Choreography of Change; Small Parcel; Significant History; Slow Speed; Shelter Teamwork; Cameras Behind the Curtain.
RVA 5x5 - ALT 5 - April 1, 2024
No algorithms. No content filters. No A.I. Honest and insightful analysis from Richmond, VA.
You can find the 5 main stories from Saturday’s Deep Dive about the ballpark here, and today features the “ALT 5” stories for a nice, leisurely, read. Enjoy!
This week check out our five stories on:
More green space preserved along the James River as a small parcel is protected that is an important part of the Slave Trail.
A quote about some needed legislation awaiting final action that would allow localities to help slow cars down in residential and commercial areas.
The incredible history of the Richmond Ballet and what it took to grow it into one of the finest and how the future is just as bright and exciting.
Great regional news this week as Henrico County as agreed to team up with the city and help fund efforts in the city to serve the region’s homeless population.
Journey to another dimension, not only of sight and sound but of losing one's mind. A journey into a land whose boundaries are that of fear and trepidation. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop….The City Council Public TV Broadcast Zone.
THE ALT 5
ALT #1 — OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Small Parcel; Significant History
There was some great news last week as the Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC) scored another big win on behalf of the city when they announced the successfully negotiated purchase of 4.5 acres along the James River from Norfolk Southern near Ancarrow’s Landing that will be be placed into the James River Park System conservation easement and be transferred to the city and become part of the park system.
According to the CRLC, the property is 130-feet wide and 2,300-feet long with more than a quarter mile of frontage along the river and much of the property is part of the Richmond Slave Trail. As part of the Riverfront Plan in 2012, the acquired property was noted as a essential parcel that was shown on some maps as part of the James River Park System and included part of the Slave Trail that was formally dedicated in 2011; but it was still owned by the railroad and users technically (and legally) were trespassing. Norfolk Southern had owned the property since 1849 through its predecessors, the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company (1847-1894) and Southern Railway (1894-1982).
The transfer will now guarantee public access to this part of the Richmond Slave Trail, which was born from the Richmond Slave Trail Commission begun in 1998 and is a three-mile path with 17 historical markers between the Manchester Docks from which slaves disembarked and were led to the slave jails in Shockoe Bottom, most notoriously Lumpkin’s Jail.
The CRLC is in the process of raising the $150,000 needed that will be matched by the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation with their own $150,000 grant. The Friends of the James River Park System has committed $30,000 with its own challenge grant asking the public to contribute another $30,000 towards the purchase of this property. Donations can be made on CRLC’s website.
“We are proud to continue our work with the City of Richmond in protecting the land that contributes to our cultural landscape and securing public access to outdoor places that we’ve grown accustomed to visiting,” said Parker Agelasto, Executive Director for Capital Region Land Conservancy. “It’s really about the public-private partnership and executing the blueprint that is outlined in the City’s comprehensive plan and small area plans like the Shockoe Project.”
Score another great land preservation project led by this great non-profit — they have been busy preserving and creating green space on Mayo Island, the former Echo Harbor property next to Great Shiplock Park, and other parcels all over Varina throughout the the region, and we are and will be so much better off because of these and other efforts for generations to come.
ALT #2 — QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Slow Speed
A bill approved by the Virginia General Assembly and is awaiting the Governor’s signature or veto (due by Monday, April 8) that would allow localities to lower speed limits below 25 MPH (but not lower than 15 MPH), a change sought by many localities, especially in residential neighborhoods and commercial strips.
The law was changed three years ago but did not apply to state-maintained roads that run through cities, and most requests to lower the speed limits on these roads since then that had been submitted to the Virginia Department of Transportation have been denied. The new legislation would allow the localities the power to do so through their governing bodies after conducting a traffic study as past of the change, according to the Virginia Mercury.
And while these quotes of the week aren’t from Richmonders, they are certainly applicable in the discussion that will hopefully soon become law and allow many of our great neighborhoods to lower limits and increase safety.
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