It’s time to ignore the complacency and incompetence of our government and form a downtown nongovernmental organization. by Tom Robinson
Throughout the world, whenever and wherever backward-thinking, corrupt or incompetent governments fail to meet the needs and desires of the citizenry, nongovernmental organizations, known as NGOs, are often called in to restore basic services and to formulate plans for safer, saner and more effective living conditions for the citizens.
In most cases the organizations — created by citizens without government representatives — are organized, maintained and financially supported by private individuals, corporations and charitable organizations. These supporters realize that when governmental bureaucracy, and the expected incompetence that normally manifests itself within that bureaucracy, fails its citizens, more rational and experienced minds must fill the void to continue to provide necessary services.
Typically, NGOs are created in impoverished Third-World nations that are controlled by evil or incompetent despots. When a government shows total disregard for its citizens, or is no longer able to provide to them effective and cost-effective leadership, it’s time to call upon the private sector and free enterprise to correct the situation.
Perhaps it’s time that the people of Richmond create their own nongovernmental organization to save our downtown. While we are not being abused by bullets, batons or tear gas from a despotic, third-world government, we are being beaten into submission by an ineffectual City Hall that maintains its existence and power through crippling, ever-increasing taxes and user fees and a long-running reputation for repeating the same mistakes over and over.
Our city leaders have no concept of how to properly develop and run a successful downtown. Need some examples?
The old reliable, 6th Street Marketplace, a wonderful concept that, if allowed to follow the free-market approach instead of a politically mandated concept of what retail should exist downtown, would most likely be successful today.
The venerable and beloved Miller & Rhoads building: In 1991, several nationally acclaimed developers wanted to transform the magnificent 250,000-square-foot structure into a mixed-use megaproject, complete with luxury apartments, artists’ studios and galleries, a world-class museum, and a reopened Tea Room, complete with Santa Claus at Christmas. What happened? Then City Manager Robert Bobb turned the developers away and proclaimed that the building would be torn down to make way for a park, tying up the building for years in bureaucratic stagnation, leading to its deterioration.
Although the stores were long closed, the 6th Street bridge left behind became a convenient, weather-resistant, passageway for pedestrians to cross Broad Street on rainy or snowy days. However, in an ongoing effort to rid itself of visible monuments to failure, the marketplace bridge had to go — millions to build it and millions to tear it down. Now, after only two decades of politically imposed abandonment, the old Miller & Rhoads has taken on a new life as a Hilton Garden Inn, a welcome addition to the woefully inadequate supply of rooms needed to assure the future success of our convention center. Too bad its visitors will have to face the harsh elements and the dangerous traffic encountered while trying to return to their hotel rooms.
As for the convention center — all we need are people to fill it. In a seemingly conscious effort to chase everyone away from our once-vibrant downtown, our leaders used their powers of eminent domain to destroy the busy retail district, replacing it with office buildings and parking decks, without any retail spaces.
With few exceptions, the blocks adjacent to our convention center are totally or partially vacant and poorly maintained. The handful of remaining merchants peddle merchandise that has little appeal to mainstream citizens and visitors. When I brought this to the attention of several of our city leaders during a recent meeting my remarks were met with looks of complete incomprehension.
One well-meaning, but clueless, senior official countered with: “This is just a temporary situation. As soon things pick up they’ll all be gone, and we’ll start attracting some higher-level merchants.” Is that so! No one in the group had any idea that many of these so-called low-end merchants actually own their buildings and won’t be simply moved out when, or if, the economy of Richmond’s downtown improves.
I want my downtown back. It has been held hostage by the bureaucrats far too long. It’s time to ignore the complacency and incompetence of our government and form a downtown nongovernmental organization. Here’s my proposal:
1. Work with the Richmond Public Schools, Virginia Commonwealth University and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College to help train downtown merchants who want to elevate themselves and become a more powerful voice in rebuilding our downtown.
2. A recent study indicated that a majority of the remaining downtown merchants are Asian. We need to work closely with the Asian-American Chamber of Commerce to enlarge and enhance the scope of its annual Asian art, music and culture festival to include festivities along Broad Street, similar to the First Fridays Art Walk.
