Category Archives: government

City’s Oregon Hill Parking Survey

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The following information was supplied by Fifth District City Council Liaison Amy Robins:

Dear Oregon Hill Neighbors,

Below you will find the results (minus personal information) from Parking Survey in a PDF. This is the same powerpoint that was rotating last night. The flyers and this survey were a tool to notify neighbors of the parking conversation. This survey as stated in the survey were never to replace the petition process. The results were to be used to draft a new petition with the help of city staff answering questions and clearing up misinformation. Neighbors wishing to have restricted parking have every right to petition their blocks. Oregon Hill neighbors can decide on porch steps whether they are for or against restricted parking.

Currently, there is no new petition. Last night’s meeting turned to an information session with DPW’s Lynne Lancaster & Steve Bergin. I thank the folks who stays throughout the evening and asked great questions.

The attached file shows all the 245 responses. Out of that number 175 people used an OH addresses. 115 responding lived south of Albemarle.

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Copy/Paste from the survey:

“This survey to collect feedback from the community regarding a potential restricted parking district (permit parking) in the Oregon Hill neighborhood. This survey will close on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 11:59pm. The feedback excluding personal contact information will be condensed and shared at the next OHNA meeting on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. At that time neighborhood residents will vote on the perimeters of a brand new petition. Perimeters: include the blocks, number of permits per household, and hours of restriction.

Please stop and read through the city’s restricted parking district page before moving forward with this survey: http://www.richmondgov.com/…/RestrictedParkingDistricts.aspx. Please note that Oregon Hill’s district will be different from the Fan and Carver Districts since each neighborhood is unique. Please make note of the items that you like or do not like in the descriptions.

The Randolph Neighborhood Association is also moving forward with a petition for a restricted parking district starting along Harrison. You can learn more by visiting their website: https://randolphrva.com/…/restricted-decal-permit-parking-…/

Additional Information:
There are approximately 500+ houses in Oregon Hill.

Two Schools:
St.Andrew’s School – 229 S. Cherry Street
Open High School – 600 S. Pine Street

Two churches:
St. Andrews Episcopal Church – 240 S. Laurel Street
Pine Street Baptist Church – 400 S. Pine Street

Seven businesses South of I-195:

Peddler of Pine Street – 238 S. Pine Street
Monday – Thursday 11:00am to 9:00pm
Friday 11:00am to 10:00pm
Saturday 12:00pm to 10:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm to 8:00pm

Fine Food Market – 700 Idlewood Ave
Monday-Sunday 9am-12am

Vinyl Conflict Record Store – 324 S. Pine Street
Monday: 12:00pm until 6:00pm
Tuesday through Saturday: 11:00am until 7:00pm
Sunday: 12:00pm until 6:00pm

Rest in Pieces – 349 S Laurel Street
Mondays: closed
Tuesday-Sunday: 12pm-7pm

Pine Street Barber Shop – 224 S. Pine Street
Sunday & Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Friday: 9am-6pm
Saturday: 9am-2pm

L’opossum – 626 China Street
Sunday-Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Saturday: 5pm-12am

Mamma’Zu – 501 S. Pine Street
Sunday: Closed
Monday-Friday: 11am-2pm; 5:30pm-10:30pm
Saturday: 5:30pm-10:30pm

Tourist Destinations/Amenities: Rest in Pieces, Hollywood Cemetery, Oregon Hill Overlook, access to the James River
Parks, Oregon Hill Linear Park, Pleasant’s Park, Holly Street Park

Due to financial and time constraints this survey will only be available via the internet. Neighbors without internet are encourage to attend the Tuesday, August 28 meeting at St. Andrew’s Church.”

“Please note OHNA has thrown out all petitions and previous ideas regarding the restricted parking area. We will be starting from scratch.

The streets running North and South include: South Cherry, South Laurel, and South Pine.

The streets running East and West include: Cumberland, Idlewood, Albemarle, Spring, China, Holly, and the Oregon Hill Parkway/S. 2nd Street.

60% of the block MUST sign the hand written petition for the DPW Parking Division to consider it in the study. This survey does not replace the hand written petition.

You can weigh in on each block or just select the blocks closest to you.

