From the Valentine Richmond History Center:
May 12
Hollywood Cemetery Specialty Walking Tour* (2-4pm)
An extension of the daily “Highlights” tour, this version covers in more detail the cemetery’s unique history, landscape design, architecture, symbols and residents. Meet at the cemetery entrance at Cherry and Albemarle streets.
…, the Richmond Connects transportation draft plan that is-
Looks like the Idlewood roundabout proposal made the Safety Project draft map. Also notice the 2nd Street Connector marked in blue as a new street.
for the next map, use this legend-
Of course, there’s a lot more to the Richmond Connects plan (buses, trains, etc.) and there is still time to submit comments.
(I will not relate all the comments I made, except that I did suggest mass transit options for our riverfront parks as a solution to parking/traffic nightmares.)
Rolling up the VCU tennis bubble dome yesterday morning-
I wonder how the previous bubble dome is doing.
From Times Dispatch article:
After a brief, final flaring of tension between a neighborhood group and a developer, the City Council also unanimously approved a special-use permit that will allow the transformation of the former Victory Carpet Cleaning building at 407 S. Cherry St. into a dozen apartments.
The overhaul of the 123-year-old, three-story brick building by developer Guy Blundon was the subject of a “long, arduous set of negotiations” with neighbors, Blundon told the council Monday night.
“We have made a lot of concessions, and I think we will have a wonderful project,” Blundon said, adding that he was “dumbfounded” by last-minute criticism from Todd Woodson, executive director of the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council and treasurer of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association.
Residents were successful in getting Blundon to reduce the number of proposed units by half and agree to not rent to Virginia Commonwealth University students, except married couples or military veterans.
However, Woodson said he only got the final wording of the agreement Sunday, which will allow VCU students who are older than 25 to be tenants. He considered that a breach of the “gentlemen’s agreement” between Blundon and the neighborhood. Blundon said he arrived at the final language after talks with his lawyer about discrimination concerns.
Woodson said the neighborhood association was supporting the special-use permit request with “extreme reservation.”
“Like the James River hawk that graces our environs, we will be watching every move,” Woodson said.
100 block of S.Cherry Street closed for brick sidewalk repair.
(Glad to see #7 getting the attention it deserves!)
Oregon Hill residents are once again left wondering what is happening in City Hall.
From latest letter:
Dear Ms. Markam and Mr. Ebinger,
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association requests a postponement of the Victory Apt. SUP Ordinance No. 2012-200 scheduled hearing at the City Planning Commission on December 3, 2012. This postponement is necessary because two of the plans attached and referenced in the Victory Apartment Special Use Permit Ordinance No. 2012-200 are not the latest revisions that were required by the Planning Department and because the property was not posted properly per the requirements of city code Section 114-1050.5 (4).
The wrong plans have been attached to the ordinance: the latest revised Cover and A1.00 sheets of the Victory Apt. SUP are dated 10/22/12, but an earlier, incorrect version dated 9/21/12 are attached to the Victory Apt. SUP Ordinance No. 2012-200. The correct 10/22/12 revisions of the Cover and A1.00 sheets are attached to this e-mail. (Please see attachments: “Cover-SUP.PDF” and “A1.00-SUP.PDF”).
We received these 10/22/12 revisions of the Cover and A1.00 sheets as attachments to the Oct. 23rd e-mail from Mr. Ebinger below, and we were assured in the e-mail below that these revised plans would be attached to the Ordinance: “Updated plan sheets were recently provided and have been attached. The property lines for the Victory Rug Building have been modified to exclude the alley in common on Sheet A1.00 and the area of the alley in common has been excluded from the Site Data on the Cover Sheet.”
The incorrect sheet A1.00 dated 9/21/12 mistakenly shows the property line of the Victory building encroaching upon the property of the adjacent owner at 411 S. Cherry Street, as shown in the land survey of the property. (Please see attachment: “Plat of 411 S. Cherry Street.jpg”).