3. Encourage the merchants to diversify and begin operating more mainstream stores such as souvenir shops, book stores, pharmacies and coffee shops.
4. Assist the police in combating crime and drug trafficking along Broad Street by demanding a return of the anti-loitering law.
It’s time for our residents to demand more accountability from our government officials. We need less spending on ill-conceived, poorly planned projects and expensive, out-of-town experts who do little more than take our money and leave us with pretty pictures of extravagant what-if concepts.
5. And lastly, form a downtown marketing advisory group. This would not be just another gathering of out-of-touch corporate leaders, but composed instead of developers, retailers, artists, residents and business owners who have an active interest in revitalizing our downtown. People power and common sense will outdo government programs every time. It’s time for the people to take back our downtown.
Tom Robinson is a long-time Richmond developer and political activist.
Sunday, December 06, 2009 3:30:46 PM by Fourth Estate Fan
FanGuy: What do you envision as "major commercial retail"? That "sounds" nice, but exactly what are you talking about? Wasn't that the phrase that was tossed about concerning 6th Street Marketplace and Broad Street? Wasn't that what taxpayers were told was supposed to happen on Broad Street and why it is that we have paid a ton of money (and are still paying) for (mostly empty) parking lots?
Why isn't Jackson Ward an ideal place to bring some major retail? Why isn't Broad Street from Belt Blvd. toward 17th St. being developed? What about Broad from Lombardy to the Boulevard (Kroger's, Lowe's, Starbucks .......) Given ALL the people who work downtown and live in the counties, might it be a good idea to have some commerical real estate where they could spend money before they high-tail it to the counties? Don't attack "parent" for remembering that Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimer's used to be downtown. Ask yourself why they left and what we can do to bring a major retail anchor. People still work downtown, what makes you think that they wouldn't shop again in downtown as happened in the heyday of Miller& Rhoads and Thalhimers? Shouldn't we actually finish one project before we take on yet another?
Former Parent - thanks for taking us down memory line, but that was decades ago. Let's talk about the present.
As for baseball, quit changing the subject. I am not talking about baseball in Shockoe Bottom, I am talking about pouring taxpayer money into a failed location - the Diamond - a location that studies have shown would be best used for mixed use commercial development, which is why my point was relevant to Paul's. As a Fan resident, I am tired of driving to Henrico to shop for major items. The Boulevard location is perfect for major commercial retail.
Sunday, December 06, 2009 1:34:46 PM by Former JB Cary parent
People used to go downtown to shop at Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimer's all the time, FanGuy. There were plenty of retail shops on Grace Street, too. Montaldo's, Cokesbury Bookstore ......Stop ranting about the baseball Diamond, wouldja please? The majority of people in the City of Richmond were not in support of putting a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom for reasons that have been previously enumerated here and in other publications. End of story.
Paul, you highlight one of my great complaints with Richmond. Demolish the Diamond and make the best use of the Boulevard area by developing it into mixed use commercial so that Richmonder's don't have to go to the counties to buy things!
I live downtown and walk the streets everyday. Yes there are a few convenience stores, a couple of dozen barber shops and hair salons and a decent ion of restaurants, almost all my shopping, except for Krogers (not downtown) is done in Henrico County, not by choice, by necessity.
The closest thing we have to a major retailer is Rite Aid pharmacy. Not racist, just fact.
----------------------------- Downtown Richmond, VA
How about an updated photo to go with the article? The one you used is about 10 years old. If this photo was from this decade, it would show a national retailer (Footlocker) and a crowded market. I guess at best Style is too lazy to ensure that the visuals are accurate, I assume something more sinister is going on though... I live downtown and walk its streets daily. While I'm sure that most of us would enjoy more and a greater variety of retail, to suggest that there is no retail is wrong and kind of racists.