You can review the Fan’s application for:
Owners – http://www.richmondgov.com/…/Fan_2017_OwnersParkingPermitZo…
Renters – http://www.richmondgov.com/…/Fan_2017_RentersParkingPermitZ… ”

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I’ll load the City Ordinance that allows for Restricted Parking Areas to the file area.

General Information/clarification from last night:

– Neighbors approached OHNA to sponsor the petition. The City Ordinance states the civic association must be the one to apply. This is neighbor driven not city driven.

– Neighbors gets to decide on what will or will not be included in the ordinance if a new petition is generated. The ordinance must reflect the petition.

– Renters can get parking passes; in some district they are not eligible for guest passes. Parking passes and guest passes are different. Again, you all as a community can decide. Please note you can over sell a parking district.

– The base fee of $25/per permit and $35/per guest pass are set in the code and cannot be changed. These are annual fees. The fee helps cover the program’s cost.

– The neighbors gets to decide the district. A district must be 10 block faces.

– The neighbors get to decide the hours and days for restriction.

– The neighbors get to decide the number of petitions per household.

– The petition (if a new one is created) will include a for or against column.

– Restrictions would not be place directly in front of churches or businesses. Neighbors can make decisions to help protect businesses when drafting the petition.

– Please be sure to add all “for” responses together to see the discussion is closer than a land slide.

– The greatest push from neighbors was the 100, 200, and 300 blocks closest to VCU.

– Cars in violation of the parking restriction would be ticketed. The ticket is $50. Part of the fine would go into a fund to help support safety infrastructure like crosswalks and cleaning/sweeping roads/signs within Oregon Hill.

– The only time a car would be towed is if they had multiple outstanding tickets. This is a citywide practice not unique to restricted parking areas.

-Again, the attached file shows all the 245 responses. Out of that number 175 people used an OH address. 115 responding lived south of Albemarle.

If shared, please include all of the information above. Thank you.

OH Parking Survey August 28 2018

City Offices Closed For Labor Day

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From City press release:

Media Advisory
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Contact: Tyler Hill
Office: (804) 646-4642
Tyler.Hill@Richmondgov.com

City Offices Closed for Labor Day

Richmond, VA – City government offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Monday, September 3 for Labor Day. City offices will reopen at regular business hours on Tuesday, September 4.

Labor Day closings include all branches of the Richmond Public Library which will reopen on Tuesday, September 4. Broad Rock Library, which is normally open on Sundays, will be closed on Sunday, September 2.

The following community centers will be open Saturday, September 1: Bellemade, Southside, Randolph, Powhatan and Hotchkiss.

All community centers will be closed Sunday, September 2 and Monday, September 3. City pools will be open from noon until 5 p.m. on Monday, September 3.

Richmond Animal Care and Control will be closed Sunday, September 2.

Refuse collection will not be performed on Monday, September 3 as the City’s Solid Waste Management Division will also be closed. This closure will result in a one-day delay of refuse collection for the week, as the collection schedule will begin on Tuesday, September 4 and continue through Friday, September 7.

The East Richmond Road Convenience Center and Hopkins Road Transfer Stations are also closed on Monday, September 3. Each facility will resume its normal schedule on Tuesday.

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OHNA Meeting Tuesday Night

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From email announcement:

This Tuesday, OHNA will hold its monthly meeting at 7PM at St. Andrews Church at S Laurel and Idlewood. City Council liaison Amy Robins will present the results of the parking permit survey and hopefully we can agree on parameters for those seeking parking permits on their individual blocks.

We will also have our regular updates from RPD, VCU Police, VCU, and Councilman Agelasto’s office has provided petitions to make the recently changed stop signs into all way stops which I will distribute. We look forward to seeing you and having a productive meeting!

Aging Assistance

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While the City population is going to be instantly getting a lot younger as VCU students move in this weekend, it’s important to recognize that much of the City’s full-time population is getting older.

One resource that should not be overlooked is the City of Richmond’s OAPD. The primary goal of the Office on Aging & Persons with Disabilities (OAPD) is to promote independence and enhance the dignity of Richmond’s aging and disabled populations by connecting these individuals with the necessary resources to meet their needs. The office targets older adults age 55 and older and persons with physical and sensory disabilities.

