Wards Corner Now – Wards Corner, Norfolk, Virginia

Thanks as always to Karen Mayne for keeping the following minutes:

The Greater Wards Corner Task Force Meeting

January 14, 2016

Council Member Barclay Winn was present.

Police Reports – Residents discussed issues of concern.  A house with a rental sign on Suburban Arch had copper pipes stolen from the crawl space while vacant.  There have been several incidents where residents’ doorbells have been rung in the evenings and then attempted break-ins.  Police say this is common around the holidays when people are out of town and when empty boxes on trash day point to new purchases inside the home.  Call 911 when there are attempted break-ins.

Public Works/Utilities

Department of Public Works and Virginia Natural Gas are discussing the landscaping of medians in the areas of former and current work by VNG to replace natural gas mains along Granby Street.  While VNG replaced a damaged irrigation system, the City decided not to irrigate the plantings as a cost saving measure.  The City and VNG will discuss replanting with drought resistant plants.  The City is planning to install concrete along the narrow stretch of median on Granby to the south of Little Creek Road and then replace the fence.  This area is so narrow that the daylilies planted there have a hard time surviving.

DPW will seek public input to address the traffic problems on Granby Street south of Little Creek Road and on East Little Creek Road to Taussig Boulevard prior to making any changes in traffic light timing.  Pedestrian signs have been installed at Wards Corner to address pedestrian safety.

The estimated cost of installing sidewalks along Thole Street between the railroad tracks and Tidewater Drive is $35,000.  The estimated cost of fixing the standing water in the 500 block of East Little Creek Road would be $100,000 due to the need to raise the curbs and install more storm drain inlets.  Both projects will be added to the City’s Capital Improvement Project list, but there is no timeframe on when and if these projects would receive funding.

A request was made to restripe the intersection of Thole and Granby Streets.  City-wide street marking was also discussed.  The City has a maintenance schedule for street markings but cannot remark all streets in one year.  The priority is bridges first, then crosswalks, then main roads, and finally arterial streets.

The sewer line break on Draper Avenue has been fixed and a permanent street patch will be done in April.

Department of Planning

City staff continue to work on the problem of parking on the grass with property owners and residents along the section of West Little Creek Road between Granby Street and Hampton Boulevard.  Citations are being issued for vehicles that continue to park on the grass, some of which will likely result in court action.

The Neighbors Building Neighborhoods Academy is sponsoring a Grants 101 workshop for civic leagues, business associations and non-profits involved in neighborhood projects.  The workshop will be February 13, 2016, from8:30 – 11:30 am at the Norfolk Police Department building at 901 Asbury Avenue.  To register or for more information, call 664-6772 orneighborhoodengage@norfolk.gov.

The City has begun a planning effort called Vision 2100 that will create a long-term land use plan for the City and update zoning regulations, set priorities for development and infrastructure investments.  As a first step in this process, the City wants residents to get involved in identifying those “assets” (people, places, things, events) that make Norfolk communities great places to live.  The community meeting to identify such assets for the Little Creek and Ocean View areas will be February 18, 2016, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm, at the Mary D. Pretlow Library in Ocean View.  Residents are encouraged to take a survey at www.norfolk.gov/vision2100 and to send a picture of a community asset or attribute they appreciate to #ShareNorfolk.  For more information, the Planning lead is Jeremy Sharp at757-823-1087.

Department of Development

The Auto Zone next to Rite Aid has implemented early morning deliveries to avoid times when shopping center customers use the parking lot.

Community Reports

The Wards Corner Business Association will host the Wards Corner 10K foot race on October 8, 2016.  Proceeds will benefit Virginia Supportive Housing.

The Cromwell Farm/Ellsworth Civic League is jointly co-hosting a “Meet the Superward 6 Council Candidates” night with the Talbot Park Civic League on Tuesday January 19 @ 7 pm at Tabernacle Church at 7000 Granby Street.  Brian Donegan, President of Talbot Park’s Civic League, will be moderator.

Candidates Andria McClellan, Barclay Winn, and Warren Stewart are expected to attend.  The public is invited.

Many thanks to local business owner, John Knight, for contacting the City about the crosswalk between the Midtown Shopping Center and the K&K Shopping Center.  It seems there have been a number of close calls for pedestrians crossing E. Little Creek Road at that location.

The City’s traffic engineer studied the location and agreed that it was dangerous.  New Yield to Pedestrians signs will be installed shortly on the appropriate traffic signal poles at the intersection.

John Knight owns the Book Exchange located in the Midtown Shopping Center.