DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN: COMING UP FOR A VOTE BY PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS ON MAY 19TH
A revised draft of the Downtown Master Plan is complete after months of planning, and most recently neighborhood meetings that allowed additional input from citizens. City of Richmond Planning Commission members will be holding a public hearing on the Master Plan and will vote whether or not to recommend the Plan for approval by City Council. The proposed Plan, in its current form, is critical in establishing the vision and guidelines for a livable Downtown Richmond for residents, business and government interests. Planning Commission members will be voting on the Plan at their regular meeting on Monday May 19th at 1:30 pm, in the conference room on the 5th floor. Remember, this is YOUR plan, so let your elected and appointed officials hear your voice! The petitions that have been gathered over the past several weeks will be presented at this meeting.
- WHAT DOES THE MASTER PLAN SAY? CLICK HERE for a link to view a copy of the Revised Draft Master Plan online or to find out where you can view bound copies of the Plan.
- HOW CAN YOU BE HEARD? CLICK HERE for contact information for Planning Commission and City Council members. Let each Commission member know how you feel about the proposed Master Plan.
- HOW CAN YOU HELP SUPPORT THE PLAN? CLICK HERE to print out a petition that will be delivered to Planning Commission Members with citizens' signatures showing support for the Master Plan. This petition that has been circulating for several weeks will be delivered to the Planning Commission at the May 19th meeting. NOTE: signatures will continue to be gathered for presentation at a future meeting of City Council. The please return it to the A.C.O.R.N. office at: 1307-A E. Cary Street / Richmond VA 23219 / Attn: Melinda Skinner
A.C.O.R.N. PARTNERS WITH REBUILDING TOGETHER
On Saturday, April 26th, more than a dozen A.C.O.R.N. volunteers spent a beautiful day rehabilitating a home in Richmond's Southside Swansboro community. A large part of the work dealt with making the brick home wheelchair friendly for the newly disabled owner. A.C.O.R.N. was pleased to be the Home Captain for this project; and, with help from a Lowes Home Improvement grant, we accomplished the necessary modifications to make the home handicapped accessible. A gigantic "THANK YOU!" goes to the hard-working volunteers, and we owe an even larger debt of gratitude to A.C.O.R.N. members David Cooley of Restoration Builders of Virginia and Cynthia and Gray Oliver and Tory Smith of Three Strands Management for contributing construction expertise and "muscle" for the necessary renovations and modifications. As always, we could never get by without a LOT of help from our friends! Click here for photos of Rebuilding Day. Click here to learn more about the Rebuilding Together program
SOS FOR DOWNTOWN RICHMOND!
BOND FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE FORMER MURPY HOTEL IN JEOPARDY.
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:
- Governor Kaine put forth a bond package that includes $185 million for rehabilitating the Hotel Richmond and the new construction at 8th Street.
- The Senate version includes $194.1 million and funding for a larger building on 8th Street.
- The House version has no funding.
The General Assembly reconvenes on April 23rd to finalize funding for the bond package. If funding for the new building is not approved by the General Assembly, Richmond will have an ENTIRE vacant block facing Broad Street - our main downtown street.
CLICK HERE for information on how to contact bond bill conferees, your representatives and the governor asap!
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, 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. Read the rest of this entry »
