Category Archives: editorial

Billboard Battle Continues

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RichmondBizSense.com has an article on the decade-long struggle with Lamar Advertising, the national billboard corporation. Excerpt:

Lamar, a Louisiana-based outdoor advertising company, filed suit against Richmond to stop the city from trying to force the removal of the billboard it operates downtown on Mayo Island.
The case argues that removal of the sign cannot be enforced regardless of whether or not it conforms to zoning regulations, thanks to a law passed in 2008.
That law prevents localities from forcing the removal of a structure or building if the property owner has paid taxes on it for more than 15 years.

The billboard is visible from Oregon Hill. I remember publicly speaking on this issue over ten years ago at City Council as an eyesore for the James River. Here is an excerpt from an earlier article on the controversy:

In addition to the Mayo’s Island billboard, which was built out of compliance with city zoning regulations in 1977 and has been ruled illegal a number of times, the company also plans to continue negotiations related to eight other billboards that for various legal reasons remain items of dispute with the city.

Any debate over the Mayo’s Island sign is moot to Leighton Powell, executive director of Scenic Virginia. He says Lamar’s use of it as a bargaining chip in its negotiations over the other signs is a sign of bad faith.

“Here’s an update: The billboard — it’s still up, and it’s still illegal,” says Powell, who has a not-so-subtle suggestion: “The city should consider going after all of the illegal profits of that [Mayo’s Island] billboard dating back to 1977.”

Question for readers: If you put up an illegal commercial billboard on your own property, how long do you think the City would take before forcing you to remove it?

Defend Feeding In Public Parks

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For the most part I have tried to stay above the fray in regard to this past year’s Monroe Park controversy. As I have stated before, I appreciate neighbors’ efforts with the Monroe Park Advisory Council. Most City residents would like to see a cleaner park with better features (On a side note, others have tried to say the exact opposite in regard to the park and this neighborhood as some sort of elitist way to justify more encroachment by VCU and corporate entities). They understand the need to keep the existing trees and make Monroe Park a welcoming oasis in the surrounding concrete.

While I have sympathy for the Keep Monroe Park Open Campaign and I do support Food Not Bombs mission, (especially in the face of how many wars now?), I personally think that its not necessarily the end of the world for the local homeless or the public in general that the park be temporarily closed for needed renovations. With all due respect to the history of the homeless issue in Richmond, there are other public parks in the City (and there should be more public space created overall). I have tried to steer the controversy towards compromise, but in the end that’s where I stand.

However, I also stand with Food Not Bombs for the overall right to feed people in a public park (while taking personal responsibility for trash and safety). I am very troubled by what I am hearing from Florida where activists are being arrested for feeding the homeless. This country is headed for even worst times if this is what it has come to : making it illegal to nourish a fellow human being in need in an OPEN public park. I urge Richmond to fully consider what is at stake. I hope that we will not see this sort of fascism here and I hope that Food Not Bombs feels free to return to Monroe Park (or any other public park that they so choose) after renovations are completed.

Scenes From The Launch of RVA GREEN

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The sun literally came out…

More photos on the Sierra Club Falls of the James’ blog site.

And now for some editorializin’….

With this, Mayor Jones shows that he gets it.

As with stormwater and bicycle initiatives, the City of Richmond is leading the whole region.

Yes, there are always be a need for tweaking plans and there will be hiccups that need addressing (including moving from “Big Energy” to “Local Energy“), but today a lot of folks are proud to call themselves Richmonders.

High Speed Rail Dreams Fade, So What Is The Future of Transportation In Richmond?

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Despite citizen hopes, the dream for high speed rail or even improved passenger rail service is faltering. It’s too bad, given the fact that before the devastation of the Civil War, Richmond was competing with New York City as a passenger rail center, and is famous for early light rail innovation.

The Times Dispatch feigns surprise, but CSX executives are quite blunt about being against passenger rail. From the linked Jacksonville Business Journal article:

“I’m a corporation. I exist to make money, OK?” Ward said. “You can’t make money hauling passengers, so why would I want to do that? That wouldn’t be fair to my shareholders.”

His comments come as CSX, the nation’s third-largest railroad, protests the State of New York’s plan to provide up to 110 mph passenger rail service between Albany and Buffalo. The Jacksonville-based railroads said the passenger trains will damage the track and cause service disruption to its freight trains.

So what is the future of transportation in Richmond?
On Wednesday, the Richmond First Club will host a panel discussion about this subject.

What can we expect?
More begging for the Richmond airport and ‘low-cost’ carriers?
Maybe more news on the BRT concept from GRTC?

At the same time, remember that Richmond is considered a test market for all sorts of advertising and new product launches. To that end, right now we see a new campaign for energy conservation sponsored by Shell Oil (perhaps part of a larger efforts, including the oxymoronic ‘clean coal’. Perhaps we will learn more about this on April 30 at the Science Museum. Green or greenwashing?

Richmond may also see more electric vehicles in the near future. In addition to the latest from STIR and Richmond Segway tours, I keep hearing rumors of electric car chargers in Broad Street garages with giant solar canopy arrays. While I share questions about the overall economic sustainability of electric cars, others are already cheering possible environmental advantages.

Personally, I am less critical and more celebratory about more electric bicycles in Richmond. They are much less expensive than cars and with pedal assist, are easily more energy efficient. Rumor is that Virginia Commonwealth University will be introducing Sanyo eneLoops for its police in order to enforce parking regulations. This, plus Richmond Bike Week, immediately improves the mood.

