The Downtown Plan: The River Issue Goes Regional

If you're looking for an issue worth tackling at a regional level, look no further than the James River. While that was not exclusively the focus of last night's Public Square discussion at the Times-Dispatch last night, it was a critical slice of the conversation -- a conversation that drew about 200 people, according to the TD:

The river may suffer as much from influences beyond the city's borders as from the lack of a local vision, speakers said.

"It is our inability to keep our heads above water" in the face of population growth, agricultural runoff and more "impervious surfaces," said another panelist, L. Preston Bryant, the state's secretary of natural resources.

With an increased focus on the James, speakers said, it is a key time in the river's rich history.

While the TD forum was not officially focused on Richmond's proposed Downtown Plan, the James River is at the heart of the ambitious plan to revitalize Richmond's urban core along both sides of the river. Last night's public event should serve as additional proof that the public has a healthy interest in being engaged in meaningful discussions about the future of the city.

Though the regional issue was touched upon last night, the real emphasis last night was a continuation of the ongoing debate between developers and preservationists:

Some speakers emphasized preserving the riverfront and its natural areas over commercial development. Others saw the James as a recreational, entertainment and scenic attraction and noted that it will require a public and private partnership to make the most of that potential.

"If we do it right, this could be the thing that brings people in from Short Pump," said Richmond resident Katherine Godin. "This could be the thing that gets people to turn off I-95," bringing money into the city and helping to reduce poverty.

"My vision is that you all work together to make this happen," Godin told the experts.

The discussion focused on the importance of the river as a historic centerpiece of Richmond -- "a flowing Central Park," said panelist Rachel Flynn, the city's director of economic development -- but a landmark whose reach encompasses about one-third of the state's population.

In the coming weeks, the Downtown Plan proposal will move from Richmond's Planning Commission into the hands of Richmond's City Council. The competing visions for the James River will move right along with it.

Look for several things to happen as a result:

• A slim majority of Council will push passionately to keep Richmond out of the business of promoting an engaging vision for the James River, and argue that private developers should be trusted to act as responsible stewards of the river and the downtown environment.
• The new Envision Richmond advocacy group -- along with one or two Council members -- will push a slightly different agenda, one that encourages the city to have a firm hand in shepherding a strong vision for the James River in partnership with private developers and community organizations.

Word is that a wildly ambitious private proposal is heading to the table -- one that would give private developers free reign to shape, build and profit from a massive riverfront project that would include the proposed public marina. From the little I've heard, the public should look at this proposal as nothing more than a 6th Street Marketplace or a Performing Arts Center, which is to say a plausible idea wrapped in far more public money than it's worth.

Comments

[Paul]

200 people is the biggest turnout so far for a public square. it indicate how strong the public interest is.

[Scott Burger]

The recent "alliance" of the Metro Planning and business leaders worries me. Corporations have a way of corrupting public priorities. Richmond has seen this over and over again.

[Anonymous]

200 people? So that's one tenth of one percent of their readers.