OHNA Update

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From Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association president Todd Woodson:

Dear Friends and Neighbors

Hope all is well with each of you. We will NOT meet this month. I have asked many of you and most agree that one more month off is a good idea, especially for those caring for children or a parent.

Open High will hold their graduation on June 26th down at the Overlook from 10-2. it will be a drive through and there will be some no parking signs in the area so stay clear if you can. Great news that Clary Carleton has been named permanent principal of Open, and we look forward to working closely with her to make a more productive community/school relationship.

We were given a 200 dollar beautification grant from the City so please let me know any suggestions you may have. Thank you Amy and of course Councilperson Stephanie Lynch!

Also, many thanks to Stephanie Lynch for standing up for us against the Richmond 300 plan, which, as written, would be disastrous for our historic neighborhood. We have made three requests of changes we must see in that document. All have been voted on at our meetings in the past. First, we must be, according to parameters included, Medium Density Residential. This would coincide with the current appropriate R7 zoning designation. The mixed use they want would allow 4 stories on our streets and unlimited height on all corners and major roads. Imagine a 10 story student apartment building at Laurel and China and you get the picture. In addition, the Richmond 300 plan places our historic neighborhood in the VCU “node”, inviting them to come develop inside Oregon Hill boundaries. We’ve asked that this be removed and it be noted that VCU is to respect our boundary. Lastly, we asked that Monroe Park be noted as a City property. Currently, it is within the VCU node as well. Randolph, Maymont and the Fan have all been targeted by this awful Richmond 300 plan. Thank Steph and Amy if you see them. They are all that stands between our historic neighborhood and VCU and developers.

Councilperson Lynch is also working to change the name of the Lee Bridge.

As the dry days of Summer approach, please remember our new trees! Fill a gatorbag (attached to trees) so water can drip into the soil at the best rate. The trees will love you for it!

Finally, the movie Just Mercy (2019) is available to see Free of Charge on youtube, Google play and Amazon for this month only. A story on the fight for justice in Alabama. Watch the trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQbeG5yW78

Please take care of yourselves and your neighbors and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Todd.

‘Moral Quarantine’ At The Parsons House

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The Valentine Museum blog has a post about the early nineteenth century Magdalen movement that includes the Parsons House in Oregon Hill.

Here’s an excerpt:

In the early 19th century, Magdalen Societies began to appear in cities all over America, the first being founded in Philadelphia in 1800. These charities sought out “fallen women,” like sex workers, to rehabilitate into moral rectitude. Magdalen members believed that once these women were quarantined from the people and associations of their sinful lives, they could be reformed. This moral quarantine came in the form of housing, meals and a strict schedule, which often included prayer and training in handicrafts. In 1874, the Magdalen Association of Richmond opened such a home on Spring Street, in Oregon Hill, in the 1819 Parsons House. Their stated mission was to provide “shelter and reformation for fallen women.” Within ten years, the mission of the home had narrowed somewhat, as a refuge for unwed mothers.

Speaking of the Valentine, it recently joined other local cultural institutions in a joint press release that clarifies their commitment to staying safe during the pandemic…face masks and social distancing still in effect!

“As our Commonwealth enters into Phase 2 and our city prepares to, we want to assure all attendees that we are committed to providing everyone with safe, secure, and supportive access to our facilities. In the midst of a pandemic and a region-wide reassessment of our fraught racial history, we believe our cultural resources play an important role during these uncertain times. While we anticipate most sites will open in some capacity by early July, we will continue to use these shared principles and the facts on the ground to ensure the best experience for our visitors.”

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

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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 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, Virginia has joined eight other states in pushing back on the U.S. EPA’s moves to relax environmental oversight due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Attorneys general for New York, California, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, Oregon, and Virginia raised the issue in a brief sent June 8 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This is a good time to review the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the waste and recycling sector.

Open High School’s Online Art Auction Has Started

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From the site:

Each year Open High School depends on our Art Auction to raise funds for our Art Program. This year our goal is to raise $3,000 to purchase supplies for the art department. To make a difference, please bid on auction items, give a cash donation, or simply share this auction on your social media and invite your friends to participate.

Lally Construction has generously offered to match all cash donations up to $500! So please be generous and help us make a difference in the lives of Open High Students!

Please support Open High School by checking out their Art Expo online bidding site. All proceeds go toward the robust and amazing art program at the school. The site is open all week, June 15-20 and closes at midnight on the 20th.

