Are you soothed by the sound of falling water? This spring you may find parts of the Fan neighborhood to be exceptionally relaxing according to the Department of Public Utilities. DPU says that their water main cleaning and renewal project will resume as soon as springtime weather arrives and that we can expect open fire hydrants and bypass hoses releasing water on the streets.

DPU says that the remaining phase of the restoration project will affect Hanover Ave from Robinson Street to Harvie Street and some side streets off of Stuart Ave.

Says DPU on the project:

Residents and businesses in the impacted area will only be without water briefly as they are switched from the water main to the bypass hoses. Doorhangers with information will be delivered before work begins.

Stay informed about the project's progress and other developments from the Department of Public Utilities

CBS 6's Sam Brock went undercover at some of Robinson Street's most popular bars and what he found may shock and surprise you!
 
Brock continues his investigation into the smoking ban's lack of enforcement in a new report from CBS 6.

The Boulevardizen time machine takes us to 1918 when architects proposed an ornate four story brick hospital for the intersection of Grove Ave and Mulberry Street. The proposed Retreat for the Sick was eventually constructed and then given the friendlier name of Retreat Hospital.

Photo from the archives of Carneal & Johnston

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! went the trolleys at the intersection of West Cary Street and Robinson Street which once served as a bustling hub of activity for the old Richmond transit lines. Now progress is about to strike again at this historic property when the GRTC bus company moves its operations and transfers the property to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA).

With so much history associated with the property many area residents are wondering what will be done to preserve the historic character of the transit oriented neighborhood.
 
Valerie Dixon with RRHA tells us that preservation of the property is priority in the redevelopment planning. "The current City Master Plan calls for the historic trolley sheds to be preserved.  The City and RRHA will study the feasibility of adaptively reusing the buildings."

The 2000 Richmond Master Plan designates the four square block area as a mixed use development for extending Carytown eastward and also as a "Housing Opportunity Area."

"When [GRTC relocates] this site presents a unique opportunity for high quality mixed-use, urban infill development. Given the size of the site, a mixture of commercial and office uses may be appropriate within the residential development." The plan adds "Any future redevelopment activities should retain and preserve the historic trolley sheds located on-site."

According to Dixon "RRHA’s next task is to work with the City to formulate a redevelopment strategy consistent with market conditions, site conditions, and City and neighborhood priorities."

Dixon says settlement of the land transfer from GRTC to RRHA will be completed within the next 60 days however the actual transfer of the property from the bus company to the government authority could take until late 2011.

"GRTC estimates that environmental assessment and remediation will be completed in late 2011.  RRHA will take title to and possession of the property after remediation is complete and all other pre-settlement conditions have been satisfied." said Dixon of the industrial sized cleanup required of the property before further development is possible.

Our neighbors over at ByrdPark.net have an ongoing discussion about the use of the property with a number of thoughtful suggestions for future development.

Sirens screamed through the fan and museum district last night as a cloud of smoke poured from the first floor of a home on the 2500 block of Kensington Ave.  At 10:22 PM Richmond emergency teams received a call for a house fire near the intersection of Kensington Ave and Robinson St.

According to Lt. Shawn Jones with the Richmond Fire Department crews found a "small amount of fire in the basement" and were able to vanquish its flames with fire extinguishers from their trucks. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 10:37 pm however a Hazardous Materials team was later brought in to clean up spilled gasoline in the structure's basement.

Shattered glass and shards of metal litter the road at the intersection of Robinson and West Cary streets this afternoon after a head on collision seriously damaged an SUV and work van.

It is estimated that the clean up of the wreckage from this messy crash will continue to plague motorists in the upper fan for quite some time. Multiple lanes in the intersection are closed including both lanes of heavily travelled Robinson Street.

** DEVELOPING **

NBC 12 reports that Richmond police apprehended several individuals in connection with graffiti vandalism in Boulevard area neighborhoods.

Says NBC 12:

Police arrested 31-year-old Michael Atkinson of Richmond, 22-year-old Ricky Portillo of Richmond and 21-year-old Noah Fiel of Richmond, all for graffiti vandalism. Police tell us Atkinson tagged the Davis and Main restaurant. Meanwhile, police say Noah Fiel tagged the Chanello's Pizza Place at the intersection of Broad and the Boulevard.

...

Police say there are several things you can do to stop this. First, be on the look out for someone stopping in the alleyways for unknown reasons. Secondly, if you see someone hiding or ducking from passing cars, that's a sign someone may be tagging. Third, you need to know that the graffiti tagging usually occurs in the early morning hours.

For more on these arrests and an interview with Fan District leaders visit NBC 12

Two men were robbed near the intersection of Main St and Shields Ave late last night. According to Richmond Police three unknown men assaulted and robbed the individuals just before 2 AM. No further information on the suspects is available at this time.

The roar of city busses and the hearty aroma of diesel will soon be but a memory at the intersection of West Cary St. and Davis Ave. as GRTC board members voted today to sell the historic transportation hub.