Sunday, December 06, 2009 8:16:50 AM by kenny caustic
I would like to see in all areas of Richmond, especially where low income individuals and families reside and where redevelopment/revitalization is happening, have some protections to insure that, if those residents choose, they will be able to benefit from the revitalization rather than being displaced by it. Some of those protections would be rent control and ceilings on property tax. If people are displaced, more than often, they will end up in areas where there isn't any viable public transportation to get them to areas with jobs that pay more than minimum wage or jobs in general. However, if there were express modes of public transportation connecting the city to the county, things might be a different story, and retail actually wouldn't have to be restricted to the downtown area. As it stands, it takes folks from south side and north side & eastend several transfers and sometimes, the amount of time it takes for someone to drive to D.C. to get into the city or home. Another thing to worry about is, some of these families being displaced are entering their children into a school system that isn't TOO advanced compared to city schools, but a lot of times parents without the means, will see their children diagnosed with learning dissabilities or fall back resulting in students eventually ping out and ending up on the streets.
Also, one way we could pay for a lot of social programs in this city, and possibly raise more money for schools would be to move this city out of the number two spot on cities that offer the lowest tax incentives to corporations that move here, next to delaware. We all know what Delaware is like, banks, credit cards, suburbia, very little infasis on culture or working class people. I believe Richmond corporations have to pay a measily 7%. Would this make corporations like philip morris leave the city? Has Philip Morris really contributed to the local economy by providing jobs? Most of their employee's are county residents who may or may not play here on the weekends.
As far as Public Housing goes... you're right Amanda, there have been a million ideas of how to make it better and to be honest though... public housing activist's will even aggree that the idea behind HOPE VI to "deconcentrate poverty" and make a diverse income community has worked some places, but only in areas where people have fought for certain protections on behalf of the residents. A few of the things that HOPE VI reversed that created the situation in Blackwell years back, was that on a federal level the laws protecting residents "right to return" and "1-for-1 replacement" were taken away. And if not checked, people in public housing communities were finding themselves forced out with temporary housing vouchers, which only work if the place you're trying to use the vouchers accept them, meaning not public housing but private rental units, which expire sometimes before redevelopment is done... in blackwell this happened and people were promised a place when the community was rebuilt, when all said and done, the developers and RRHA grossly under produced the amount of public housing that was suppose to be built.
Now if done right, it could be public housing amongst private property, store fronts, grocery stores, art galleries, theaters, museums, day cares, new schools, neighborhood resource centers and retail where folks can work and have options to rent or buy into affordable housing in the same community,if they choose, that is not public housing. The way public housing works now, and what activist groups have been urging city officials to recognize and change is that current laws and city ordinances do nothing to help lift public housing residents out of poverty. Poverty breeds violence. They will likely without certain opportunities and genral changes in the local economy will always make minimum wage and never be able to escape poverty or leave public housing. I believe with these proposed changes and redevelopment, what would then help immensely a city wide campaign and movement for a living wage. If these things i listed above were implemented correctly, it would make it extremely difficult for anyone to argue against redevelopment.
Also just to throw in... there are about 800 families in gilpin court, more than atird are disabled citizens, older than 50. It's a popular myth to say that people are lazy and want to leech off the system. It's harmful to us all to make those kind of assumptions, and no matter what you say, they are assumptions. If people were as harsh on the capitalist/freemarket system as they were on people in need. We'd have something amazing!
You made some very good points. I believe the number one goal should be to make downtown a safe, attractive and accessable destination. Right now I think we fail on all three. The foundation is there now, a stable business community, new construction. a scattering of good restaurants with more to come and dozens of art venues large and small. I think we need to treat downtown as a business and take the small, but important steps to make it succeed. It is still a place that many people fear to venture. Crime is down, but it doesn't feel same. It is hard to get around and parking is difficult, especially for visitors. The various centers of activity are not well connected. We have a lot to offer. Now we have to make it work together.
----------------------------- Downtown Richmond, VA
Saturday, December 05, 2009 5:13:27 PM by Amanda Robinson
Wow, you guys really see things in black and white. There are two sides to every coin and there also has to be a little give to a little take. As a downtown business owner (that understands the concept and need of equality in its various forms), you have to admit and encourage that the "revitalization" in an area is not only financially beneficial, but encourages pride, economic growth, safety, and an overall destination for our city.
