Shockoe Center Development Pro & Con
Church Hill People’s News has an excellent post highlighting two points of view in the ongoing Shockoe Center development debate. The post has statements from supporters in the form of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association and the online group I Support Baseball In Shockoe Bottom. The post also has a statement from a group opposed ACORN. Please go here to read the post.
The Falls of the James Group Blog (part of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club) has this to say.
Of course, the greenest thing to do is simply use what is already built, but since Richmond leaders insist on talking baseball, here are some links for thought:
http://www.izzitgreen.com/buzz/item/lone-star-carbon-crater-boys-new-stadium
http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/green/sns-mets-newshea-green,0,1580283.story
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/09/08/phoenix-suns-follow-green-stadium-trend/
This activity may have been spurred by the House Finance Committee vote of 19-2 today in favor of allowing the use of part of the sales taxes generated by the stadium and surronding area. via RTD
For the folks in the Hills and Heights neighborhoods you have a golden opportunity to learn more tomorrow night. Council President Kathy Graziano and Huguenot Neighborhood Team are cosponsoring a presentation on the proposed Shockoe Center development at St. Luke Lutheran Church located at 7757 Chippenham Parkway at 6 p.m.
Excellent turnout 60-75 people, who stayed 1 1/2 hours. Spirited. Don’t klnow if many minds changed. Developer’s proposal is getting better.
Thanks to all who spread the word.
Thanks for the update David. I am sorry I was unable to attend. In your opinion, of those opposed to the development were they mainly concerned about the costs, the historic nature of the site, or was there some other strong current?
Sure. It’s hard to characterize, but the main themes seem to be “Why not the boulevard, why the bottom” and “It will cost our tax dollars to build.”
I did hear, though, a growing nuamber of people who heard the presentation for the first time and were saying “Now we get it.” If we had done a count, undecided would have won.
And, the problem with forums is that people want to make a speech. That’s fine, but it limits wide participation. I’d like to see a limit on length of questions. You: 25 words or one minute to ask. Me: 1-2 minutes to answer.
Electric shock if either goes over the limit.
i feel that the diamond should stay put. at the beginning of the boulevard cultural zone .A place where families(baseball is a family friendly sport) can spend the day visiting museums and such.As opposed to the bottom where all you can really do is go from bar to bar.Now they want to make more bars!the field of the diamond was said to be in bad shape, i say overblown cost estimates to fuel a new park initiative. Slit drains aren’t that exspensive! Add a weightroom to the side of the park if that’s what the bellyache is.Bob Bobb mortgaged our public library to pay off the Valentine to give Crestar valuable river front property in Manchester. dISREGARDING ALL THE WORK THE COMMUNITY HAD WORKED ON. I said to him, you can’t see the river and he told me to walk between the buildings for a view. I told him where to go and it wasn’t Berkeley. Manchester is still stagnating maybe the vamusfart had something to do as well. So that sid let the developers work on a toll mass transportation project to bring the twentysomethings out to the diamond those 70 days a year.