Unfortunately, the incorrect Cover and A1.00 sheets dated 9/21/12 are attached to the Ordinance No. 2012-200 that is being advertised and distributed by the City Clerk’s office: http://eservices.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/clerkstracking/getPDF.asp?NO=2012-200
There are substantial differences in these two versions of the plans. The incorrect 9/21/12 version of the Cover sheet notes the wrong square footage for the Site Area, Paved Area, Open Space and Usable Open Space. The incorrect 9/21/12 version of the A1.00 sheet indicates the wrong location of the property line to the south of the Victory Rug building. This error results in a 1,405 sq. ft. difference in the “Usable Open Space” available in the plan. The Planning Commission hearing scheduled for December 3, 2012 must be postponed so that the correct Cover and A1.00 sheets may be attached and referenced in the Ordinance No. 2012-200, with ample time for public review of the correct documents.
In addition, the property was not posted properly in accordance with city code Section 114-1050.5(4). The sign posted on the lot at 811 Albemarle Street is made of plastic, whereas city code Section 114-1050.5 (4) requires that, “The sign(s) shall be of wood or metal material … ” Also, much of the lettering on the sign posted at 407 S. Cherry is considerably smaller than the 3 inch letter size required by city code Section 114-1050.5 (4): “… with black lettering at least three inches in height … ” In fact, the majority of the letters on the sign posted at 407 S. Cherry are 1-1/4 inch in height, which is less than half the required size. (Please see attachments: “Sign with small lettering at 407 Cherry St.jpg” and “Plastic sign at 811 Albemarle St.jpg”).
We fear that the applicant’s non-compliance with the technical requirements of the city code regarding posting of the property may impact the community attendance at the Planning Commission. We request that both of the signs be corrected and be re-posted for the required two week period.
Additionally, we have received correspondence from residents confused by the fact that the City Council Agenda for November 26, 2012 still lists the ordinance as being heard at that session.
In summary, we request a postponement of the Planning Commission hearing scheduled December 3, 2012 for Ordinance 2012-200. The correct, revised Cover and A1.00 sheets dated 10/22/12 must be attached to the Ordinance as promised by city staff, with adequate time for public review, and the signage must be correctly posted on the property per city code.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. Please let us know as soon as possible when the Ordinance 2012-200 has been rescheduled.
Sincerely,
Charles Todd Woodson, Treasurer
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, inc
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) has repeatedly pointed out that the 400 block of S. Cherry is too narrow to support parking on both sides of the street as proposed by the Victory Apartments Special Use Permit application. The VDOT minimum standard is 28 feet for a residential street with parking on both sides. This land survey definitely shows that the street is too narrow for parking on both sides of the street, narrowing from 26.41 feet at the Victory Rug building to 23.23 feet at the top of the hill.
From email:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association
RE: Proposed Victory Apartment Special Use Permit application
DATE: October 6, 2012
RICHMOND: The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) has voted to strongly oppose the excessive density and lack of off-street parking for the proposed Victory Apartments at
407 S. Cherry Street. The current proposal is a 29 bedroom development in 18 apartments and one townhouse, with only 8 off-street parking spaces. This far exceeds that 6 units that
would be permitted under the current zoning.“This proposal is a non-starter,” said OHNA President Jennifer Hancock. “Oregon Hill already has a tight parking situation because of our proximity to VCU, and the excessive density and lack of off-street parking of this development would exacerbate an already serious problem.”
The developer has rejected OHNA’s proposal for elderly housing in the old Victory Rug building that would need only half the off-street parking. The developer has also rejected OHNA’s proposal for a neighborhood-friendly business use of the building. “The developer has rejected every reasonable suggestion of the neighborhood association,” said Hancock.
OHNA has expressed particular concern over the city planning department’s misapplication of Riverfront District zoning regulations to the project to allow on-street parking to be used to meet the off-street parking requirements. Oregon Hill is not in the Riverfront District, and residents claim that they have been denied due process by the city.
The neighborhood expects the Special Use Permit to be soon brought to vote by the City Planning Commission. Over 113 of the nearby Oregon Hill residents have written letters of opposition to the proposed Victory Apartments SUP.
Contacts:
Jennifer Hancock, OHNA President
bookzen at comcast.netTodd Woodson, OHNA Treasurer
candylandmusic at earthlink.net
For more background on this issue, please click here.
From Craigslist ad:
Sat morn – 9:00 – 12:00 – at the corner of Cherry and Albemarle Streets in Oregon Hill – right by the Hollywood Cemetery entrance.
Vintage
Collectibles
Household odds & ends
Tchotchkes
Objets d’art
Bikes
Slide viewing table
Kitchen stuff – big and smallWonderful stuff, never before offered! Things you need!!!