Tag Archives: rna

Updated Idlewood Roundabout construction schedule

Mike Sawyer, the new Transportation Engineer for the City of Richmond, and 5th District Councilman, Parker Agelasto, provided the following construction schedule update for the Idlewood Roundabout to the RNA (Randolph Neighborhood Association) on May 1, 2015:

Right of Way Completion, June 2015
Plan Completion, July 2015
Bid Advertisement, August 2015
Award Contract, October 2015
Start Construction, November 2015
Complete Construction, March 2016

Michael B. Sawyer, PE
City Transportation Engineer
w. 646.3435

Maymont files applications for two new buildings, a welcome plaza, and various site improvements

The attached letters (see below) were sent to the Randolph Neighborhood Association by Councilman Agelasto and Mr. Jeff Eastman (Senior Planner, Planning and Preservation Division).

These items are scheduled to be considered by the Urban Design Committee at their meeting on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at 10:00am in the 5th floor conference room of City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street. The UDC recommendation will be forwarded to the City Planning Commission for inclusion on the agenda of their May 18, 2015 meeting.

See Style Weekly’s overview of the plans here: http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/polishing-maymont-new-improvements-on-the-way/Content?oid=2182575

Files:

UDC #15-12 public notice

UDC #15-13 public notice

November Randolph Neighborhood Association (RNA) meeting highlights

1. Mr. Sean Miller, VP of Operations for the Boys and Girls Club, discussed the pending sale of 1301 Winder Street, expressing his desire to see this building benefit the Randolph community. He indicated that various entities have inquired about the property, including VCU. However, this option is not currently being considered. Rev. Michael Moore of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church was present and indicated that his congregation is currently exploring the purchase of the property. This is one possible location they’ve considered as they seek to expand their ministry efforts in the Randolph neighborhood. Councilman Agelasto and Mr. Thad Williamson (the director of the Office of Community Wealth Building) were also present, suggesting possible uses similar to that of the Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton.

2. Councilman Agelasto and 5th District liaison, Ida Jones provided updates regarding the Idlewood roundabout, the 5th District Holiday Party (Wednesday, December 10, 6:30 pm at the VA War Memorial), and the construction of a new entrance at Maymont. Regarding the roundabout, the project’s current plans have been sent back to the UDC due to some small design changes. It will need to go before the planning commission one last time to receive final approval. Sidewalk improvements along Idlewood near the roundabout have been included in the final plan.

3. On behalf the Johannas Design Group, Mrs. Johannas, came to answer questions about Tribeca: Phase 2. Mrs. Johannas explained why the project is likely to attract owner-occupants and addressed parking concerns. She also indicated that construction is slated to start in December 2014. Because the project did not require rezoning, it did not have to go before the planning commission.

4. Mr. Larry Davis of Randolph Community Center introduced himself as the new program director. Mr. Davis runs the “outside of school” program where kids are introduced to the arts, receive help with their homework, have access to the gym, and participate in healthy lifestyle initiatives.

5. Officer Marshall of the RPD gave updates regarding crime (an overall decrease from last year) and reminded neighbors to be cautious about leaving items in their cars and leaving packages on their porch.

6. Officer Felton of VCU indicated that their has been 4 evictions in the Randolph neighborhood and that they are working on several more. One of these evictions led to a sizable confiscation of drugs. Residents were thankful for these efforts.

7. Tito Luna of VCU introduced residents to the office of Institutional Equity and Community Engagement. They are looking to do a survey on VCU’s impact on the surrounding community.  Dr. Peyton McCoy, the RNA’s VCU liaison, will be reaching out to residents with more information.

8. RVA Clean Sweep plans to clean Grayland Avenue on Dec 6 in light of all of the leaves. Be sure to sign up for the event on Nextdoor!

Boys and Girls Club CEO, Todd McFarlane, to speak at RNA mtg. on 11/17

Screen Shot 2014-10-29 at 10.15.00 PM

(photo courtesy of Google Maps)

Mr. Todd McFarlane will speak to the Randolph Neighborhood Association (RNA) at a regularly scheduled meeting on November 17 at 6:30 to discuss potential plans for the former Randolph Boys and Girls Club on 1301 Winder Street.

Mr. McFarlene has an interest in seeing this property being used for the good of the Randolph community given his five years of service at the center, first as a program director in 1994 under Don Coleman and then as the Club Director from 1995 to 1998. Mr. McFarlene also worked closely with Bessie Jones on a number of initiatives for the kids in the neighborhood.

