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Friends and Supporters,
We apologize for the short notice, but this is a plan you will want to comment on before the deadline tomorrow. Shockoe Bottom is the oldest neighborhood in the City of Richmond and recognized as the city’s birthplace. It is home to numerous important historic and cultural resources, and most importantly is a site of conscience as the second largest domestic center in the trade in enslaved Africans.
The debate over the plan these last few years revealed significant tension between the goals of developers and those of historic preservationists. While the parties reached agreement about the need to create a Heritage Campus, there has been significant disagreement over how to balance protection of other historic and cultural resources with new development.
We have joined partners in seeking to preserve the irreplaceable historic and cultural resources in Shockoe while also fostering revitalization, economic development, placemaking, and tourism.
You can find the draft plan here and the planning staff prefers that you make comments directly on the document. But if you lack time, you can send an email directly to AskPDR@rva.gov.
What we support in this plan:
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Heritage Campus: The “Big Move” to create a Heritage Campus recognizing that Shockoe Bottom is a site of conscience, being the second largest center for the domestic trade of enslaved Africans in the United States from 1830-1865.
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Transit-Oriented Development and Housing: Encouraging development of mixed-use, mixed-income residential growth to spur private investment on vacant land and buildings and increasing affordable housing options and inventory for people making 60% and below the Area Median Income (AMI).
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Safer Streets and Bike Connections: Improving bicycle infrastructure, including a direct connection from the Virginia Capital Trail to the Cannon Creek Greenway and the Franklin Street Terminus at Capitol Hill, and converting dangerous one-way streets to two-way streets.
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Rezoning: Establishing more appropriate zoning for Shockoe that directs growth and development to desired areas and includes form-based elements to support historic character and architecture.
What we think should be added:
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More protection for historic structures: Before or simultaneous with any rezonings in the area, a demolition review ordinance should be implemented so that owners of historic structures can find different options rather than demolishing their buildings. This was included as an objective of Richmond 300 and a previous draft of the Shockoe Small Area Plan.
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Archaeology requirements: Increase the review and protection of potentially unknown historic and cultural resources through an Archaeological Ordinance and other means to ensure identification of irreplaceable artifacts and stories during development projects in historic areas throughout the city.
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Expanded Historic District: Commitment to additional expansion of the Shockoe Valley Old and Historic District, which will help continue to protect historic structures that currently do not have protections from demolition.
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A better Mayo Bridge: A design for rehabilitation and replacement of historic Mayo’s Bridge that is not car-first like the current city/VDOT proposal and prioritizes protected bike lanes, pedestrians, and transit.
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People before Cars: Commitment to maintaining the historic street fabric throughout Shockoe Bottom and favoring walking, biking, and transit. DO NOT proceed with the Department of Public Works’ “Shockoe Streets” proposal which would add suburban roundabouts and widen Oliver Hill Way (17th St) by up to 40 feet; this proposal is designed to favor car commuters entering the city. The DPW proposal is not mentioned in the plan but is still very much alive at DPW.
How you can get involved:
The City is accepting comments on the draft plan until May 31, 2023. You can add your input in two ways:
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Click this link and then select the page or item you wish to comment on and then fill out the comment box that pops up.
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Email your comments to the City of Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review at AskPDR@rva.gov.
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