City Council Rams Through Casino and Amphitheater Proposals

Last night City Council ignored citizen concerns and rammed through two proposals.

From RichmondBizSense.com:

Councilmembers unanimously approved a performance grant agreement for the planned Richmond Amphitheater on the riverfront near Tredegar, and almost unanimously approved ordinances authorizing agreements that set the stage for a potential second referendum in November on Urban One’s proposed casino in South Richmond.

From Virginia Business magazine:

Some residents of the nearby Oregon Hill neighborhood have opposed the venue or sought to delay it, however, saying they were not given adequate input about cutoff times, noise and parking. The venue does not include parking, but as part of its agreement with the city, the amphitheater will be required to submit a parking plan annually to make sure to make sure existing parking is used and that venue attendees are not parking in residential neighborhoods.
“We feel like there’s no reason to rush this through in a week after negotiations have been taking place for probably a full year,” Charles Pool, a representative of the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council, told council members during a public comment period Monday.
Stephanie Lynch, who represents Richmond’s 5th district, said a meeting is planned for Tuesday to address remaining recurring concerns about the amphitheater.

Shooting At High School Graduation At Altria Theater

A just graduated high school student and his father were shot and killed Tuesday when a gunman opened fire in Monroe Park following Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Virginia, near Monroe Park and Oregon Hill.

The 19-year-old shooter was taken into custody. He had multiple firearms.

The motive for the shooting, which injured at least five other people, remains under investigation.

Open High school posted this message in response:

We are heartbroken for our RPS family and all of Richmond. Stay safe and keep your loved ones close.

Trash/Recycling Pickup On Thursday

Due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, Oregon Hill’s trash and recycling pickup will be on Thursday this week instead of Wednesday.

Please go over what can be recycled. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If it seems like pickup did not happen, use this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, NERC’s MRF Values Survey Quarterly Report for the period January – March 2023 showed a slight downward trend in values, with a -2% change from the previous quarter for values without residuals1, and -2% change for values with residuals. This is the 16th report in NERC’s series of quarterly reports on the market value of commodities from MRFs in the Northeast. The report includes information from ten states: Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.

OHNA Meeting Tomorrow Night

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) meets tomorrow night.

From meeting announcement:

Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 23 May 2023
7:00PM
This meeting will be held by Zoom, at the link below.
(Editor’s note: Meeting login information redacted. Please email OHNARva@gmail.com in order to request this information)

Welcome
• Treasurer’s Report

Community Updates:

1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Ms. Verenda Cobbs, VCU
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney (Nathan Hiddle)

Updates:

1. Amphitheater planned for Tredegar Green.
· It is slated to seat 5,000 people and accommodate and additional 2,500 standing, as per our meeting with the developer’s representative. No additional parking is planned.
· When the previous amphitheater plan was proposed, the neighborhood raised questions about hours of operation, noise levels, and parking, none of which were ever answered.
· Preston Lloyd, representing the owner, hosted a meeting (one of several to occur) on 18 May to discuss the project; a recording of the meeting is hosted on YouTube: Link is here
· A meeting is scheduled for Oregon Hill neighbors to join to meet with project representatives on Tuesday 13 June at 6pm. A Zoom invitation will be circulated before that meeting.
· Preston will give a 5–10-minute introduction to the project, but the intent is for a full presentation and discussion to occur at the 13 June meeting. The 13 June will not be the last meeting; there will be a continued discussion of items of concern, and additional meetings will be scheduled as needed.

2. An SUP application has been filed with the City of Richmond for the demolition of 708 China Street, and its replacement with a building.
· The Zoning Committee met with the applicant and asked them to reconsider demolition and incorporate the historic building into their new construction.
· The applicant has declined to make revisions and wishes to proceed with demolition and replacement.
· The item was placed on the 3 April agenda. At that meeting, it was continued until the next meeting, 17 April. At that meeting, it was continued for a month, until the 15 May meeting. At that meeting, it was continued again, until the 5 June meeting.
3. An SUP application has been filed with the City of Richmond for 601 ½ South Pine Street, and its replacement with a building.
· The applicant is proposing to divide the parcel and to construct a new, two-story, two-family detached dwelling which will face China Street.
· The applicant had a first meeting with the zoning committee. A presentation and recommendation will be brought to an upcoming OHNA meeting. The item is not yet scheduled for the Planning Commission.

Continued Business

4. A volunteer has agreed to head up a committee looking into locations for a dedicated dog park in Oregon Hill and addressing the various city requirements for such an undertaking.
a. Any other volunteers?

5. Traffic issues along Idlewood at Cherry and Pine Streets
· There have been several recent accidents at these two locations.
· These two intersections suffer from poor visibility and the high speed of cars exiting 195 east onto Idlewood.

New Business

6. Holly Street Playground cleanup
· We will poll attendees of the meeting for potential dates.
· Open High School has offered volunteer time with students needing volunteer hours (to be undertaken during school h– the playground might be a good opportunity.

7. Any new items?

Bryan Clark Green, President
Harrison Moenich, Co-Vice-President
Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President
Mike Matthews, Secretary
John Bolecek, Treasurer

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup.

Please go over what can be recycled. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If it seems like pickup did not happen, use this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

Coming up this Saturday is a recycling favorite: