Oregon Hill resident Charles Pool suggested the scaled-down plan was an attempt to evade a review by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which would have been required because of the project’s wetlands impact. Pool also said the lease change that commissioners asked for is now “out the window.” Link
The canal at Tredegar Green is listed twice on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the 2012 agreement for conveying the canal parcel to Venture Richmond it was stipulated that the purpose was to “maintain the property open to the public.”
The Planning Commission review was for the purpose of determining if the proposal was in substantial accord with the city’s Master Plan. The Master Plan seeks to preserve and promote historic assets. George Washington’s canal is an historic assets. The proposal destroys George Washington’s historic canal.
Venture Richmond’s plan will make the site steeper and will make is less useable by the public.
Venture Richmond and a majority of the city Planning Commission think that destroying George Washington’s canal is not controversial. They think the plan is justified because it will make the site a little easier to maintain and may add a little more spectator space for use four days per year.
This is a bad decision. It puts the interests of a corporation above the public good.
City Council has the authority to overrule the Planning Commission’s decision. If city council fails to overrule the decision, it should be remembered on election day in 2016.
(The word “historic” does not appear in this article.)