HomeRichmond Times-Dispatch, 03/29/2007
Architects converge on Petersburg
They and urban planners are formulating a plan for the downtown waterfront
By Carol Hazard, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
Architects and urban planners from as far away as California arrive today in Petersburg to come up with a plan for downtown Petersburg along the waterfront.
The team of eight volunteers will start early tomorrow and work through the weekend to redesign the area.
"The schedule is so tight that nap time was built into the agenda," said Steve Perez, spokesman for the Petersburg Downtown Harbor Initiative, which is sponsoring the blitz.
The volunteers will stay up nearly all night Sunday doing the redesign, he said. "It's pretty intense."
Monday at 6:30 p.m., the planners will present a detailed vision with priorities, strategies and timelines at an open community meeting at the Petersburg Regional Art Center, 132 N. Sycamore St.
The program -- R/UDAT, for Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team -- was devised in the 1960s by the American Institute of Architects. About 100 communities have benefited, including Falls Church and Franklin.
How can outsiders understand a 400- year-old community in only four days?
"The people here know what they want, and they're not about to sit passively by while these folks design around them," Perez said.
The Petersburg Downtown Harbor Initiative, a group of local business leaders that organized to prepare and arrange the visit, were told to raise $30,000 to $50,000 to pay the team's expenses. It has held a series of meetings with residents and city officials to solicit ideas for the redesign, he said. "There's a lot of similar thinking and not a lot of conflict between government and citizens."
People want to keep the historic fabric of Petersburg, Perez said. They want a good business and residential base. They're concerned about crime. And they worry about overdevelopment.
Perez said he hopes the plan will fill in the "missing teeth" -- the vacant lots and buildings. "Over the next five to 10 years, what would be the best use for them? Fast-food restaurants or high-end retail?"
Also, he said, the waterfront has open, green space that needs to be enhanced. "And where should we put a park? What about a museum?"
After the plan is presented and approved, the challenge will be to put it into motion, Perez said. "The follow-through will be the tough job."
For additional information, go to www.petersburgharbor.org
Contact staff writer Carol Hazard at chazard@timesdispatch.com or (804) 775-8023.
