DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN: COMMISSION PASSES PLAN !
NOW ONTO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION.
After several hours of concentrated discussion, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to pass the Downtown Master Plan along to City Council for consideration in September. This Revised Draft of the Master Plan is fairly intact, although several accommodations favored corporate interests on key points rather than considering what might be best for all citizens. For example, the approved plan calls for Mayo Island and Echo Harbor river front property to include both development options and some public access to these parcels. The initial draft of the plan suggested the city should acquire and set aside these properties for parks and public access. Overall, A.C.O.R.N. is pleased with the total outcome for the Master Plan document and will work to ensure that City Council will adopt this plan in September. CLICK HERE to read the RTD article on the topic.
Planning Commission members have spent countless hours listening to interests from all perspectives. Please take a quick moment and thank them for their hard work and for Passing the Plan along to City Council.
- CLICK HERE and send an email thanking Planning Commission members
- CLICK HERE to review the Revised Draft approved by the Planning Commission
GET YOUR GOLDEN HAMMER NOMINATIONS IN !
A.C.O.R.N. is accepting nominations for this year's Golden Hammer Awards. Despite the slow down in the real estate market, there are many commercial and residential renovations taking place throughout the city. If you know of an outstanding (I-can't-believe-they-fixed-that-wreck) renovation project with a completion date of September 1, 2007 and August 15, 2008-- let us know by sending in a nomination form. You may nominate your own project. Completed nominations are due back to A.C.O.R.N. by September 1, 2008.
- CLICK HERE for a nomination form and instructions
- CLICK HERE to view 2007 winners!
HISTORIC DISTRICT BROCHURE AVAILABLE
If you are considering purchasing a house located in a City Old & Historic District, there are certain guidelines that must be followed and reviewed by the Commission of Architectural Review (CAR). The Council of Historic Richmond Foundation has produced a Property Owner's Guide for buildings located in Old and Historic Districts located in the City of Richmond.
If you would like a copy, please call 422-2148 or email us at info@richmondneighborhoods.org
- CLICK HERE for information on City Old & Historic Districts
- CLICK HERE to read the CAR Guidelines (LARGE file, please be patient)
SOS FOR DOWNTOWN RICHMOND!
BOND FUNDING GONE FOR THE FORMER MURPY HOTEL.
We lost the landmark Murphy Hotel... after years of neglect... which resulted in the demolition of a proud old building deemed "unsafe." Now we need your help to achieve the promised rehabilitation of the historic Hotel Richmond (aka, the Ninth Street Office Building) and new construction on the now-vacant 8th Street site.
PROPOSED DESIGN FOR NEW BUILDING
Preservation and community representatives-- including the APVA Preservation Virginia, Historic Richmond, A.C.O.R.N., the City of Richmond, Richmond Renaissance, Capitol Square, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and the Virginia Department of General Services-- met many times for several months to consider designs and other considerations for both the rehabilitation and the new construction. The funds spent (almost $13 million) for all the planning and preparation for a new building are at stake because lawmakers are in disagreement about the projects to be included in the bond package.
TO DATE:
- No funding was appropriated in the Bond Bill for rehabilitating the Hotel Richmond OR constructing a new building along Broad Street
- A new building may still be on the horizon. General Assembly has decided a new building along Broad Street on the site of the former Murphy Hotel will be developed in accordance with the Public-Private Educational Facilities Infrastructure Act (PPEA).
At the moment, a vacant lot will remain on the landscape of Broad Street between 8th & 9th Streets until the language is developed to construct a new building in a PPEA venture. CLICK HERE for information on how to contact information for your representatives, bond bill conferees and the governor. Let them know it is NOT acceptable to have an ENTIRE empty block face along the main street of Richmond ~ Virginia's Capital.
A.C.O.R.N. RECOGNIZES BLACKS' CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BUILDING OF RICHMOND'S NEIGHBORHOODS
THE SECOND PRINTING IS HERE! A second printing of this well-received publication has been delivered to retail locations around Richmond. Many thanks to everyone for the interest in this subject, which is so crucial to understanding Richmond's history and how its neighborhoods have evolved.
Slaves and free blacks played a vast role in the construction and design of America's cities; yet they are largely unrecognized for the role they played in the construction and design of one of America's most historic cities-- Richmond Virginia. To bring attention to the contributions of African Americans to the city's architectural heritage and to encourage the preservation of what remains of this impressive legacy, the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (A.C.O.R.N.) has proudly published Built by Blacks: African American Architecture and Neighborhoods in Richmond, VA.
Fountain Books reported Built by Blacks as its #1 bestselling book in 2006 in just 15 days! A.C.O.R.N held a Book Signing Party, and the author, Selden Richardson, along with Editor/Photographer Maurice Duke were on hand to personally autograph the book.
Read the full Press Release / Retail locations, reviews & comments
A.C.O.R.N. ENCOURAGES NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION THROUGH ITS HISTORIC TAX CREDIT SERVICE
Typically utilized as a tool for developers for large, commercial renovation projects such as Tobacco Row or Rocketts Landing, historic tax credits can also greatly benefit the individual home owner renovating a historic structure for a residence. A.C.O.R.N. has initiated a Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Service help people navigate the 3-Part application process. Most of the large projects in Richmond have utilized Historic Tax Credits and the small developer or homeowner can use this very same tool. READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY » Not only do historic tax credits provide a tax benefit to the user, the economic impact in the state of Virginia since the inception of the program in 1998, has been enormous. A new brochure has been published by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources quantifying the impact of the historic tax credit. The new booklet, Prosperity Through Preservation quantifies the total economic benefit to the Commonwealth to be $1,519 MILLION! To say the Historic Tax Credit Program has been a success is an understatement. An online version of the booklet will be available soon but in the meantime, contact A.C.O.R.N. via phone (804-422-2148) or email
( info@richmondneighbohroods.org ) if you would like a hard copy of this booklet that shows that preservation of our historic architecture pays!