The non-profit company's board voted 3-0 today to authorize the sale of the nearly 7 acre plot of land to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

While the sounds of busses may be going away neighbors shouldn't count on the property to be quiet for long. According to GRTC the company will spend $1-$2 million to clean up accumulated environmental hazards on the property including six underground fuel tanks.

RRHA's plan for the newly acquired property remains unclear at this time.

For more details on this story follow up with the Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Department of Public Works and the Clean City Commission will host an electronic recycling day this Saturday at the Division of Solid Waste Parkling Lot (near the Diamond baseball stadium). The city's free program will accept:

• computer systems and accessories
• printers
• scanners
• copiers
• fax machines
• VCRs and camcorders
• stereos
• microwaves.

For a small fee ranging from $.25 to $10.00 the city will accept more hazardous items such as computer monitors, televisions and fluorescent light bulbs.

Remember to bring some proof of city residency to the event (ID, utility bill or lease.

WHEN: Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: 2720 Hermitage Rd. (Division of Solid Waste parking lot)

The Richmond Police released their September 2009 report on noteworthy incidents and statistics in Sector 313 (The Fan, Maymont, and Monument Ave corridor from Boulevard to Harrison.) The report shows significant increases in a variety of crimes when compared with 2008 statistics:

Violent Crime: 180% increase
9/2009 vs. 9/2008 – fourteen (14) crimes vs. five (5) crimes.
Property Crime: 5% decrease
9/2009 vs. 9/2008 – sixty (60) crimes vs. sixty-three (63) crimes
Major Crime: 9% increase
9/2009 vs. 9/2008 – seventy-four (74) crimes vs. sixty-eight (68) crimes
Robbery Individual: 167% increase
9/2009 vs. 9/2008 – eight (8) robberies vs. three (3) robberies

The report indicates that police have a proactive plan to tackle these disturbing trends:
Continue directed-patrol assignments and maintain high visibility with bike/motorcycle/walking officers. Continue to use the K-9 units in and around the Fan, Randolph, and Byrd Park neighborhoods during the night time hours.

For more on the September 2009 report and to view details of noteworthy incidents in the area download the PDF.

There's no way to avoid the chaos when Boulevard gets crazy! Two motorists on Parkwood and Robinson are learning that fact after attempting to avoid the maddening traffic caused by an earlier wreck at Cary & Boulevard.

Drivers detouring around the backups on Boulevard are now caught in yet another backup as police attempt to clean up the mess on this very confined and narrow streetscape.

The Times-Dispatch delivers stunning news that should make Boulevardizen's think twice before running in alleyways at 1:15 AM:

Richmond police Capt. Scott Booth said the man was taken to Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital to be treated for injuries that were not life-threatening after the 1:15 a.m. assault.

The man told police he was running in an alley south of the 2600 block of West Broad Street when he was confronted by three males. Two threw him to the ground and one struck him with an unknown object, possibly a baseball bat, Booth said.

The suspects took his wallet and keys before fleeing on foot.

Find more on this incident and discuss alleyway safety at the Times-Dispatch

This week's edition of Style Weekly offers a fascinating view into the broken daily newspaper business and the future of journalism in Richmond. The multipart feature includes an interview with Peter Feddo of Boulevardizen.com about the hyper local format, its evolving characteristics and the future of news gathering and delivery.

Style's Greg Weatherford reports:

Peter Feddo’s first-floor apartment on the Boulevard doesn’t look like the future of news. But the modest two-bedroom place just might be.

You might not recognize Feddo’s name. But if you follow local news and politics you might recall the building’s street address — 10 S. Boulevard — as the inspiration for Richmond’s only “super-hyper-local” Web site, 10sboulevard.com.

There, Feddo and the site’s co-founder, Joe Schilling, have reported on the news and events of the blocks around the building for the past two years: fires, car crashes, rabid raccoons, bad drivers, assaults, murder.

Armed with a Dell laptop, a smart phone and a Nikon D60 digital camera he bought for the site, Feddo prides himself on covering his neighborhood.

“If there’s crimes and fires or whatnot we race the local news affiliates out there,” Feddo says. “If there’s a fire, I’d IM [instant message] Joe and say, ‘Hey, you want to go?’”

Usually he’s the first to the scene (“We know the alleyways,” he explains)

Continue reading more of this article at Style Weekly and be sure to catch the other MUST READ features in the Pulp Future edition:

• The dead-tree dailies of the media world keep getting chopped by declining circulation, dwindling advertising and an ever-enveloping Internet. Can we, should we — could we — live without a daily newspaper? by Scott Bass and Chris Dovi

• How broken is the newspaper business? We’re about to find out. by Scott Bass

• Princeton economist and ex-journalist Sam Schulhofer-Wohl examines the fallout: dangers to democracy. by Laura Robertson

• Video Feature: A conversation with longtime Times-Dispatch reporter, editor and historian, Earle Dunford. by Rich Griset

CBS 6 opens up their video vault and takes us back to the city council elections of 1984. Facing challenges and tragedies including the murder of the Byrd Theatre manager and an attendent at the Cary and Meadow service station the candidates stake out tough positions on crime and neighborhood development.

Watch the video from CBS 6 below: