After postponing discussion last month to give residents another chance to weigh in, City Council agreed at its October 6 meeting to sell two lots on the corner of Ridge Street and Cherry Avenue to Southern Development if the developer meets certain requirements.
At the September 15 public hearing, no Fifeville residents spoke, but a few came out last week. They were united against the possibility of losing a section of their neighborhood to, as resident Edward Thomas said, luxury condos and superfluous office space.
But with a 4-1 decision, Council passed an ordinance authorizing a land purchase and sale agreement for the two city lots. Only Holly Edwards voted against the ordinance. Councilor David Brown and Mayor Dave Norris both agreed that by selling the parcels, the city would be able to supervise the process, thus making it a “better development,” said Norris. He assured residents that “there will be extensive neighborhood involvement” in the process.
|
Assuming Southern Development lives up to its end of the bargain, the city will sell these two lots on Ridge Street for about $250,000. |
The two city parcels at 521 and 529 Ridge St. are not contiguous, but are part of a 2.8-acre undeveloped tract on the corner of Cherry Avenue and Ridge Street. The five surrounding parcels are owned by local developer Southern Development. According to the city’s report, the two city lots were conveyed to the city by the Virginia Department of Transportation in 1976.
But before the actual sale takes place, said City Attorney Craig Brown, purchaser Cherry Avenue Investments LLC (part of Southern Development) will have to apply for a mixed-used rezoning, a process that could take years. The agreement requires Southern Development to complete a traffic study as part of that rezoning process.
The proceeds from the purchase of the parcels, estimated at $253,000, were originally slated to create a Fifeville affordable housing fund, but at the October 6 meeting, Norris argued that the money could be better spent improving Tonsler Park, on Cherry Avenue at Fifth Street SW.
“Tonsler Park is very well maintained,” Thomas argues. He contends that the city was eager to sell the land to “speed up the gentrification of Cherry Avenue and Ridge Street,” he says. “And that’s total code to get African Americans out.”
In an addition to the language of the sale agreement, the cash contribution from the sale of the parcels will benefit improvements for both Tonsler Park and neighborhood housing.
C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.