I lived in Jackson Ward, far before the time of boutiques, galleries and private developers, in an area of nightly murders, prostitution, drug deals, and other forms of continuous crime. While it is true that this revitalization is beautifying the area, bringing in new residents and business owners and offering economic growth and opportunity to the middle class through job opportunities and entertainment, we say it still does not tackle the issues of public housing and opportunity for our working poor? Isn't the goal to offer those that are poverty stricken the opportunity to "move out of the distressed areas and offer themselves and their children the opportunities enjoyed by those of the middle class who long ago migrated away from what they saw as the growing urban “blight” of poverty and public housing.?"
To create a middle-class community made up of individuals from the lowest social economic level to the highest, we must learn how to live as a self-sufficient community. I can hardly consider someone fed by a silver spoon as being self-sufficient, as well as considering it possible for a government subsidized individual as being self-sufficient. With either class in mind, an individual must learn to live and work for themselves to ever participate in the greater idea of equality in community. With this in mind, there also needs to be incentives for people to work and strive towards self-sustainability. Wether you like it or now, people are living off of welfare for far more than the maximum 5 years, in addition, many of these individuals avoid pursuing job opportunities and outlets to support them after their subsidies expire. Equality is about far more than offering the poor subsidized housing and allowance, but about how they actively engage themselves and offer support, services and overall encouragement within their communities, wherever they may be.
This situation is not black and white and something about government subsidized housing has NOT WORKED!. Since the Housing Act of 1940's, none of the thousands upon thousands of visionaries have been able to create an affective solution to the issues of housing and urban revitalization. At the same time, it is often difficult to keep a self sufficient community insusceptible to corporate take-over and therefore destroying the attempt at a flourishing middle class. Each attempt has always made the rich and poor far more polarized than before. In most cities, the areas of public housing, mixed income housing, affordable housing are the epicenter for crime and other illegal activity. Yes, I strongly believe that equality is important, and in many ways I lean more into a socialized form of government when it comes to schooling and healthcare, however in the end we are all human and we must take control over our own lives and not rely on the support of our governments for our home and lifestyles. Think about the message this is giving to the children living in these public housing environments if they have not had to work to obtain either there necessities and non necessities in life. Many a study can show you the developmental, social and moral effects that growing up in crime filled public housing has had on our inner city youth. What moral lesson are we teaching these children if they are only shown how to take? Why do you think the new generations of residents in public housing are becoming more and more unmanageable?
For over 35 years, Jackson Ward and Downtown Richmond was crumbling, and its recent revitalization was NOT due to corporate or governmental support. So what is this saying? What happened in downtown richmond for the past 35 years? Our cities few attempts at the revitalization of downtown Richmond met with failure, and the majority of area residents never stood up to fight for the preservation of their own community and history. The beginning stages of this revitalization is due to the hard work of low-middle income business owners that worked long and hard to get where they are whether we believe in their missions and values or not. Whether you be a government dependent, a college student, or a spoon fed elite, I do not believe in hand-outs for people that do not believe in hard work and actively participate in their community.
Personally, my major economic concern as a business owner would be to MAINTAIN that "middle class" of business owners and cliental and discourage any discussion by our city and private developers to invite corporate entities to set up shot in "our" neighborhood. This would also mean to encourage and support the older downtown businesses that feel threatened by the presence of this new middle class revitalization (and I would hardly consider myself middle class). As long as we are living in a capitalist society, these small businesses will be designed to become the corporate entities that they hate, so hopefully through a self-sustaining community of people working together, we can avoid the need for businesses to follow that model for the sake of survival. In regards to the idea of having a form of Non-Governmental organization representing our city... even though it has worked in many instances, I just do not understand the difference between that and a few organizations that already exist in Richmond. The problem is that they usually do not voice the concerns of the communities they serve and have a set agenda on ways to benefit private developers and corporate businesses and how to get the attention of our city reps to support their initiatives.
