CENTRAL
I hope that the Richmond City Council will be inspired by this edition of the “Tiller” to pass a resolution calling for Venture Richmond to fully protect the canal when building an amphitheater on the site adjacent to where the Council spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect the canal when building the 2nd Street Connector. Link
If this idea becomes a proposal – and I’m hearing the mayor is definitely leaning that way – bet on this becoming one of the most contentious stories of 2013. Link
A recent firestorm started with Granger’s neighbor over the use of vinyl windows in historic properties. Thomas Houghton replaced his wood window with vinyl ones and did so without the approval of Richmond’s nine member commission. Link
Dominion Virginia Power has a distasteful presence on the north side of the James River, near Oregon Hill. Two of the ugliest buildings in the city and a parking deck completely obliterate one of the most beautiful riverscapes on the James. Link
There were deep divides on the merits of a planned Forest Hill Avenue median project among the three dozen people who perused the plans during a public hearing Wednesday night at Southampton Elementary School. Link
Last summer, the wall was damaged by a hit and run driver, and Richmond refused to fix it. Before the crash, residents say they painted and took care of the wall. That’s why they were puzzled by Council Vice President Ellen Robertson’s crackdown on individuals with derelict property – when they say the city wasn’t taking care of its own. Link
So let the retorting begin: Link
Virginia Commonwealth University’s governing board on Thursday approved a $3 billion “aspirational” master plan that would provide housing for an additional 1,300 students, increase parking for several thousand cars and build 3 million additional square feet of academic and research space. Link
“This rape, pillage and burn kind of attack that happened here, very suddenly, is very unacceptable,” said Marian Agnew, who says she would like the football fields to be open year-round to the public.
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“It’s just a great illustration of how not to do economic development in the city of Richmond,” said Suzanne Keller, another attendee at the packed meeting. Link
Third District Councilman Chris A. Hilbert, who was at Tuesday’s meeting along with City Council President Charles R. Samuels, is calling for an independent oversight board for the Redskins project to ensure “transparency along with checks and balances.”
The oversight board would provide some measure of evaluating whether promises made in the early stages of the economic-development deal were kept.
“I feel very let down by the process,” Hilbert said, adding that he and other city representatives made assurances to the public that were not followed through.
“I appreciate and share the lack of trust that some folks expressed this evening,” Hilbert said. Link