The zoning administrator rubber stamped the request from Dominion ignoring the signed declaration of restrictive covenants that restricted the height at that location. Evidently Dominion’s agreements are not worth the paper that they are printed on. The Sierra Club and Scenic Virginia and many other neighborhood and community groups were part of the covenant that Dominion and the City of RIchmond are now ignoring and breaking.
The Richmond 300 plan is in the agenda of the Land Use Committee this Tuesday Nov. 17th at 1pm.
The Councilpersons on the Land Use Committee are Robertson, Gray, Jones and Trammell.
Many Oregon Hill residents are hoping that Councilperson Stephanie Lynch asks the Land Use Committee to amend the Richmond 300 plan in favor of a Residential future land use designation for Oregon Hill. Many cite her pledge from when she was a candidate.
Message from City Hall:
DEADLINE IS THIS WEEK – City Offering Contactless Pick Up of Application and Recertification Materials for the Extended Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Program through Wednesday, October 28th, 2020
In response to the continuing COVID-19 Epidemic which disproportionately threatens Richmond’s more vulnerable populations, the City of Richmond’s Department of Finance is offering curbside contactless document pickup for new applicants and those recertifying for the Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Program. We understand that COVID-19 represents very real barriers to participation with regards to transportation and public health. Continuing and new participants in the program are encouraged to call (804) 646-6015 to arrange for curbside document pickup.
It is the goal of the City of Richmond to include as many eligible participants in this program as possible. To that effect, contactless pick up has been paired with an extension to the application and recertification period through Friday, October 30th. Contactless curbside pickup will be available through Wednesday, October 28th.
Links for all application, recertification, and informational materials can be found using the link below:http://www.richmondgov.com/Finance/index.aspx
Tax Relief for the Elderly & Disabled Application and Information
Tax Relief for the Elderly & Disabled – Recertification Form
Tax Relief – Authorization Form – 3rd Party or Consent
Tax Relief Brochure
If you have any questions about the program, your eligibility, or wish to arrange for contactless curbside pickup, please call (804) 646-6015 or e-mail us at taxrelief@richmondgov.com as soon as possible.
Dear Ms. Ebert,
I was pleased to hear that you have removed 606 Spring Street and 609 China Street from the Biennial Real Estate Strategies Plan list for city property proposed to be sold. So that this error does not happen again, it is imperative that these lots are properly listed in city records as city park land and part of Oregon Hill’s linear park.
Thanks to the great help of the City Clerk’s office and the City Record’s librarian, I have located the City Council Ordinance 85-285 whereby the City Council authorized the purchase of the lots to create the linear park when Belvidere Street was widened. As noted in the Ordinance: “The purpose of this paper is to authorized city acquisition of the residual portions of the properties, and in some instances, additional properties that front on the side streets.” These two lots at 606 Spring Street and 609 China Street were among the additional properties that front on the side streets as shown on the Plats 21444 and 21437 attached to the ordinance. (Please see attached ordinance and details from the plats.)
In 1998 the Richmond City Council approved Council Resolution 98-R61-77. The purpose of this Resolution was to accept $2,336 from the Save Oregon Hill Organization to build the gazebo on the Oregon Hill park land that was formerly known as 609 China Street. This gazebo is still located on city park land on what was formerly known as 609 China Street. (Please see the attached photograph).
This is the link to the Council Resolution 98-R61-77:
https://richmondva.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2151094&GUID=44542EF4-3CB6-463B-AD25-9F247102E503&Options=ID|Text|&Search=Oregon+HillAs shown in the attached 1990 plan for the linear city park, 606 Spring Street and 609 China Street are essential portions of Oregon Hill’s park. (Please see attachment.)
Please update all city records to show that 606 Spring Street and 609 China Street are city park land. Our city park land is precious.
Sincerely,
Charles Pool
At the Planning Commission meeting today, Planning Director Mark Olinger stated that he was highly offended by the rendering of the possible building that could be constructed in Oregon Hill if the ‘mixed-used’ designation with four-six story building height was approved. He stated that he would never allow such a horrible building to be constructed in Oregon Hill. Apparently Mr. Olinger did not realize that it was a photo of the very building that he approved in Oregon Hill on West Cary Street! He simply cannot be trusted.
Of course, when Oregon Hill resident Charles Pool tried to respond to Olinger’s presentation, the Planning Commission Chair muted him.
We need a new Planning director, and probably a whole new administration and Planning Commission. The Richmond300 plan cannot be allowed be allowed to pass when it is effectively ignoring the input of citizens who just don’t want to see their neighborhood ruined by greedy developers.
This is what we can expect from Richmond’s establishment, which has a bad history of running roughshod over its less wealthy residents. Sadly, its doubtful the local media will pick up on it, because they do not want to offend said establishment.
Mayor Stoney’s Biennial Real Estate Strategies Plan wants to use city land to promote affordable housing development and affordable homeownership.
