HomeProgress-Index, 02/04/2006
Large crowd shows Petersburg is ready
Ever been to the beach wanting to ride waves only to watch as the surf turned smooth as bath water? Still, you know the energy is building in that great, big ocean, you know it's only a matter of time before the waves come crashing relentlessly to shore, taking you and your body-surfing friends for the ride of your lives on wave after wave.
For years, Petersburg’s quest for waterfront development has resembled the quiet times at the beach. No real waves to speak of, but lots of would-be surfers scanning the horizon, looking for waves, full of hope
There’s a wave on the horizon of Petersburg's waterfront development dreams. It's a big wave with a mountain of energy.
It was spotted Tuesday night at the Petersburg Regional Art Center, where 300 people showed up to hear about a promising new development in the process. Downtown Petersburg Inc. is trying to bring a Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team from the American Institute of Architects to the city to help create a vision for what a waterfront development would look like sandwiched between Old Towne and Pocahontas Island.
Through R/UDAT, the American Institute of Architects sends a team of planners and architects to work with a steering committee of local representatives to create a plan based on community input.
R/UDAT has been employed in more than 135 communities for a variety of reasons, “including urban growth and land use, inner-city neighborhoods, downtowns, environmental issues, waterfront development, and commercial revitalization,” according to the AIA web site. “A R/UDAT can help you to respond to these kinds of issues, develop a vision for a better future for your community, and implement a strategy that will produce results.”
The process works, claims the AIA, because of the expertise of R/UDAT members, their objectivity toward a project and public participation. Tuesday’s big turnout in Petersburg shows that last key ingredient appears to be solidly in place. Local officials are confident they can raise the $30,000 to $50,000 to pay for R/UDAT, whose work is primarily pro bono.
Local, state and federal officials have been working for decades to have the final piece of the Appomattox River dredged to reopen Petersburg’s harbor. In the early 1990s, dredging came tantalizingly close to completion before a suspected contaminant was discovered, placing the project in extended limbo.
Critics might say that developing a detailed plan before the river is even dredged is putting the cart before the horse. We believe it is much more like dangling a sweet, crisp, juicy carrot as an incentive to commence the dredging ASAP.
