon-to-be-reopened Hollywood Grill offer options, yet it is clear that the neighborhood could use more. Stockpiling and emergency pantries are a must.
With these factors in mind, I give my second royal edict: GROW MORE FOOD. Start vegetable and victory gardens now. Using square foot gardening and sustainable farming methods, I am confident that my subjects can find many public and private places to fulfill this command. Residents do need to be careful to avoid contaminated soil, and more crabgrass and vermiculture is desired to help de-contaminate. Irrigation from rain barrels and beekeeping are encouraged. At this time, until tribute is demanded, citizens should feel free to sell and trade their crops without royal interference.
Again, this is the first of many coming decrees that will form my overall policy of self-sufficiency.