The new MegaBuses offer a glimmer of hope as well, increasing routes and perhaps doing what government could not by supplying a transfer station in Shockoe Bottom.

Still, at the very least, hopefully the members of the Richmond First Club will recognize that coal, and specifically CSX coal trains, are holding back passenger rail transportation. Mitigate the coal trade, clean up Acca train yard, and let passenger rail work. As I have expressed before, Richmond sits on a Gordian knot that includes strands of energy and transportation policies and must be loosened at all ends before real progress can be made. Sadly, locally as well as nationally, corporations and their demand for short-term profits seem to have a lock hold on those policies and any long term thinking that would benefit country or citizens.

How Green Is Yellow and Black?

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When it comes to the new VCU student apartments and dorms being built on Canal Street, how much is energy efficiency being considered?

How does this compare with other universities?

Student life at Syracuse University can be comfortable as well as energy efficient. University Village Apartments includes five buildings and 120 apartments for students. The project, developed by Education Realty Trust on land leased from the university, achieved Gold certification under the LEED for Homes rating system. Each apartment in the project earned the Energy Star and each building received incentives under the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) Multifamily Performance program as its third Low Rise Pilot participant (see “Multifamily Performance Program”).

Condolences to VCU Basketball Team Fans

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No matter how you look at it, the VCU Basketball Team had an amazing season this year. Even if you were not a basketball fan before, you could instantly become one by watching these guys’ enthusiasm and skill. That goes for the University of Richmond’s team also. Despite VCU’s loss last night, they can be proud of their hard work and determination in getting to the Sweet Sixteen. In doing so, they brought pride and recognition to Richmond and we are thankful. I enjoyed watching the games, while hanging out with VCU alumni friends.

Note to Trani and Mayor Jones: This does not mean that Richmond taxpayers’ money should be spent on a new Coliseum.

Check Your Drains/SeeClickFix

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With wet weather coming in the two or three days, it makes sense to take a moment to check your residence’s and street storm drains to make sure they are in operating order.

For example, it looks like dirt and debris from recent storms and street cleaning have blocked this one at the northwest corner of S.Laurel and China streets.

I know there has been some frustration and cynicism with the City’s online Citizen Request process in the past, but I did use the revamped one to report this drain, so let’s see how well it works. It’s worth noting that you can also use the mobile phone app SeeClickFix to report issues to the City now.

Trani’s Ambitions Vs. VCU

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The Virginia Commonwealth Times is featuring an editorial on Trani’s plan to create a VCU campus in Martinsville.

Here is an excerpt that I think the neighborhood can relate to:

For all the opportunity this offer holds for VCU, the university would be wise to turn it down. While it does offer a chance to cover more students in the state of Virginia and truly move toward becoming a state-wide university, with the degree of expansion and work on the MCV and the Monroe Park campuses, it would be unwise for VCU to shift attention away from its core in Richmond.

This is particularly true in light of VCU’s financial issues, which include Gov. McDonnell’s plan to withhold $17 million in state funds from VCU in fiscal 2012 that he announced earlier during this year’s General Assembly session.
No matter where the blame lies, the fact is that VCU is strapped for cash. The partnership with NCI currently works well for VCU, chiefly because VCU faculty teach from afar while holding none of the financial responsibility of the institute. If possible, it would seem that this is the relationship VCU should strive to maintain with NCI.

It appears that VCU is constantly focused on growth. Every day around campus we hear the bulldozers and construction workers outside VCU’s next dormitory or parking garage. The VCU Monroe Park and MCV campuses educate more than 30,000 students. While a Martinsville branch would be a great opportunity to spread the VCU brand, the additional 400 students’ tuitions it would supply to VCU is almost certainly not worth the financial responsibility it would require.

General Assembly In Violation of Virginia Constitution?

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Despite the opposition and hard work of Oregon Hill’s state senator, Donald McEachin, the Virginia General Assembly Senate passed Senate Bill 1025. An identical bill (HB 2123) passed in the House of Delegates last month, and Governor Bob McDonnell is expected to sign the legislation into law.

These bills, if signed into law, would tie the hands of Virginia officials, restricting their ability to use the effluent testing and water quality monitoring necessary to protect Virginia’s waterways and communities from the severe impacts of surface mining. The law would also repeal the State Water Control Board’s authority over an important category of pollution discharge permits, eroding the authority of this board of citizen experts.

This violates Virginia’s Constitution. Section 1 of Article XI of the Virginia constitution is particularly relevant, and I quote it here (bolding added for emphasis):

To the end that the people have clean air, pure water, and the use and enjoyment for recreation of adequate public lands, waters, and other natural resources, it shall be the policy of the Commonwealth to conserve, develop, and utilize its natural resources, its public lands, and its historical sites and buildings. Further, it shall be the Commonwealth’s policy to protect its atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, for the benefit, enjoyment, and general welfare of the people of the Commonwealth.

“Clean water and clean air have been assaulted from day one of this General Assembly session. Whether it’s loopholes in the permitting process for coal mines, or extending coal subsidies in Virginia, this General Assembly has done all they can to create a safety net for the coal industry,” said J.R. Tolbert, assistant director of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. “If we didn’t know any better, you’d think Virginia had become a corporate welfare state.”

Where does the Tea Party stand on this one? Or do they only care about certain parts of the federal Constitution?