From email reminder:
Hello all
Your reminder that OHNA will be holding its monthly meeting tonight, Tuesday, May 26th at 7 pm at WBCH.
I’ve had a couple of people express interest in being on the agenda, but no confirmations. It will be a surprise!
I met with Michael Buck of Acorn Signs to discuss historic house plaques. I will have some samples of different materials to pass around.
Thanks
Jennifer
OHNA
Received this forwarded email in regard to the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority (VNECA)‘ upcoming meeting, which the public is allowed to attend:
VNECA Board Members:
I hope all is well with you. Just wanted to send a quick reminder about Wednesday’s VNECA Board meeting.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 20th at 10am at the VCU East Engineering Hall, 401 West Main Street, Room E3229 (daVinci classroom on third floor). (Ed. note: I redacted the parking code info) The map is attached, but this is the same lot as previous meetings.
If you haven’t RSVP’d already, please let me know if you will be able to attend.
Attached are the draft minutes from the last meeting, draft agenda for this meeting and map for parking.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
Thanks.
Randy Marcus
Senior Advisor for Policy
Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe
randy.marcus@governor.virginia.gov
From email announcement:
Good afternoon 4th Precinct MPACT Community,
Attached is the agenda for the 4th Precinct MPACT Meeting scheduled for Thursday May 21, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the library of Linwood Holton Elementary School (1600 West Laburnum Avenue).
<<MPACT 4th Precinct Meeting Agenda May 21 2015>>
This month we invite you to attend a MPACT conversation with special guest speakers, John Walsh, Code Enforcement Operations Manager, who will discuss how Code Enforcement is beginning to manage abandoned properties in your community in order to bring them back into compliance and how residents can assist in this process. Torrence Robinson, Transportation Engineering Operations Manager, will discuss the process in which Public Works follows when determining if and where street signage, markings and other traffic signals should be placed.
Please note that this agenda may be revised. Refer to the City’s MPACT website for updates. You will find the attached meeting minutes from our last meeting on April 16 2015 as well as the Noise Meter Ordinance. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for doing your part to help build a better Richmond.
<<4th Precinct Meeting Minutes April 16 2015>>
Chris Clark
MPACT Outreach Coordinator
Chief Administrative Office
900 East Broad Street., Suite 1502
Richmond, Virginia 23219
804-646-1301
This tree on the 300 block of S. Laurel is scheduled for removal, according to the sign.
The state of Monroe Park continues to create consternation.
From neighbor and Monroe Park defender Todd Woodson:
Last Monday evening, I spoke during citizen comment period at city council regarding the fact that the city currently has over 3/4 of a million dollars and hundreds of hours of planning in the Monroe Park Master Plan and that the plan has been approved by both the planning commission and city council and is prominently displayed on the richmondgov.com website and that they were currently replacing the entire north side of the park (600 and 700 blocks w Franklin) with new concrete sidewalks which do not comply with the specified brick with planting strip sidewalks in the master plan. I emailed the interim director at DPW before any concrete was poured and he responded that he would consult his engineers and get back to me. He never did. I subsequently requested the budget for the project under the freedom of information act but haven’t received it yet. They have now completed the northern perimeter and have started on the eastern side (Belvidere). It is now apparent that the city is going to complete the entire perimeter with inappropriate material in anticipation of the UCI races. This unfortunate waste of funds could reach up to 200 to 300 thousand dollars by my estimate. Should the master plan be implemented, all this concrete will need to be demolished, transported to a landfill, the site re-prepared and correct brick sidewalks installed.
I request that you do anything you can to bring this to the attention of the public. If they stopped and began the right plan, much money could still be saved.
This blatant and willful waste of taxpayer dollars and stress to the environment through all of the landfill waste is appalling and unconscionable. The administration of our city is out of control.
These Monroe Park sidewalks has been reported on before on this website.