A Trumpet Blast From The Past

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Photo of ad supplied by Todd Gfeller‎.

Music writer John Wirt remembers:

A big crowd showed up. Wynton’s father, Ellis, was teaching jazz at VCU then. The show included a drumming performance by Wynton’s younger brother, Jason. Ellis Marsalis died earlier this year in New Orleans from the coronavirus.

Dr. Weldon-Lassiter From St. Andrew’s School Among Richmond Magazine’s ‘Bold Women of Richmond 2020’

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Earlier this week, Richmond Magazine published an article about local women who support other Richmond women and address community needs — building a better Richmond in the process. Sponsored with the help of other local businesswomen, the’Bold Women of Richmond’ article will be used to help financially support the 2020 Women’s Build project, overseen by Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity’s own team of bold women.

One of the recognized women is St Andrews School’s head, Dr. Cyndy Weldon-Lassiter. St. Andrew’s School, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, was started by Grace Arents in 1894 with the purpose of offering space to working-class families.

“We have created a whole-child approach, which includes several key areas of our programming that meet the needs of a child,” says Dr. Weldon-Lassiter, who has been with the school since 2010. “We’re not just thinking about the academic piece, we’re thinking about the social and emotional piece, we think about nutrition and wellness, we think about the performing and visual arts and how that impacts student academics.”

The piece on Dr. Weldon-Lassiter also mentions the COVID-19 pandemic –

“It was tough,” she admits. “We have an extended year and extended day program on purpose, to decrease the likelihood that students are out of school for an extended period of time.” Luckily, she and her staff have been able to move resources online for their students pretty quickly, and she is encouraged by the results.

Bear Wanders Through Tredegar and Downtown

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A young bear decided to visit downtown Richmond yesterday, playfully running across fields down at Tredegar.

Thankfully, Richmond Animal Care and Control, the Richmond Police, and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries were able to sedate and capture him so that he was not injured. He will be relocated to another setting after evaluating.

RACC said it ended up naming the bear Fuzzy Wuzzy.
Now, hopefully, the next call RACC gets isn’t about a lion or tiger.

Richmond 300 Plan Would Irreparably Damage Oregon Hill

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From letter:

Dear Councilperson Lynch

As you are aware, Oregon Hill is listed on both the Virginia and the National Registers of Historic Places. Our Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council has donated more individual Historic Easements to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources than any Virginia locality with the exception of Waterford in Loudon County. Through our neighbor’s blood and sweat and extensive financial commitment over the last few decades, Oregon Hill’s tax base for the City of Richmond has grown exponentially. Through teamwork, the neighborhood has matured into one of Richmond’s most socially progressive areas while keeping the crime rate at exemplary low levels. Our historic legacy and intact and cohesive street scape are worthy of preservation and protection.

It is with extreme disappointment that we read the final draft of the Richmond 300 planning document. Despite providing many comments on its content and even slideshows for its steering committee, the outcome of the plan as presented totally ignored our input and consequently would do severe and irreparable damage to our neighborhood should it be endorsed by City Council.

Our R7 zoning designation is an exceptionally good fit for this historic neighborhood with its 35 foot height limit. The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association voted to accept nothing less than a MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL designation for the plan. This would conform with the current R7 zoning and help preserve our historic neighborhood. Instead, the Richmond 300 plan has Oregon Hill listed as NEIGHBORHOOD MIXED USE. The description of NEIGHBORHOOD MIXED USE for this document states “Building heights are generally two to four stories. Buildings taller than four stories are found at corner sites and along prominent roads.” This is unacceptable and incentivizes the demolition by developers of historic resources to overbuild within our neighborhood. Planning staff would most likely determine that buildings of eight or more stories are consistent with their Richmond 300 plan. Again, we are a MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL neighborhood and need to be designated as such to compliment our appropriate R7 zoning and preserve our historic context.

Another EXTREMELY SERIOUS concern we have with the current draft of the Richmond 300 plan is that the VCU “node” is shown to include a large swath of the Oregon Hill Historic District. This must be corrected. The commentary on the VCU/Monroe Park “node” should indicate that VCU must respect the boundaries of the Oregon Hill Historic District and not encroach further into the neighborhood. The plan must also indicate that Monroe Park is the City’s oldest municipal park and NOT VCU property.

We appreciate your leadership Councilperson Lynch and respectfully request that you take a strong stand against these egregious flaws in the Richmond 300 Planning Document.

Sincerely,

Charles Todd Woodson, president
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association, inc.