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Ginter Park Weekly Gazette – Friday, August 5

  • Things to do this Weekend
  • August Blood Drive Wednesday
  • City News-Zoning Changes Proposed, to Impact Ginter Park
  • Neighborhood News

Are you loving Summer, or are you longing for Fall?

This Weekend in Northside

Friday, August 5, SportsBackers Moonlight Ride

Tonight, starting around 8:00 PM, Sportsbackers will host the Moonlight Ride! This means, come nightfall, Hermitage and Lakeside will completely close to vehicle traffic (including a GRTC bus or two)

For Families! Wildlife Wonders After Dark! August 5, 5:00 – 8:00 pm

Science Museum of Virginia
Tickets
smv.org/explore/things-to-do/science-after-dark-wildlife-wonders
You don’t have to go on a safari to observe and celebrate some of the wonders of wildlife. There are a ton of wonders to observe in our own backyards. Don’t believe us? Then join the Science Museum of Virginia for Science After Dark: Wildlife Wonders to learn more about the wildlife you can find around Virginia!
Get up close and personal as you meet and learn about some of the creatures in our Animal Lab.
Guests can also enjoy free, live astronomy shows in The Dome at 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. No tickets are required. Each show is open to the first 250 guests.
Plus, add “Planet Shark: Predator or Prey” to the evening for an additional fee.
Science After Dark admission is $16 for adults; $13.50 for youth (ages 6 – 12) and seniors (ages 60 and older) and $10 for preschool-aged children (ages 3 – 5). Admission to “Planet Shark: Predator or Prey” is an additional $5 per person.

Science After Dark and “Planet Shark” admission is free for Museum members. Discounts are available for EBT cardholders, educators, college students and military with a valid ID.

Saturday, August 6 – Music on Brown’s Island, BrewHaHa, and More…

From Axios Richmond:

Local punk legend Avail is playing in Richmond on Saturday, and you can still get tickets.

Why it matters: The band, a throwback to Richmond’s status as a 1990s punk hot spot, is so beloved locally that it was almost impossible to get into the sold-out reunion shows they played at the National three years ago.

  • This time around, they’re playing at Brown’s Island, and there’s plenty of standing room for everyone.

What they’re saying: Avail frontman Tim Barry told RVA Mag he’s especially looking forward to riding his bike to the show with his 7-year-old daughter.

  • “Brown’s Island being outside on the James River, with the freight train line right there, [is] sort of the perfect scenic Richmond experience,” he said.

Details: The show, named “Over the James” after the band’s popular 1998 album, also features Quicksand, Cave In, Ceremony, Screaming Females and Terminal Bliss.

  • Tickets are $35. Doors open at 3:30pm, and music starts at 4:15.
Did you see that #BrewHaHa has been featured as one of the @RichmondTimesDispatch Top 5 Weekend events? Don’t miss out on this festival celebrating Virginia’s beverage history! While VIP tickets are now sold out, there are still GA tickets available for the main festival – get yours now at VirginiaHistory.org/Cheers.
And read the article at: https://bit.ly/3QjMvIZ.

Event by Virginia Museum of History & CultureOld Bust Head Brewing Company and 8 others

Tickets
secure.virginiahistory.org/1800/1802
Sunday, August 7, ChamberBrook International Market

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=chamberbrook

Wednesday, August 10

Urgent Need for Blood Donors

Get a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of your choice when you come to give blood in August. PLUS, automatically be entered for your chance to win gas for a year.*

GPRA and GPPC-Hosted Red Cross Blood Drive

In recent weeks, the Red Cross has experienced a decline in donations, leading to a 20% drop in the blood supply.  This decline in donations is a trend that may soon make it tougher to keep blood products stocked on hospital shelves.
By donating in August, donors can pump up the blood supply for those in immediate need of lifesaving care and those who rely on transfusions for treatment.

CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment:

https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=Ginter

Ginter park Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
3601 Seminary Ave
Richmond, VA 23227
12:00 PM – 05:00 PM
17 Appointments Remaining
Power Red: A Power Red donation collects the red cells but returns most of the plasma and platelets to the donor. These donors must meet specific eligibility requirements and have type A Neg, B Neg, or O blood.
Blood: The most common type of donation, during which approximately a pint of ‘whole blood’ is given. This type of blood donation usually takes about an hour.