In the end, I am not sure who is arguing what. Everyone here seems to want the best for our citizens and are dogmatically shouting out their chosen methods that have only proven failure time and time again. There is absolutely no need to argue or point the finger when we wish for a community to coexist in a peaceful and fruitful way.
"These all sound like things wealthy white people want to see downtown... and things that would drastically change the demographic downtown and cost of living."???
Are you trying to say that Richmond's minority population WANTS a vacant and deteriorated downtown? That sounds rather hypocritical. I think people of all races want to feel comfortable and safe when visiting and shopping downtown. A strong retail base provides jobs for those whom you aspire to represent. It also provides the money for expanded city services to the less fortunate. No city can provide assistance to those who need it most if there is no money to do so.
When downtown Richmond's retail base began to collapse in the 70's, and totally imploded by the early 90's, the Chamber of Commerce and Retail Merchants Association almost beat the merchants to the exit door for the safety and income of the suburban malls and Carytown. Neither organization would contribute a penny of support for our successful "Vacant Spaces - Artful Places" project which brought life back to a lot of long-vacant storefronts and the potential for renewed income for the two "merchant advocate" organizations. They have done virtually nothing to assist in restoring our Downtown as a vibrant retail corridor. The Asian-American Chamber of Commerce, which now represents the majority of our downtown merchants, has become the heir-apparent to inherit both the problems and the potential of saving our downtown. The AACC may become the NGO that will ultimately be credited, or burdened, with that task. Its leadership should be supported and encouraged.
Friday, December 04, 2009 7:27:31 PM by kenny caustic
This reminds me of some articles on the Richmond Indy Media site... read for yourself...
Friday, December 04, 2009 6:48:58 PM by kenny caustic
"With few exceptions, the blocks adjacent to our convention center are totally or partially vacant and poorly maintained. The handful of remaining merchants peddle merchandise that has little appeal to mainstream citizens and visitors. When I brought this to the attention of several of our city leaders during a recent meeting my remarks were met with looks of complete incomprehension.
One well-meaning, but clueless, senior official countered with: “This is just a temporary situation. As soon things pick up they’ll all be gone, and we’ll start attracting some higher-level merchants.” Is that so! No one in the group had any idea that many of these so-called low-end merchants actually own their buildings and won’t be simply moved out when, or if, the economy of Richmond’s downtown improves."
Sometimes Tom, I wonder how well meaning YOU are when it comes to advocating for citizens needs?! I feel that you veil your true free market intentions with community activism. Or perhaps your just a free market activist which would place your friendship up there with that of a friendship with ones boss. Not very reliable.
What do you envision the city being like for the average working class person if the "low-end" merchants are gone and replaced with "high-level" merchants?
I feel currently, the way things work, the best model for deciding what goes up and comes down in our city, would be ummmm democratically run neighborhood associations, where not only property owners have a vote, but renters as well. It would then start to reflect the people that use the city everyday and not just on First Friday's and weekends.
Friday, December 04, 2009 6:48:39 PM by kenny caustic
"Although the stores were long closed, the 6th Street bridge left behind became a convenient, weather-resistant, passageway for pedestrians to cross Broad Street on rainy or snowy days."
There were plenty of stores in 6th St Market Place, it was missing the almighty anchor store, super department store which actually is responsible for destroying a lot of small businesses back in the day, and reducing product quality and customer service. ie. Sears Robuck. And I remember when all this was going down, just before tearing it down, that a lot of businesses in 6th St were upset, including businesses surrounding 6th St. like Cavalier who were forced out of business by the city to make room for complimentary businesses to the convention center.
And yeah Sears back then compared to now, was pretty quality, so was Miller & Rhoads and Thalheimers, but look how quickly that changed...
Friday, December 04, 2009 6:22:09 PM by kenny caustic
"The venerable and beloved Miller & Rhoads building: In 1991, several nationally acclaimed developers wanted to transform the magnificent 250,000-square-foot structure into a mixed-use megaproject, complete with luxury apartments, artists’ studios and galleries, a world-class museum, and a reopened Tea Room, complete with Santa Claus at Christmas. What happened? Then City Manager Robert Bobb turned the developers away and proclaimed that the building would be torn down to make way for a park, tying up the building for years in bureaucratic stagnation, leading to its deterioration."