Final UDC Idlewood roundabout application review on Nov 6, 10:00 am

From Councilman Agelasto:

Greetings . . . I am passing along notice of the Urban Design Committee meeting on November 6 at 10:00 am [in the 5th floor conference room of City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street] when the final design review will occur for the proposed Idlewood Avenue roundabout. Please note that this will still need Planning Commission approval once UDC has made their final recommendations.
All the best,
Parker C. Agelasto

The public notice letter sent to the Randolph Neighborhood Association by Mr. Jeff Eastman can be found here: UDC #14-30(2) public notice

Online, “Nextdoor” community starts in Randolph

A big shout out to Arthur Baynes (and others) for his work in helping to bring the Nextdoor platform to Randolph. Nextdoor is a private, online forum intended to help neighborhoods build stronger connections. After signing up, you can choose to receive as little or as much information as you want.

The Randolph group on Nextdoor is not run by the Randolph Neighborhood Association (RNA); however, the RNA intends to post meeting dates (including agendas) on the Nextdoor platform in addition to the Facebook page, RNA email campaigns, and the randolphrva.com website.

Thomas Square receives a major facelift

Due to the lack of funding for park maintenance in the city’s budget (as recently noted by our friends in Byrd Park), the City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Rec, and Community Facilities, the Department of Public Works, RVA Clean Sweep, the Randolph Neighborhood Association, and the Richmond Tree Stewards worked to bring about a much needed overhaul at Thomas Square, a public space that anchors the northeastern part of the Randolph neighborhood.

From start to finish, the project took about three weeks and there is still some minor clean up work to be done. On Saturday, October 4, residents from the Randolph community worked with staff members from the City of Richmond, local nonprofits (noted above), and several dozen college volunteers (consisting of UR’s Bonner Scholars ProgramVCU’s RUF campus ministry, and VCU students from the neighborhood) to remove overgrown bushes, plant new trees, and do some light repairs on benches and signs. To close out the day, Dr. Peyton McCoy, Ms. Ethel Johnston and Ms. Lala Williams spoke to the students about the history of the Randolph neighborhood and encouraged them to collaborate with long-time residents to promote positive change in the area. (Before and after photos can be found below.) The weather was beautiful and many residents expressed a tremendous amount of gratitude when the work was finished.

BEFORE: 

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DURING: 

photo 3

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AFTER: 

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Image

RNA and RVA Clean Sweep to host neighborhood workday on Saturday, 10/4

Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 10.49.19 PM

Johannas Design Group releases conceptual drawings

On August 25, 2014 the David Johannas Design group hosted a special meeting for property owners who live within roughly 500-600 feet of the proposed second phase of the Tribeca Brownstone project to discuss their concerns. Councilman Agelasto and Denise Vice from the RRHA were present.

In preparation for the RNA meeting on September 15, Mr. Johannas provided conceptual drawings of the plans (see below).

Overall, neighbors have expressed concerns that the new project will usher in more transient student renters who lack a strong track record of contributing to the long-term interests and well-being of the community.

Any additional questions or concerns can be addressed to Mr. Johannas directly at 804.358.4993 or dave [at] johannasdesign.com.

Conceptual Drawings

2014 house designs-Arch D (24 x 36) presentation

2014 house designs-Arch D (24 x 36) presentation (2)

 

 

More details about Idlewood Round-a-bout released

From Mr. Jeff Eastman, senior land use planner at the City of Richmond:

Attached are the plans [for the Idlewood Round-a-about] as they stand now. [See the link below.] Sometimes there are modifications between now and the UDC [Urban Design Committee] meeting, but they are usually minor in scope. The UDC is considering this item conceptually at their meeting in September. Then plans would then be reviewed by the Planning Commission, and later would come back before both bodies in a final review stage. This allows for a total of 4 public meetings and time to make modifications to the plans if necessary. . . . The Urban Design Committee allows 5 minutes of public comment time per individual; the Planning Commission allows 3 minutes each. . . . .This allows them time to understand the concerns of citizens.

Mr. Eastman also indicated that it is customary for civic associations to send a coordinated response prior to the Urban Design Committee review. In response,  the Randolph Neighborhood Association will be compiling feedback on the below plans up until Tuesday, September 2. Comments can be directed towards randolphrva [at ] gmail.com.

. . . .

Preliminary drawings produced by Kimley-Horn can be found here: 2014-30 plans