Venture Richmond
Representing the merger of Richmond Renaissance, City Celebrations,
River District Alliance and Richmond Riverfront Corporation.
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SAVE THE DATE!!!
Thank you to those of you that participated during the
Richmond Downtown Master Plan's hands on design sessions held July
20-26. We hope you can continue along in the discussions and join us
for the upcoming event listed below.
The next community meeting for the update to the Downtown Master Plan will be held on the evening of Thursday, September 27, 2007.
The specific time and place to follow, but please remember to mark your calendar now!
Foundations of the Richmond Downtown Master Plan
During the
work-in-progress presentation on July 26 at Plant Zero, Dover, Kohl and
Partners shared a list of six foundations of the Richmond Downtown
Master Plan. These foundations are reflective of items that were
consistently mentioned by the community during the public participation
events of the week of July 20-26. An initial list of thoughts and
potential implementation measures associated with each of the
foundations is outlined below.
Traditional City
Pedestrians and transit riders thrive in traditional cities. Downtown
Richmond has the street network and much of the historic architecture
in place to support a rebirth of traditional modes of transportation.
Encourage these alternative modes of transportation by restoring the
two-way traffic pattern, re-introducing a trolley system, and
reconsidering parking requirements for urban buildings.
River
The James River is Richmond's "great, wet Central
Park." Allow residents and visitors to fully enjoy this unique natural
feature by creating a series of clear connections to the riverfront.
Develop a comprehensive system of natural open space along the river
and create green connections between city parks and the riverfront.
Promote recreational activity along the river, such as waterfront
festivals and kayaking. Preserve views to the river by limiting
building heights and protecting important viewsheds.
Urban Architecture
We can learn many lessons from Richmond's
historic urban architecture. Require all new construction within the
Downtown to respect and reinforce its urban location, meeting the
sidewalk and fronting the street with windows and primary entrances.
Promote ground-floor, street facing retail where appropriate, and
ensure that parking garages are lined with street-front buildings.
Cater to the pedestrian, and create a lively, human-scale frontage that
encourages walking.
Variety and Choice
Urban environments provide variety and
choice. Cities are naturally mixed-use, mixed-income, and multi-modal.
Promote Richmond's competitive advantage by further diversifying land
uses, building types and sizes, and providing a full range of
transportation options. Allow opportunities for those at all income
levels, supporting programs for those of lesser means and education.
GreenGreat parks and sustainable infrastructure make cities
livable. Attract new residents and visitors to Downtown with an
integrated system of urban parks. Celebrate Richmond's existing park
system, and increase public access to these parks by providing reliable
maintenance. Initiate an ambitious street tree campaign. Incorporate
sustainable design into all new buildings and infrastructure projects
in order to create a fully "green" city.
History
Richmond's past is one of its most valuable assets
for the future. Celebrate and promote Richmond's history with an
aggressive historic preservation program and a coordinated system of
history trails, museums, and interpretive sites. Focus not only
"historic" events but also reveal the day-to-day story of the city, for
example by exposing the cobblestones beneath Downtown's asphalt
streets.
For more information contact Brooke Hardin, City of Richmond
Telephone: (804) 646-6310 E-mail: Brooke.Hardin@richmondgov.com
Please also visit the City's webpage over the coming weeks for ongoing updates about the process.
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08.13.2007
