Category Archives: government

Recycling/Trash Tomorrow + Street Cleaning At End of Month

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Tomorrow is a “Red Wednesday”, which means recycling and trash pickup in the morning.

Hopefully folks enjoyed the trick or treating and great Halloween parade. Its a good time to pick up any litter on your sidewalk and in your alley before the first snow arrives.

Also, from the City:

RICHMOND, Va – The first cycle of the city’s annual Vacuum Leaf Collection Program is
set to begin on Monday, November 14. The schedule is as follows:
…
Maymont/Byrd Park/Oregon Hill/Carillon November 28 – December 2

New Canal Bridge Bought

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C. Wayne Taylor alerted me that the City has finally bought the new canal bridge. Oregon Hill has been waiting for roughly 8 years for this, since the awarding of state grants. The idea is to replace the current bridge that was built by volunteers.

Midtown to Midriver Greenway Enhancement
North Bank Trail over Kanawha Canal
Pedestrian Bridge Replacement
CIP No. 0401308908-8915
September 20, 2010
Procurement number IFB J11114-1
$259,450.00
http://richmondvaprocurementawards.blogspot.com/2011/10/ifb-j11114-1-mid-town-to-mid-river.html

The city of Richmond has selected a contractor to construct a pedestrian bridge across Kanawha Canal. The pedestrian bridge will be located underneath the Lee Bridge. The cost of the bridge is $259,450.00.

He goes on to say:

If the Kanawha Canal is ever restored and used, the pedestrian bridge will restrict overhead access on the canal. Allowing two feet for the depth of water, the overhead clearance in the center of the canal will be approximately 5.8 feet.

The question is, what will it mean for future riverfront development? OHNA originally asked for a rounded bridge that would allow canal boats to eventually return. We were told that type bridge would be too expensive, but our concerns would be taken into consideration. The fact that we are getting a flat bridge should not be a surprise (even if it is disappointing).

https://www.oregonhill.net/2009/09/14/canal-bridge-plans/

excerpt from the Sept 19, 2009 post link above:

Officially the project is called the “North Bank Trail Pedestrian Bridge Replacement”, and what its really about is a new bridge that will cross the historic Kanawha Canal near the Lee Bridge and enable pedestrians to make their way to the James River Park. The flat bridge will be placed so that it can be raised easily later to accommodate canal development and possibly the return of canal boats. The money for this is coming from greenway grants that the neighborhood association previously applied for and won.

The Future of Our Alleys?

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One reoccurring question on this community news site concerns the future of our alleys. Oregon Hill, one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods, sadly had many of its alley stripped of their historic cobblestones by the City and developers years ago (Where did they go?). Over time, their surfaces have been made either loose gravel or smooth pavement. The results have been less than desirable.

In the alleys that have been paved, residents have experienced more cars speeding and more rain runoff. In the alleys still with gravel, giant potholes, huge ruts, and spillover into streets (as in the picture below on the 500 block of S. Cherry) develop.

Things have recently come a head in the 100 blocks above the expressway (wryly known as the Oregon Heights) and have been discussed a bit on the City’s SeeClickFix system.

Continue reading →

Traffic Alert- Lane Closures On Lee Bridge

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From City press release:

For Immediate Release
October 24, 2011
For more information, contact:
Sharon North – (804) 646-5607

Lane Closures – Robert E. Lee Bridge

WHO: City of Richmond Department of Public Works

WHAT: Lane Closures

WHEN: Wednesday, October 26 through Friday, December 2, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Robert E. Lee Bridge

BACKGROUND: There will be intermittent lane closures on the bridge during repairs of the joints and railings. The work will begin in the southbound lanes, then switch to the northbound lanes.

###

More on 2nd Street Connector Proposal

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Blogger extraordinaire C. Wayne Taylor has post up now on City Hall Review that evidently quotes a city official.

“I don’t have any documentation on emergency access conditions in the area of the proposed Second Street Connector. I checked with Lory Markham and she doesn’t either.”
James Hill, Principal Planner
Division of Planning & Preservation
Department of Planning and Development Review

This raises more questions about the motivation, need, and the rush to create this new street, which would intersect or go over the canal.

2nd Street Connector Draws More Citizen Scrutiny- What Does It Mean For ‘Riverfront Planning’?

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While OHNA urges support of the City’s interest in protecting the historic resources in the canal basin, citizens continue to question plans for the proposed 2nd Street connector street.

C. Wayne Taylor provides a great graphic with details on his City Hall Review site.

One Oregon Hill resident sent this to me on September 30:

I have many comments and questions about traffic.

Bike Lanes
I’d be more likely to bike on this new road vs drive. If it must be built then bike lanes are a must.

Roundabout
We’ve been waiting for a long time for the Idlewood roundabout. I’d like to see that finished before we build a 2nd Street connector. After the last OHNA meeting I noticed there was a traffic accident at the 3 road merge exactly where the roundabout would be located (Grayland + Idlewood + RMA ramp). We need sidewalk improvements here and we should add bike lanes as well. The Byrdhouse Market would benefit from these improvements as well.

