A “Legal Notice - Demolition of Structure” published in this week’s issue of the Richmond Free Press has a list of properties that “have been condemned and may be demolished by the City of Richmond without any further notice”.

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The shiny new Friends of Chimborazo Playground site has notes from the focus group meeting last night at St. John’s to discuss the redesign of Chimborazo Playground. With a budget of $250,000, the redesign is aimed at ameliorating some of the problems facing the park now, and to “address crime, safety and health issues and provide a beautiful place for community members of all ages to play, gather and enjoy by encouraging community involvement in the care of our historic park.”

A new community group, Friends of Chimborazo Playground, has formed to address crime, safety and health issues at the Chimborazo Park Playground and Recreational area. The group wants to hear your ideas for how to make the playground and recreational area a safer, more beautiful place. Send in your ideas at imaginechimbo.org.

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The Richmond Tree Stewards put in volunteer hours at Oakwood Cemetery this weekend pruning the trees.

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WCVE Commentator Brooks Smith has a notion of where Chimborazo Park might have earned its name…

The folks at the Church Hill Dog Park are offering sponsorship opportunities for each of the 100+ posts and/or 8 gates that will eventually be the dog park. They are asking for $100 per post and $500 per gate. While anyone can sponsor a post, they’re looking to have only local organizations/businesses sponsor the gate. Drop’em a line if you’re interested.

In the past 9 months, 25 of the units in the Villas at Oakwood have sold and another 25 are under contract. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom brick condos sell for $76,900-$101,500. The 319 condo complex is across the street from Oakwood Cemetery and up the hill from the East End Landfill, at “what used to be the home of the Hilltop Apartments, a drugand violent-crime-plagued complex that closed in the late 1990s”. [via]

The Commission of Architectural Review meeting began on time with about 25 people in attendence. Except for the Oakwood Heights condo proposal, the remainder of the 11 items on the agenda, if not trivial, seemed at least routine: removal of vinyl siding, replacement of exterior doors, construction of an addition, the painting of a facade. The commission ultimately voted unanimously to both deny the Oakwood Heights application to relocate 3626 East Broad Street and the current design proposal for the 33 condominiums.

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The CHDP info and donation page is now online at Richmond Recreation and Parks Foundation. Check it out: Church Hill Dog Park

Everything is a go with Parks and Rec for the Church Hill Dog Park, they are officially a partner. The CHDP committee is working on ways to get money for the necessary fencing. The city has been fixing up the lower part of Chimborazo these last few months getting everything ready - digging out the cobblestone, cutting down some dead trees, restringing the lights, reshingling the shade structures and making sure the water source works. The CHDP committee will hold elections in January to make official their organizational structure. Contact chimbodogs@hotmail.com if you have any questions or would like to be involved.

Before and 18-months-after photos of the somewhat notorious house at 3416 East Clay Street.

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Today’s CAR meeting went off to a packed room. I came in just after 4PM into an ongoing meeting and 6 members of the CAR at a table in a horshoe around a podium and a screen & projector. A few smaller issues were discussed and resolved or not, and then last on the agenda was a discussion of the proposed Oakwood Heights condo development. The commitee was being asked to consider 2 things today: to review the relocation of the lone house on Broad Street, and the construction of the condominiums.

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The Commission of Architectural Review monthly board meeting will be held today, Dec.18 at 3:30PM, 5th Floor Conference Room, City Hall. On the agenda is discussion of the controversial proposal for the Oakwood Heights condo development.

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Three buildings (that are not Oakwood Heights…) that have come up in conversation recently: the languishing renovation at 401 North 27th Street, the boarded up house at 404 North 27th (pictured above), and the new construction house going up at 500/502 North 32nd.

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Motley’s will be auctioning for the city a group of 12 different properties (PDF), including undeveloped lots in Union Hill, Woodville, and Oakwood, on Wednesday, December 12th at 6:00PM.

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According to the City’s online Land Use Logbook (PDF), a Plan of Development (POD) has been submitted to construct a 33-unit condo complex called “Oakwood Heights Condos” at 3618 E Broad St. The property is zoned to allow this, though the address is within a City Old and Historic District and will require approval from CAR.

wtvr is reporting that Chimborazo Elementary School was placed on lockdown for a little while this afternoon as police searched escaped convict Alonzo Logan. He was apparently knocking on doors in Woodcroft Village early this morning looking for his brother. Logan is to be considered armed and dangerous.

A public meeting to discuss the possible rezoning of properties within the Church Hill/Union Hill/Chimborazo areas has been announced for Thursday, Nov, 29, 6PM at EDI (25th/M Streets). Read the announcement (PDF) for more information.

The faith family of the United House of Prayer For All People of Richmond, Virginia would like to cordially invite you and your family to our Thanksgiving Family and Friends Day Celebration on Sunday, November 18, 2007.

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At McQuinn’s meeting last Saturday, City Assessor James Hester made the off-hand comment that every year the edge of where people are buying and renovating moves north about 1/2 a block. I went looking for that line and took some photos through Church Hill North towards Oakwood and up into Fairmount.