Councilman Agelasto to hold meeting for the Richmond Central 5th Voter District

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From City press release:

All Richmond Central 5th Voter District residents invited and encouraged to attend

WHAT Richmond, Virginia – The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District, will hold a meeting for the Richmond Central 5th Voter District. The planned program/agenda for this meeting includes the following:

· Virginia General Assembly Legislative Update

The Honorable Jennifer McClellan, Virginia State Senator
Senate of Virginia – 9th Voter District

The Honorable Betsy Carr, Virginia State Delegate
Virginia House of Delegates – 69th Voter District

· Richmond 300 City Master Plan Updates

· Richmond Central 5th Voter District Updates

· Questions and Comments

WHEN Thursday, August 16, 2018
6:45-8:00 p.m.

WHERE Richmond Public Schools – Binford Middle School
1701 Floyd Avenue; Richmond, Virginia

CONTACT For more information, please contact: Amy Robins, Liaison for The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, at 804.646.5724 (tel), or amy.robins@richmondgov.com (email).

Background
Councilman Agelasto typically holds individual meetings throughout the year that include information on his goals and accomplishments; a topical agenda; and, special guests. All Richmond Central 5th Voter District residents are invited and encouraged to attend.

Councilman Agelasto’s upcoming individually scheduled meetings and community clean-ups:

COUNCILMAN AGELASTO’S MEETINGS

Thursday, October 25, 2018; 6:45-8:00 p.m.
Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts
3411 Semmes Avenue; Richmond, Virginia

Thursday, December 13, 2018; 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Woodland Heights Baptist Church
611 West 31st Street; Richmond, Virginia

COMMUNITY CLEAN-UPS
The following community clean-up meet-up locations will be announced through the civic associations, through Councilman Agelasto’s e-newsletter, and on his Facebook page.

Saturday, September 15, 2018; 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Reedy Creek and Swansboro West Neighborhoods
Morning meet-up location to be determined

Saturday, October 20, 2018; 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Swansboro and Woodland Heights Neighborhoods
Morning meet-up location to be determined

– E N D –

VCU’s ‘Free Ride’

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This past week Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) announced that it had signed an agreement with the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) that will give their students and employees unlimited access to the new $65 million Pulse system and all other GRTC bus routes. In other words, as much local media trumpeted, VCU students and workers will get to ride ‘for free’.

Of course, this is welcome news. If nothing else, it may alleviate parking pressures and reduce carbon emissions. However, Richmond citizens should look past the headlines and consider the big picture of VCU’s ‘free ride’.

The conversation about the need to grow GRTC and mass transit in general has increased measurably as VCU has grown in both population and physical plant. All along, this community news site has advocated for more commitment from counties and universities to GRTC and mass transit. This call has only increased as ‘The Pulse’ BRT project has spent federal and state funds for implementation.

The problem is that with federal and state monies now spent, more and more of the cost burden will be shifted back to City taxpayers. And VCU, despite the announcement this week, is still falling very short in its commitment. $1.2 million is a drop in the bucket. Heck, VCU probably spent close to $1.2 million on all of the PR for their new ICA building. One year is not that long. Consider that VCU has made more of a commitment to its basketball coach than Richmond’s mass transit.

So what, the neoliberals say, college basketball brings in more money and GRTC can’t even support itself. VCU spends so much on transportation per student, university administrators say (if I was a student, I would be looking at where that money is going exactly). Yet, despite supposed sports profits and rising tuition, more poor and longterm Richmond residents are getting forced out of the City with rising tax bills. The City of Richmond continues to pay the overwhelming majority of GRTC’s budget and now it has increased its operational costs. Remember when ‘The Pulse’ backers said that it was designed to help Richmond’s poor? Now the largest entity by far on ‘The Pulse’ route is hedging its bets and waiting to see how the chips fall.

The local media and elected officials should be questioning this ‘deal’ more, but the majority of them won’t for fear of falling out of VCU’s favor (and advertising budget). If VCU alumni want to arrogantly claim that ‘they built this city’, they should be required to put their money where their mouth is. Other urban universities do more than brag.

