Riverfront projects open for public input

January 13, 2014 · 1 minute read

A week from tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Virginia War Memorial, the Richmond Department of Planning & Development Review will meet to discuss elements of the Riverfront Plan. The Brown’s Island Dam Walk and Chapel Island Trail are on the docket, and the public is invited to make its voice heard.

The meeting will open with a short recap of the Riverfront Plan. The firm leading the design of both projects will make a presentation of the designs. The rest of the meeting will then be opened up to questions and comments from the audience. 

The Vepco Levy Bridge south toward Manchester.

The Vepco Levy Bridge south toward Manchester.

On Brown’s Island the old Vepco Levy Bridge will be repurposed into a “Dam Walk,” a pedestrian and bicycle route that will connect Brown’s Island on the north bank to the Floodwall and Manchester neighborhood on the south bank. The Chapel Island Trail will run along the north bank of the river from the 14th St. boater’s takeout to Great Shiplock Park and Chapel Island.

In a recent piece on Richmond.com, Phil Riggan talked to city planner Tyler Potterfield about the projects: “(Potterfield) said the (Brown’s Island) bridge would also have outcropped overlooks with benches. The superstructure supporting the current deck would have to be supplemented with additional structures but the goal would be to “retain as much of the historical aspects as they can.”

Cool stuff in the works. And you’ve got a chance to impact the process next Tuesday.