In a non-Presidential election year, many citizens do not bother to vote, which is very short-sighted when you think about it.
Anyway, tomorrow night and Tuesday night, there are chances to hear and ask questions of local candidates. This might prevent you from asking questions later, like where’s Marty Jewell?
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
From email:
The following invitation was sent to Dominion and the City planning office. This email is being sent to you because we feel that you may also be interested in this subject. OHNA also extends an open invitation to all interested parties.
To whom it may concern:
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) would like to invite you to our next meeting on Tues. Sept. 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the William Byrd Community House, located on the 200 block of South Cherry Street. As the neighborhood in closest proximity, and with close historical ties to Tredegar, we have questions and concerns regarding the recently announced projects in Monday’s Richmond Times Dispatch article of a road connecting Second Street with Tredegar Street and a new amphitheater.
Among our concerns are:
Is Dominion planning additional construction on its property, or planning to construct the tower that was included in the decades old special use permit?
How will the proposed connector affect the historic canal and surroundings?
Has there been a traffic study regarding the effect of the connector on the surrounding neighborhood?
What is the proposed configuration of the proposed amphitheater, and how will the sound from this amphitheater impact Oregon Hill?
How will parking on Oregon Hill be impacted by the proposed changes?Please let us know if you will be able to attend our neighborhood meeting.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hancock,
President, OHNA
More information is emerging about new proposals for the Richmond riverfront after last week’s public riverfront planning meeting. In particular, some items have been announced that concern the Kanawha Canal and the area just east of the Lee Bridge. An amphitheater and possibly a new road that would connect from 2nd Street to Tredegar Street have been mentioned already in the media. Click here for a James River News Hub story and click here for one in the Times Dispatch. Most if not all this land is currently owned by New Market Corporation. Hopefully more facts and discussion will be forthcoming.
In the meantime, I know Oregon Hill neighbors who are concerned about what will eventually happen with riverfront planning. One wrote to me wondering if Dominion Power might try to get an even taller high-rise on the riverfront after all.
From announcement:
4th Precinct MPACT Partners-
I wanted to share some announcements with you about our upcoming MPACT meetings.
I hope your calendars are marked for our next MPACT meeting, Thursday, September 15th 6:00 PM at Linwood Holton Elementary School (1600 W. Laburnum Ave.). Representatives from city agencies will be on hand to discuss the impact of Hurricane Irene and storm cleanup efforts. Please share the word neighbors and plan to attend.
Additionally, the city is participating in several service projects to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday, September 11th. I wanted to highlight 2 projects located in the 4th Precinct that are looking for volunteers. If you would like more information please click on the links below or feel free to contact me.
Commemoration Event & Kick Off- 8:30- 9:30 AM at the Carillon in Byrd Park
http://www.richmondgov.com/NeighborToNeighbor/911ServiceWeek.aspxCannon Creek Ravine Clean Up 10:00- 2:00 PM
http://www.handsonrva.org/HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Details_Page?startURL=HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Details_Page%3FId=a0CA000000CJnTrMALA@A&id=a0CA000000CJnTrMALWilliam Byrd Farmlet 10:00- 2:00 PM
http://www.handsonrva.org/HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Details_Page?startURL=HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Details_Page%3FId=a0CA000000CJnjoMADA@A&id=a0CA000000CJnjoMADMany thanks for your involvement with the city and your neighborhood efforts. I hope to see you at the Sept. 15th meeting or a volunteer event.
~EmilyEmily E. Griffey
MPACT Coordinator
City of Richmond
phone- (804) 646-7527
emily.griffey@richmondgov.com
Next Wednesday, September 14, at 6 pm.
Virginia War Memorial, 621 South Belvidere
For more information:
James Hill, Principal Planner
Division of Planning & Preservation
Department of Planning and Development Review
Phone: 804-646-7552
Email: James.Hill@richmondgov.com