An Appeal For Intermediate Terminal #3

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Following up on an earlier post, neighbor Charles Pool has written an appeal to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation of the recent DHR determination that the Intermediate Terminal is not eligible for listing on the National Register.

In the document linked below, he lists a dozen reasons that the Terminal and adjacent structures are eligible for listing on the National Register and that the demolition of the Terminal would constitute and adverse impact on historic resources.

Pool appeal to the ACHP, NPS and HUD regarding Intermediate Terminal #3, Richmond, VA

Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association Statement

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The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has released this statement, following the meeting last month…

Dear Oregon Hill Neighbors,

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) is the neighborhood civic association. Separate from OHNA, is the Overlook Unit Owners Association (HOA) at Outlook Townhomes (south of Holly Street). All residents are invited to join OHNA’s monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month at St. Andrew’s Church on the corner of S. Laurel and Idlewood at 7pm. Since we meet during dinner hours, neighbors host a potluck. Please feel free to bring something small to share if you can.

Over the years, multiple neighbors have approached OHNA to discuss a Residential Restrict Parking Zone similar to what The Fan and Carver have due to parking pressures. Residential Restrict Parking Zones must be backed by the neighborhood civic association. You can learn more about Restricted Parking Districts using the link below. It is highly recommended that you review the city website before taking the survey. You will see that The Fan and Carver’s restrict parking zones are different. Oregon Hill’s will also be unique based on the community’s feedback via the survey and at the meeting.

Restricted Parking Districts: http://www.richmondgov.com/Parking/RestrictedParkingDistricts.aspx

At the July OHNA meeting, President Todd Woodson made the decision to throw out all previous signed petitions. This decision was made to increase community awareness through a paper flyer campaign, online survey, and posts on Facebook and Nextdoor.

Website: www.oregonhill.net (Editor’s note: This website is an independent community news site that does not necessarily represent OHNA)
Facebook (closed group): Search “Oregon Hill Community”
Nextdoor: www.nextdoor.com
Online Survey: https://goo.gl/forms/BO98EfQ4GYCAUsbz2

Please take 5-10 minutes to complete the online survey (longer is you explore the links within the survey). Due to financial and time restraints the survey will only be available online. This data will be on display at the next OHNA meeting on Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at 7pm to help determine the details of the petition. Please note the survey will close on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 11:59pm so the data can be compiled. Filling out the survey does not replace the requirement of the paper petition. Results from the survey do not stop neighbors from continuing with a new paper petition (see sample).

The DPW Parking Division will be on hand at the next OHNA meeting to walk Oregon Hill through the process of determining the petition’s language. Your feedback through the survey will greatly speed this process up. The requirement for the Department of Public Works (DPW) Parking Division is 60% of a block face (one side of the block) must sign in support of the restricted parking zone. The neighborhood must have 10 block faces with 60% or more signing the petition for the Parking Division to conduct a parking study. (One block equals two block faces.) There is no need for a second petition stating a neighbor is in opposition, the neighbor just does not sign the support petition. After the parking study is complete the Parking Division will help draft an ordinance to bring before City Council to be adopted. The parking ordinance cannot be edited for an entire year.

Several of you have asked what the Randolph Neighborhood Association is proposing. You can learn more on their website. They have been listening to Oregon Hill’s discussing for four years. Due to their parking pressures, they plan on moving forward whether Oregon Hill does or does not. They will be handing out flyers over the next week too. Website: https://randolphrva.com/2018/06/02/restricted-decal-permit-parking-zone/

If you have any questions that the links above or in the survey do not answer OR are willing to help flyer the neighborhood, please email OHNArva@gmail.com.

Thank you all for your time,
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association

P.S. Richmond residents with local government service questions & non-emergency requests are reminded they can call 311 (804.646.7000), use the www.rva311.com web portal, and/or the RVA311 app to report such things as: potholes, streetlights, illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles, overgrown lots, etc. The RVA311 mobile app is available on SmartPhones via the Google Play or Apple Stores.
Richmond’s previously used apps/portals, such as RVA One, See-Click-Fix, MPACT website, and the Citizen Request System are no longer in use as of June 15, 2018.