These all sound like things wealthy white people want to see downtown... and things that would drastically change the demographic downtown and cost of living.
Friday, December 04, 2009 6:16:40 PM by kenny caustic
Actually... here's my take point for point.
"the old reliable, 6th Street Marketplace, a wonderful concept that, if allowed to follow the free-market approach instead of a politically mandated concept of what retail should exist downtown, would most likely be successful today."
Actually when the downtown mall concept failed, they did allow a free market approach to exist, the only "problem" is it wasn't the free market that the west enders and out of towners wanted to see. Instead it actually consisted of shops that people already downtown were interested in.
Friday, December 04, 2009 6:06:50 PM by kenny caustic
What's everyone's take on Tom's downtown takeover plan? I feel handing the power over to the free market will just allow folks with money and property down there to do whatever they want without consideration for the people that live and work there now. They'll likely build the city they would like to see, and raise the cost of living for the poor working class people who rely on jobs accessible from downtown. Isn't Venture Richmond essentially what Tom is asking for downtown? They're doing a great job aren't they at serving the interest of the community that resides downtown and surrounding... nah.
Thursday, December 03, 2009 9:29:10 PM by Paul C Hammond
Scott,
Congratulations. You got in almost all your talking points in one comment. For some reason you left out green buildings.
Thursday, December 03, 2009 9:25:27 PM by Paul C Hammond
Tom,
If there is one thing I agree with it is item 4. It is also the one thing that is least likely to happen. The ACLU would come down so hard on this it would make your head spin.
Item 3 is a given. It is slowly happening if not surely. Glad to hear about the new coffeeshop. Hope you get enough business to open evenings.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 1:38:12 PM by encouraging news
Tom,
Good luck with the projects you've proposed for these vacant lots and buildings. Our urban neighborhoods need the sort of investment that it sounds like you are trying to bring. However, I hope it's more than just talk, it looks like you've been holding onto a couple of these properties for a number of years.
Best wishes, I'm looking forward to seeing the Hull Street corridor become a vibrant part of the city once again.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 1:20:47 PM by Liaison
And proud to be so. One will soon be a coffee shop to serve the new courthouse complex, another soon to be the restored Lighthouse Diner and the other now being completed for a new urban gardening demonstration complex. Anymore questions?
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 12:59:23 PM by Same name, different person?
This doesn't happen to be the same Tom Robinson that is listed as a co-owner of the following vacant buildings/lots in Richmond, does it?
9 West 10th Street 6 West 21st Street 20 West 21st Street
(via http://map.richmondgov.com/parcel/ and http://www.richmondgov.com/departments/communityDEV/docs/VBR_Web_Update.pdf)
Our neighborhoods and downtown are being held back by property owners content to let properties sit vacant just as much as they are held back by ineffectual city government, if not more so...
You re-enforced my argument. Thanks. Like I wrote....we need an organization of REAL people, those who invest, work, play and LIVE downtown, NOT just corporate CEOs who leave their private offices at the end of each day and escape to the safety of the surrounding counties. We need a new group of "players" who aren't bogged down with a track record of past failures and/or ill-conceived projects.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4:59:02 PM by Scott Burger
Mr. Robinson, you blame the City government, but if you really look at the situation, it HAS been a NGO, Richmond Renaissance (now known as Venture Richmond), that has created the majority of the bureaucracy and problems. You should be asking them where all the taxpayer money has gone.
Pssst…Want Better Schools, Parks, and Streets? End Downtown Corporate Welfare
http://www.vagreenparty.org/richblog/?p18
Personally, I would rather the CIty concentrate its efforts on helping its neighborhoods (you know, where most of its citizens actually live), become more self-sufficient. A big part of that is getting our neighborhood schools renovated (see the article in this week's Style).
