A Cobblestone Street and a Community that got Involved

Ann shared with us an example on how residents can make an impact and get their concerns heard.

Burton Street runs one way west just south of Venable Street between N 23rd and N 21st Streets with addresses so far only along its 2300 section.  Many people think Burton’s an alley but it is instead one of Richmond’s oldest cobblestone streets.

Its narrowness has caused problems in recent years primarily in the 2200 block, which is divided into two sections by Jessamine Street.  Increasingly during Sunday and weekday activities of a local church, cars are parked on both sides of Burton.  The result is that not even a SMART car can pass between the parked cars, much less anything driven by a first responder: no patrolling police cars, no ambulance, no fire truck –  safety and road rage, although I don’t know if you can have road rage when there’s no movement.

Some residents have actively championed Burton for years, one result of which is that the street is now on the city’s regular street cleaning schedule.

These residents contacted DPW about the very real problems caused by the street being frequently blocked by parked cars; and Bobby Vincent, head of DPW and long time champion of Burton Street, gave the problem to Travis Bridewell, a DPW Operations Manager, who resolved the situation quickly and efficiently.

 Our sincere thanks go to Bobby and to Travis.

Ann has been a big proponent of making Burton St better for Union Hill.