We’ve been playing the “Gunshots or Fireworks?” game all evening, and we’ve settled on 70/30 fireworks to gunshots (plus 2 police cars at the neighbor’s house). Hopefully it’s better in your immediate surroundings!

Tomorrow’s Style Weekly again features the controversy over the Forest Hill Park sign. As of December 17th, the sign had been “repaired and returned, and fences between two neighborhood booster groups [Forest Hill Neighborhood Association and Friends of Forest Hill Park] have been mended.”

On a similar note, I understand one of the topics being discussed at next week’s FHNA meeting is the elusive white whale: restoration of the lake in the park.

The folks at ACORN are holding another of their free workshops on Wed. January 9. They’ll specifically cover two major subject areas:

• Renovation Lending Programs
• How to Qualify for a Mortgage

They’ll also cover the ins and outs of home mortgage financing (including: loan programs, credit, cash required, cash sources, etc…). Then learn the benefits of renovation lending and how to buy a home in disrepair and fix it up using these unique loan programs. Additional topics covered include:

• Tax Benefits
• Energy Efficiency
• Market Equity and much more…

It all takes place Jan. 9th, 6-8PM, in the library at Good Shepherd Episcopal School, 4207 Forest Hill Ave.

Apparently the SunTrust bank at Forest Hill & 47th was robbed this morning. I’ve yet to see any media mention of it thus far, and the RPD crime report site likely won’t update ’til tomorrow…

This morning’s water main failure along Semmes is still under repair, but Richmond DPU says that water service will be restored soon, if it’s not back on already. Additionally, the permanent fix should be in place by this evening, but not likely in time to open all lanes of Semmes back up for the evening commute.

4th District School Board rep George Braxton has of late served as the board’s chair, but his tenure at the top could be coming to an end. 7th District rep Keith West, perhaps the most visible and outspoken member of the board (and certainly one of Braxton’s many critics), has been openly campaigning for the leadership spot. A T-D article today points out the increased interest in the board chair race. Public opinion seems to be mostly in favor of West taking the helm, but quotes from other board members suggest it’s a pretty even split so far.

The chairman vote is scheduled for Monday night’s meeting. Stay tuned…

A wheelchair-bound pedestrian was struck and killed by a car this morning in the 7800 block of Forest Hill, just east of Thompson Middle School. NBC12 suggests the car was pulling out of a parking lot when it hit the man.

In an article on the proposed statewide restaurant smoking ban, Today’s T-D talks with John O’Toole, whose own O’Toole’s went smoke-free in 2007.

“Our food business has increased,” he said. Sales have grown 6 percent since the Irish pub started asking smokers to step outside last March. “We lost a few customers,” O’Toole said. “But for every one we lost, I think we gained 10.”

Yet O’Toole said he does not like the idea of a state-mandated smoking ban in restaurants. “I still think it should be up to each owner. Some of them cater to smokers, and they shouldn’t have to stop.”

Carena’s Jamaican Grille is the latest restaurant to spring from the always entertaining Jimmy Sneed. Style’s Brandon Fox takes a proper look at the place, a collaboration with Carena Ives of Jamaica House fame, and seems to like what she sees.

No injuries, but the Red Bull cooler’s in a world of hurt.

We wrote back in November about the condo project intended for the foot of the Lee Bridge, specifically that the inaccurately named Manchester on the James had shrunk from a 17-story high rise to 4 stories. Today’s T-D takes a further look at the project and residents’ concerns.

Some residents in the South Richmond neighborhood remain concerned, saying they fear the developer’s decision to remove the term “condominium” and trim the size of units from 800 square feet to 650 square feet will make for renter and not owner-occupied residences. Plans call for up to 200 units.

The developer maintains that sale rather than rental is the goal, that the units will not be targeted towards students, and that the buildings will have a more traditional exterior to fit better with the neighborhood.

The next public hearing on the downtown Master Plan will be held tomorrow night, January 15, at 6:30pm in City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall. As we mentioned before, while not directly related to our neighborhoods, a strong downtown is a win-win for everyone. The Westover Hills branch of the library should have a physical copy of the draft of the plan, should you wish to bone up on things in a non-electronic format.

If you’re looking for more info, John Sarvay is the go-to guy on all things related to the downtown plan. We also welcome any attendees who wish to share their impressions of the hearing and/or the plan itself.

