The Downtown Plan: Baliles Goes To Town

Thomas Paine never had it so easy. Jon Baliles headed down to the Richmond Planning Commission discussion on the proposed Downtown Plan hoping to catch a few z's -- instead he experienced a living example of timid governance.

In "A Resistance to Reflexively Go Along Part I," Baliles describes his experience, including the moment I leapt from my chair and hurled myself out of the fifth floor conference room window just to make the voices of the status quo stop...

We've been waiting around here for change since Lee rode out on Traveller. What's a few more years?

Council rep and PC member Kathy Graziano chimed in that two separate documents were a bad idea and we could adopt a specific plan with a vision because not all of the provisions have to be approved.

Then someone (not clear from notes who) said that formed based zoning was "a shift in the way we do things" which should be the point of this revised DMP. This DMP and so many other areas of this city's future need to be about doing things differently, as scary as that is to the old guard.

There is a wealth of intellectual talent and capital out there to be tapped and utilized but we seem all too willing to rely on the same play book. If Richmond were an NFL team we would be the Miami Dolphins. Shifting the way we do things should be our mantra from the top levels of the city on down so we can try and run with the New England Patriots.

Unfortunately, the next two hours were digging through the Miami playbook.

In "A Resistance To Reflexively Go Along Part II: The River," Baliles focuses in on the battle for Richmond's riverfront:

Ms. Lacy said in the Planning Commission (PC) meeting that this was our last chance to do the river right. If it is not a public park area with direct access to the flat water, it could be Echo Harbor condos.

From what I understand, Echo Harbor, if approved, has promised to grant passageway between its' footprint and the river, but that could be a narrow cow path or trail and they will not put in writing that it will be anything more than that.

PC Chairman Mr. Mills then said that development along the river was a foregone conclusion and it could be controlled in scale, mass and height, and that the document should reflect that and suggested mixed use as the best use of the land. He also said that private development of any green space would be better maintained because the city does not maintain the parks it currently has. Which sounds to me that a private company would own the land but grant "passage" to the public. That is inspiring.

Get your white flags ready, Richmond! We will surrender the last piece of direct riverfront to 170 condo owners to enjoy! To hell with the thousands of runners, canoeists, kayakers, fisherman, cyclers, and walkers that enjoy and are good stewards of the river.