To that end, it proposes taking City-owned parcels to the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust (MWCLT) for the development of affordable homes.
It is including at least two parcels in Oregon Hill’s Samuel Parsons Park in this proposal.
(and least people think this just about Oregon Hill, the Biennial Estate Strategies Plan also identifies other city park lands such as 1800 Maplewood in the Randolph neighborhood and 1901-1905 Conrad Street in the East End as building sites.)
Neighbors, understandably, are very upset. But so far, either the Mayor’s office, other City officials, the media, and the Mayor’s challengers in the election are ignorant of the proposal or don’t care.
Of course, many neighbors believe in and support affordable housing, and have done so historically in Oregon Hill and elsewhere.
But this proposal is bringing up bad memories from when other parts of the park were built on due to City government’s (and in particular, the Planning Department’s) ineptitude and callousness.
It’s part of the utter disregard for established neighborhood plans and the neighborhood’s dream for a Belvidere greenway.
Neighbors can’t help but see this as part of a coordinated attack on the Oregon Hill neighborhood in conjunction with the disastrous Richmond300 plan. If they were not aware of the target lines being drawn on the community before, they are becoming aware now.
This past Wednesday evening, City of Richmond Planning Director Mark Olinger and planner Maritiza Pechin did a Zoom presentation for Oregon Hill residents. It was primarily a discussion of Oregon Hill’s proposed future land use in accordance with the Richmond300 planning.
What needs to be understood by everyone is that land designation is used to justify future zoning. Objective #1 of the Richmond 300 plan is change zoning to match the future land use designations. Any SUP will be recommended for approval by planning if it matches the future land use designation. Oregon Hill neighbors worked hard for our appropriate R-7 zoning and we need a future land use that matches it!
What Olinger kept coming back to during the Zoom meeting is that he and other planners would like to see ‘old storefronts’ brought back to commercial use and that is why they are insisting on giving Oregon Hill “neighborhood mixed use” land designation despite repeated demands by the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association and many residents that would like for Oregon Hill’s land designation to remain ‘residential’.
This is not to say that OHNA and neighbors are against ‘old storefronts’ returning to commercial use. The overall record (voting included) makes it very clear that Oregon Hill has encouraged more small commercial return to the ‘old storefronts’. The reality is the storefronts that are currently not operating as businesses are homes and people are living in them. If they wanted to run a business, they simply have to ask for a special use permit, and they would most likely get it. The proposed change in land use designation is solving a problem that doesn’t exist.
It’s not just nomenclature though. The proposed change in land designation also opens the door to knocking down houses and building apartments and commercial spaces for taller buildings. Olinger suggests that the Planning Department, government, and neighbors would still have some say and control over replacement structures. But Oregon Hill neighbors know from the recent ‘805 W. Cary’ development that that simply is NOT TRUE! If anything, the decks were stacked strongly against any neighborhood say or control.
The city zoning code defines a story as 15 feet in height. The appropriate, current R-7 zoning has a height limit of 35 feet, which matches our historic two-story streetscape. Four stories mixed use would allow a height limit of 60 feet, almost double the current zoning!
Oregon Hill neighbors know that we cannot have our R-7 zoning undermined by this mixed-use future land use designation that allows multi-family projects 4-6 stories. This will be a green light for developers to buy up Oregon Hill to build ad hoc dormitories (and may explain recent 70% increases in land values on property assessments). If this happens, its pretty clear that the historic Oregon Hill neighborhood that residents and visitors love and cherish will be lost within a decade or two.
OHNA and individual neighbors have repeatedly asked Richmond300 planners for Oregon Hill to keep its hard-won ‘residential’ land use designation. Thankfully, Councilperson Lynch has indicated that she supports this. She was successful in establishing the residential future land use designation for most of the Randolph neighborhood in the Richmond300 plan.
Also, Oregon Hill is not the only neighborhood to question who the Planning department is really working for. Many residents in the Fan are now concerned about a recent proposal to raise the height limit on Broad Street to twenty stories after previously having an agreement for a twelve story limit. For this to happen during a pandemic with limited public interaction is outrageous.
It’s understandable that Olinger was originally hired as the City’s planning director in order to bring more density to the City of Richmond, especially along the Pulse corridor of Broad Street. But at this point, many Richmond citizens are questioning if he is the right person for the job.
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association met earlier this evening in Pleasants Park. Attendees for the most part kept socially distant and wore masks.
School board candidates Jenny Aghomo, Stephanie Rizzi and Dr. Decardra Jackson spoke.
Councilperson Stephanie Lynch also spoke.
In responding to a question about the Richmond 300 planning, residents were grateful to hear Lynch re-affirm her commitment to changing the future land use designation of Oregon Hill to RESIDENTIAL in the Richmond 300 plan.
Councilperson Lynch is holding a virtual 5th district meeting this Thursday.
The City of Richmond will be conducting street cleaning next week, so MOVE THOSE CARS so they don’t have to be towed.