The “South of the James” section of this month’s Richmond Magazine has a nice article on the retail state of Westover Hills. Much of this is old news to the neighborhood association folks, but for the rest of us, some juicy tidbits are there. More below the fold…

Read more >

The Stratford Hills SunTrust was robbed this afternoon. Police describe the robber as a black man, 25-35 years, 5′9″ to 5′11″, heavy build and a salt-and-pepper beard. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, a puffy white jacket and dark pants and left in a silver VW Jetta.

No heat at Elkhardt MS + burst water pipes and “not insignificant” flooding at George Wythe HS = just another day of shoddy RPS maintenance.

Here’s hoping the “New Direction” plan includes updating the infrastructure of some of these buildings. Doubtful, but hey, we can dream.

The $29.99 Shoe Warehouse lot at Westover Hills Blvd/49th St & Clarence St saw an overturned vehicle this morning. The T-D has a short video available.

People fly through that lot regularly, especially to use it as a cut-through to avoid the Forest Hill/Westover Hills light. I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often…

Sort of, anyway. The Stratford Hills Shopping Center will be celebrating several milestones tomorrow afternoon. Positive Vibe Cafe is celebrating their 3rd Anniversary with live music and their nationally-recognized food. Once Upon A Vine South holds their official grand opening with a beer & wine tasting featuring several distributors sampling their wares. To top things off, Forest Hill Antiques is holding a large sale.

In talking with the Once Upon A Vine folks tonight, I learned that the merchant community at the Stratford Hills Shopping Center is a reasonably tight group that’s working together to better the neighborhood. I encourage everyone to stop by at some point tomorrow afternoon.

Real Estate assessments have been released by the city, and can be viewed online. The party line is to expect smaller increases, with a “rise averaging a bit less than 5.5 percent.” Be warned, though:

Some South Richmond neighborhoods — mainly those with relatively modest homes worth about $150,000 or less — will see increases averaging more than 20 percent, [City Assessor James D.] Hester said.

Over here in Forest View, everyone seems to have been hit with an increase of around 10%. Our assessment has doubled since 2005. Given the utter lack of increase in services provided by the city (and the fact that both the city and RPD have repeatedly declined to assist with the out-of-control traffic situation over here), the increase is increasingly hard to swallow…

This was mentioned by Ben in a comment to another post, but I thought it was worth bringing up to the front:

The amendment to the SUP (Special Use Permit) will be voted on by City Council on Monday at 6pm. The developer has fundamentally changed the nature of the project (footprint, building height, size of units etc.). There is an excellent chance that if this is approved it will lead to many unfortunate consequences (traffic, lower property values, etc.). If anyone is interested in learning more about this they can go to the Springhill neighborhood association site at http://mysite.verizon.net/leapday92. Your last and only chance to express how you feel about this is to be at the city council meeting at 6pm on Monday, whether you’re for or against it.

The idea was circulating amongst the neighborhood associations, but now the T-D has picked it up: Preliminary efforts are underway to start a possible farmer’s market in the general area.

Some Fourth District residents have suggested locations including Forest Hill Park, possibly in the paved parking area adjacent to 42nd Street, or near the intersection of Westover Hills Boulevard and Forest Hill Avenue. Several told Hathcock they like the idea of a weekend market that would offer organic produce or locally grown produce.

With the equipment rental place now vacant, there’s a prime starter spot just sitting on Westover Hills…

A T-D article on City Council members and campaign donations briefly mentions Kathy Graziano’s fundraising efforts, noting that she has “collected almost $39,000 in contributions in the last six months of 2007 and has almost $58,000 in her campaign war chest,” much of which apparently came from the business community. Jon at River City Rapids pointed out that VPAP doesn’t seem to have local election financing information any longer, so hopefully local media (cough) will help fill in the blanks for us.

Assuming it receives the necessary funding, George Wythe High School will be the site of a new health program designed to fill the gap in medical care that affects many RPS students. The traditional school nurse would be replaced by a nurse practitioner, social workers and mental health professionals, and would offer preventative medicine and counseling.

The school still needs around $100,000 and is active seeking donations.

The next phase of the downtown planning process features smaller neighborhood breakout groups. Tonight’s session focuses on Manchester and Blackwell. Everyone is invited to The Bankuet Place (the old Mechanics & Merchant’s Bank in Downtown Manchester) 1129 Hull Street, from 6-8PM.

Of additional local interest may be the James River-specific session on February 19, 6PM, at the Main Library, 101 E. Franklin St.