Some Richmonders have also been wondering about this plaque, now without a corresponding tree:
Perhaps we will learn more at this upcoming Monday (May 4, 5pm)’s City Council Organizational Development Standing Committee Meeting being held in the Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall. Alice Massie, the President of the Monroe Park Conservancy, is scheduled to give an update. She has missed previous meetings. Also, Lucy Meade of Venture Richmond is scheduled to speak on “City Beautification Projects”. This standing committee meeting often has little public participation, despite the important matters that are discussed there.
From a recent news article in North Carolina:
Rockingham County officials are fighting with local residents in court over zoning for a kennel.
The Rockingham County Board of Commissioners revealed at its meeting Monday that it is battling a lawsuit filed by neighbors living in Oregon Hill, just south of Eden.
The lawsuit alleges the county used spot zoning to allow a kennel to open in that area.
…
“You say you’re for property rights, but what about my property rights?” asked Ashley Wyatt, who said she dreads hearing dozens of barking dogs from the kennel in Oregon Hill, which backs up to her property.
It’s not free to attend, but there is a meeting this Wednesday by the Urban Land Institute that is focusing on riverfront connections.
How should Richmond take advantage of the opportunities that the James River offers? What types of infrastructure is necessary to encourage interaction with the James? What progress has already been made?
Join ULI and it’s Young Leader’s Group for a panel-led discussion that will highlight projects that encourage Richmond to engage with the James River. Our distinguished panel will provide commentary on the progress that has been made along Richmond’s Riverfront and will discuss the vision for the future.
Note that it is being moderated by Lucy Meade of Venture Richmond. Can we really expect the public interests to be adequately represented at this meeting?
City Council Organizational Development standing committee met yesterday in part to hear an update on Monroe Park Conservancy’s efforts to raise 3 million dollars to initiate the historically sensitive renovation of Monroe Park. This report was requested by Council in January and was already delayed by MPC at this committee’s last meeting. MPC president Alice Massie was a no show. City administration representative Chris Beschler is familiar with the Conservancy but declined to make any comments.
For more background on Monroe Park, please click here, here, here, here, and here.
Oregon Hill residents are gratified that the City workers recently repainted the historic gazebo that sits as the end of S. Pine Street, near the overlook. With the UCI Road World Championship bicycle races approaching, residents are hoping the gazebo will look enticing for spectators.
But now the City has additional news: As part of longterm restoration plans, the gazebo roof will be fitted with not only roof-flush photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and batteries to power the lighting installations around it, but also a retractable solar thermal array that will provide steam for picnic cooking as well as hot beverages in cooler temperatures.
The design for this array comes from Wolfgang Scheffler, who is well know for designing similar arrays for community kitchens across India. City officials expect to have both the PV array and the thermal array up later this summer, as long as they can get past regulation in the City’s VEPGA.
Earlier this month, the following letter was sent to VCU, City, State officials, as well as the media in response to an earlier real estate transaction:
Dear Dr. Rao,
The members of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) were concerned to hear that in November 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) acquired a property at 9 West Cary Street, outside of VCU’s Master Plan boundary. In response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act, VCU confirmed that the property at 9 West Cary Street is not within VCU’s Master Plan boundary and that VCU did not inform its neighbors that it was purchasing property outside of its Master Plan boundary.
While this property at 9 West Cary Street is not within the Oregon Hill Historic District, we object to the University acquiring property outside of its Master Plan boundary. This land acquisition is counter to the Management Agreement between VCU and the Commonwealth of Virginia that states that capital projects must be “consistent with the University’s published Master Plan.” The fact that VCU chooses to disregard its own Master Plan alarms the surrounding communities.
OHNA voted at its February 24, 2015 meeting to formally request that VCU adhere to its Master Plan boundary when acquiring property in the future. We would also remind you of the promise made by former VCU President Eugene Trani that the University will not expand south of Cary Street into the Oregon Hill Historic District.
VCU’s neighbors rely on the commitment made by the University to adhere to its Master Plan boundary when purchasing property. This assurance is essential for removing speculation and inspiring a sense of trust between VCU and its neighbors.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hancock
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association
President