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CAR to consider 2 new homes, pocket park on Jefferson Avenue

The agenda for the July 25 meeting of the Commission of Architectural Review has a slew of local projects:

  • 2501 East Franklin – Replace transom window
  • 2201 East Marshall Street – Replace front porch roof with TPO
  • 2512 East Marshall Street – Paint facade of brick home red
  • 713 North 24th Street – Construct a new attached single family home
  • 522 North 21st Street – Rehabilitate single family home and construct rear addition
  • 2908 East Broad Street – Construct a rear addition
  • 2703 East Grace Street – Construct a rear addition on a single family home
  • 615 North 28th Street – Construct a shed in the rear yard
  • 2707 East Broad Street – Replace two rear porches on a two-family structure
  • 2515 East Grace Street – Install a front yard picket fence
  • 704 North 24th Street – Remove existing rear exterior stairs
  • 2221 Jefferson Avenue – Construct a new pocket park
  • 2209 Venable Street – Construct an accessory dwelling unit at the rear of the property
  • 600 North 28th Street – Construct a new single family home

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713 North 24th Street

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600 North 28th Street

14 comments

DontMinceWords 07/23/2017 at 12:09 PM

Weren’t we just talking about the status of the pocket park last week? Love the plans but do note, the sidewalk is not included in the plans. I believe FoJP was going to adopt this park, but whatever the case, I’ll help with sidewalk weed maintenance.

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Jason Bhattacharya 07/23/2017 at 7:23 PM

Damn! Worse than Brandermill!!

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Todd Waldo 07/24/2017 at 10:49 AM

That’s great DontMinceWords! Thanks for the offer to help with maintenance. The team leading this project will be reaching out to FoJP and others soon on next steps and ways the community can support and help

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RaDay 07/24/2017 at 12:56 PM

The 28th street project looks like commercial space underneath…

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urbngrilla 07/24/2017 at 2:54 PM

The “pocket park” plans are NOT what the community voted for two years ago!

Rumor has it that BHC decided it can not afford to build the “Two Hills Park” as it was designed after exhaustive community input in 2014/2015.

Now, they’ve gone the cheapest route possible (e.g. Timmons Group and impervious hardscape) including “moving” an established tree.

The revised plans truly stink. Start over and if we can’t afford two hills with bells and whistles, lets at least save an existing tree and keep the 100% pervious surface area to help with storm water management.

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mary 07/24/2017 at 7:12 PM

#5 – Please at least email your objection to the CAR secretary before tomorrow’s meeting asking that a copy be given to each commission member.

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John M 07/25/2017 at 1:34 PM

Hearing that the pocket park has been pulled from today’s agenda

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Mary 07/25/2017 at 2:27 PM

#7 – You’re hearing right.

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Eric Huffstutler 07/26/2017 at 2:48 AM

I believe this triangle use to have a gas station on it years ago.

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mary 07/26/2017 at 5:12 PM

#5 – A letter to Ms. Marlie Smith of Richmond’s Parks and Recreation by a Union Hill resident outlining multiple problems with the application by Better Housing Coalition for a pocket park on Jefferson Avenue garnered a quick response.

The letter to Ms. Smith pointed out, among other things, that BHC had not involved the community in the recent plans that were to have been submitted to CAR on Tuesday. Ms. Smith’s response was…

“Thank you for your thoughts and information….
After speaking to all parties involved, we are all in agreement to withdraw the CAR application from tonight’s CAR agenda. We will be reconvening internally to devise a community engagement strategy regarding this project.
Thank you again for your timely feedback,
Marlie Smith
Parks Operations Manager
City of Richmond-DPRCF”

Further, as was pointed out here on CHPN the plan in the application to be presented by BHC to CAR was not what the community voted for.

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booster 07/27/2017 at 8:01 AM

Since the existing tree is filling out nicely, the space looks pretty nice the way it is, and there is so much positive energy around this particular area already without a pocket park… could the energy for this pocket park go further north where there isn’t a park amenity like Jefferson Park nearby – i.e., move it to where it would do the most good?

They are going back to the drawing board anyway. A conversation to ask the folks in the letter streets and public housing if they could use the dose of hope a pocket park might offer may be well made.

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