|
Press
Releases
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Historic Richmond Foundation Opposes Echo Harbor Development Plan
(Richmond, Va. October 12, 2006) The Board of Trustees of Historic Richmond Foundation states its strong opposition to the proposed
Echo
Harbor
plan to create a high rise mixed use development on the James River that will block the historic view from
Libby
Hill
Park
.
“Although we believe in positive economic development, in this instance we urge the city to retain the current zoning on this narrow strip of waterfront along the river,” said HRF President John Owen Gwathmey. “The historic view shed of the river from
Libby
Hill
Park
must be preserved at all costs.”
Echo
Harbor
has asked for zoning changes and a variance that would allow the construction of a building nearly 1000 feet in length with two 18-story residential towers that rise 206 feet. City ordinances cap residential waterfront (RF1) elevations at 60 feet, with properties nearby (RF2) limited to 150 feet. The land is in a flood plain and currently zoned M2 industrial, which prohibits residential use.
“This plan strikes at the very heart of
Richmond
'
s history,” said Conover Hunt, Executive Director of HRF. “
Richmond
got its name from that view, and it should always belong to everyone, not to a small group of residents.” The foundation holds protective easements on more than 100 properties in Church Hill, one of the city’s largest and traditionally diverse groupings of historic neighborhoods.
Echo
Harbor
leaders argue that the proposed towers do not block the view of the bend in the river, the most popular image captured by artists over the centuries. When city founder William Byrd II stood on the hill in
Virginia
in 1737, the vista reminded him of the view shed in
England
’s Richmond Upon Thames, a suburb of
London
. He subsequently named the new town
Richmond
.
“The developers want us to use tunnel vision in our approach,” said Hunt. “The historic view is a panorama, not a specific angle focused downstream on the river bend.” HRF is also concerned about increased traffic congestion on narrow streets in historic districts near the proposed condominiums.
The preservation group cites an outside precedent for protecting historic view sheds. The information was obtained from Richard Tatnall, founder of Richmond Twinning, a new non profit dedicated to improving the local quality of life by cultivating international “twinning” relationships between
Richmond
and other communities.
When suburban sprawl from
London
threatened the historic view of the
Thames
River
from Richmond Upon Thames during the 1890s, the English town launched one of the first environmental campaigns to save a historic view shed. In 1902, Parliament passed “the Richmond Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act,” which preserves the landscape on and below
Richmond
stretching to the
Thames
. The law preserves the entire view shed. The historic plaque at Richmond Upon Thames refers with pride to the role of its view in the naming of
Richmond
,
Virginia
. “Our city is now confronting the same problem that our English sister city faced more than a century ago,” according to Tatnall.
An HRF representative serves on the Richmond Upon Thames Committee making final plans for
Richmond
to host a gathering of all cities named
Richmond
in 2007. The meeting, chaired by Cosmas Rubencamp, will feature remarks by the Duke of Richmond and official delegations from many of the 60 cities and towns that share the name. The view from Libby Hill in included in the tour itinerary.
About Historic Richmond Foundation:
Founded in 1935, Historic Richmond Foundation is the largest and oldest non- profit organization devoted to preserving the historic assets that define the unique character of the Richmond area. The agency has been instrumental in saving hundreds of historic structures, was a leader in the designation of the city’s first historic district (St. John’s) in Church Hill, and helped establish the city’s Commission of Architectural Review a half century ago. From its earliest efforts to save the Adam Craig house, HRF has pioneered the concept of adaptive reuse of old buildings. It maintains a special Revolving Fund to purchase, renovate and resell historic properties and publishes books about the city’s distinctive architecture. Historic
Richmond
is a proud affiliate of APVA Preservation Virginia, the nation’s oldest statewide preservation organization.
Past
Press Releases:
Historic Richmond Foundation - The William Byrd Branch of APVA
Preservation Virginia
|