Neighborhood News

Zoning Changes Are Coming – GPRA Board Wants Your Input

https://richmond.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/richmond-wants-to-know-what-you-think-of-airbnb-short-term-rental-code-potential-elimination/article_e3b5cb73-8c0e-5675-99b4-5599013e5733.html

Just one year after revising City Air BnB regulations, the City is re-evaluating them. The 2020 rules require short term rental or Air BnB owners to reside in their unit or in a home on the property for 185 days of the year.  STR units have no limit on the number of rental days per year.

In addition, there is consideration for new rules allowing residential property owners to build and rent out a second home or an above-garage apartment on their lot.  Under the new Richmond 300 Plan, Accessory Dwelling Units, which may be second homes or rental apartments, will be allowed by right with “some regulations” in all residential zones. Ginter Park and Laburnum Park, within our Association Area, have been predominantly single family residential zoning. Advocates of the changes state that allowing ADUs by right will increase affordable housing opportunities and increase density in areas targeted for more development.

Finally, eliminating parking requirements is on the list of recondsiderations.

City Meetings on Proposed Changes

Tuesday, August 9, 6:00 pm, Main Library, 562 North Second Street

Wednesday, August 10, 12:00 pm, Virtual meeting

Call in:  804-316-9457, code 783 019 883#

Video, visit bit.ly/3bvgAGN

Telephone Town Halls, Tuesday, August 16, 6:00 pm, and Wednesday, August 17 at noon, Register at bit.ly/3bvgAGN

Please review the article, do your research, attend a city meeting, and send your comments to zoning@ginterpark.org

Engaged and active volunteers make a difference!  Sally Brown, GPRA District Rep and neighbors initiated a request for an assessment for traffic calming measures in the northern district of the Association Area, and were rewarded with responsiveness from City Traffic Engineering. Travis Bridewell, Operations Engineer, provided a field evaluation between Watkins St / Azalea Ave and the alley’s between Brook Rd / Chamberlayne Ave. DPW will plan the following sign work:

  1. Watkins St at the alleys
    1. Install and replace as needed: “Do not enter”, “one-way” and “turn restriction” type signs.
  2. Alleys between Watkins St and Azalea Ave
    1. Install as needed: No thru traffic in alley” signs

DPW will also install two “No Truck” prohibition signs on Chamberlayne Ave for Westbrook Ave.

25mph signs are the statutory signs for residential streets. This statement is from DMV: Unless there is a speed limit sign stating otherwise, the maximum speed limit for passenger vehicles and motorcycles is 25 MPH for school, business and residential area. Virginia Driver’s Manual 2022 | (VA DMV Handbook) (dmv-permit-test.com)

The Bellevue Civic Association Traffic Committee initiated a traffic calming request for West Laburnum Avenue, which bisects Bellevue and Laburnum Park, with a positive response from Traffic Engineering as well. Here are highlights of their work from their facebook page:

The Traffic Committee was formed earlier this year to make our neighborhood safer for drivers and pedestrians, and they’ve already made a lot of progress!
THANK YOU David Lydiard and Margaret Pfohl for spearheading this effort‼️
After consulting with neighborhood volunteers and merchants to identify areas of concern, and gather recommendations, they then shared this information with Traffic Engineering, Richmond Police Department and Council representatives to garner support the following updates:
🔺Automated traffic enforcement at Hermitage and Laburnum / The RPD is researching photo speed enforcement of school and work zones. Target live date is this fall.
🔺Expanded School Zone / The school zone will include a longer stretch of Laburnum and Hermitage. Target live date is this fall.
🔺Better signage and bigger fines / Richmond Department of Public Works is working with Council representatives on funding and implementation along the section of Laburnum Avenue between Rosedale Avenue and Brook Road.
🔺Widening of Laburnum / The city will take 16 inches off each side of the median strip between Hermitage and Brook to expand the curbside parking area for residents.
🔺Increased enforcement during peak hours / RPD added this request for hot spots such as Fauquier, Bellevue and MacArthur.
🔺Crosswalks striping / Estimated timeframe ~ 45 days. Locations: Monticello + Bellevue • Bellevue + Fauquier • Newport + Bellevue • Bellevue + MacArthur • Newport + Stanhope
🔺 No Parking signs / Added to MacArthur on both sides of the alley by Morsels to prevent cars from blocking the alley.
Would you like GPRA to have a Traffic Committee to address neighborhood-wide traffic issues?  Step up to lead and to serve!  president@ginterpark.org

The Ginter Park Residents Association Weekly Gazette is our way of  bringing the most timely information to you – neighborhood news, city news, legislative updates, local business news.  Please do send comments and suggestions to communications@ginterpark.org  about the Gazette and our communications. We are here to benefit you.