Pedestrian Bridge
We’ve been waiting for a long time for the Pedestrian Bridge. I’d like to see that finished before we build a new 2nd Street Connector.

Area Traffic
Will we see more traffic coming from the Idlewood RMA ramp? Will people shortcut through the neighborhood down Idlewood and or S Laurel? I commute down Spring St out of Oregon Hill and turn left onto 2nd Street to get downtown for work. Will the morning southbound traffic on 2nd hinder that left turn during rush hour? Will there be any traffic lights added? Will there be a traffic study?

I should say that Oregon Hill residents do understand that many people would like more public routes to the riverfront and understand the pubic desire in the proposed 2nd Street connection road, however there are real concerns about HOW this project is done. At the moment it seems to be proposed in a manner that benefits the corporate interests of New Market and Dominion more so than any public interests. That New Market seems determined to rush it does not give folks any confidence that their concerns will be considered.

Perhaps we will hear more about this at the next Riverfront Planning meeting on October 18th. Hopefully citizen involvement will be meaningful.

OHNA Sends Letter In Support Of City To Protect Canal

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Yesterday, Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association president released a letter that she had sent to City officials-

At its September meeting, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) adopted a resolution to support the City of Richmond’s effort to protect and preserve the historic James River and Kanawha Canal, Penitentiary basin, and green space in any development, including the proposed road connecting Second Street with Tredegar Street and the proposed amphitheater.

The canal, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is of great historical significance to the City of Richmond. It was first chartered in 1785 as the James River Navigation Company with George Washington serving as its first President. Reorganized in 1831 as the James River and Kanawha Canal Company, the canal played an integral role in the industrial and mercantile development of the city.

There are important historical connections between the canal and the Oregon Hill neighborhood. Samuel Pleasants Parsons, whose home (built in 1819) survives at 601 Spring Street, was the Superintendent of the Canal in 1840 when the Canal was expanded westward to Lynchburg.

From about 1850 to 1875, Oregon Hill resident John Messler ran a canal boat building enterprise in the Penitentiary Basin. Messler had a short walk from his home the Jacob House (which survives at 619 W. Cary Street) to the canal basin below Oregon Hill.

The two attachments to this e-mail show the Canal and Penitentiary Basin below Oregon Hill in both the 1876 Beers Atlas and in a panoramic photograph assembled from three 1865 photographs. John Messler’s canal boat building business in the Penitentiary Basin can be seen in the middle of the panoramic view.

Because the James River and Kanawha Canal is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, OHNA strongly recommends that the City consult closely with the Va. Department of Historic Resources early in the process of designing the proposed bridge over the canal.

Please forward this resolution to all members of the Richmond Planning Commission.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hancock
President, OHNA

Recycling Notes

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Regular CVWMA curbside pickup and regular City trash pickup tomorrow morning.

Electronic Recycling Day for City Residents happens Saturday, October 15.

WHO: Richmond Clean City Commission, Richmond Department of Public Works, and Central Virginia Waste Management Authority.

WHAT: Drop off for all household electronic items, such as computers, monitors, radios, fax machines, microwaves, camcorders, etc. Fluorescent light bulbs and large appliances cannot be accepted.

WHEN: Saturday, October 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: 3101 N. Boulevard (corner of Boulevard and Robin Hood Road)

BACKGROUND: The City of Richmond’s E-Cycle Day offers City residents an efficient and green option to recycle unwanted electronic products. There is a $7 recycling fee for televisions. All other household electronic items will be recycled free of charge. For more information on E-Cycle Day, visit www.RichmondGov.com http://www.richmondgov.com/.

Lastly, and most pleasantly, I am happy to announce that VCU Goes Green will be sponsoring the Green Team volunteer recycling at the Richmond Folk Festival.

Kollatz Reports On OHNA/City/Dominion Meeting

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Harry Kollatz is doing his best to add more in depth coverage of planning meetings regarding the Richmond riverfront on his blog for Richmond Magazine. In the latest post (click here), he reports on a meeting yesterday that included representatives from the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA), Dominion Power, and City of Richmond.

At this week’s meeting, the concerns as expressed by OHNA through Pool and its president, Jennifer Hancock, included the possibility of the new and longer Second Street wiping away remnants of the canal; resulting traffic and noise; the special-use permit that Dominion still carries on its property, which allows open-ended construction (Pool was greatly concerned that construction of a once-planned 160-foot tower might go forward as a result); and the matter of what’s been referred to as an “amphitheater” for Venture Richmond to complement the Folk Festival site, on property that may be gifted to the organization by NewMarket.

Discussion ensued over the ramifications of a possible new street coming off 2nd that would connect to the riverfront. Oregon Hill neighbors are concerned that this would encourage more cars speeding down Idlewood off the expressway in order to get to 2nd Street.

From Kollatz’s post:

Hancock later reminded city engineers that they’d pushed for a roundabout at Idlewood, where the Downtown Expressway connects, and it’s mentioned in the Downtown Master Plan’s Transportation Analysis (p. 18). Transportation engineer Thomas Flynn said the excellent idea for a roundabout isn’t forgotten, it just needs $400,000 to be completed.

(Please see Issue #5).