February Task Force Meeting Cancelled

February 12, 2008

The city managers office sent the following email out yesterday:

All,

There are a number of common issues that have been raised during recent Greater Wards Corner Task Force meetings. Many of the issues are related to the Wards Corner Neighborhood Plan. We are attempting to find better ways to communicate meaningful information to task force members. However, currently the meetings are not structured in a way that creates opportunities to problem solve or opportunities to engage in productive conversations that are results oriented.

During the past month, we have heard these concerns from City Council members as well as residents and business owners in the Greater Wards Corner area. As a result of these dialogues, we are cancelling the next scheduled task force meeting (February 14) in order to gather additional feedback as we restructure the task force. During this period of time, we will solicit additional ideas and provide feedback to the task force members at the next scheduled meeting (March 13).

It is our intention that through this dialogue, we will establish a stronger task force which will include representation from each of the neighborhoods as well as representation from schools, hospitals, and other businesses. Our expectation is that the larger task force group will continue to meet on a regular basis and a smaller task-oriented group will meet more frequently. The key in both groups is to ensure that all stakeholders are at the table and that their concerns are heard.

Again, the Greater Wards Corner Task Force meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 14, 2008 has been cancelled. The next regularly scheduled task force meeting will be held on March 13, 2008.

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Two more stores to close in Midtown Shopping Center

January 23, 2008

As if the Martone/Dalis “Midtown” Shopping Center in the northeast quadrant of Granby Street and Little Creek Road doesn’t have enough vacant store fronts,  today, I heard, from a reliable source, of two more closings. Payless ShoeSource and Simply Fashions will be closing their doors shortly. The Footlocker Store closed its doors for good on Monday of this week.

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A letter to Councilman Williams

January 23, 2008

Yesterday, I received from Laura Thom a copy of the following letter to Ward 1 Councilman Don Williams:

Letter to Don Williams

January 21, 2008

Councilman Donald L. Williams

809 W. Ocean View Ave.

Norfolk, VA  23503

Dear Councilman Williams:

Wards Corner used to be a great area.  “Times Square of the South” it was once called.  No more.  This area, which is the main gateway to the City of Norfolk from points north, is in a state of disrepair and neglect. 

Finally, after years of losing business after business[1] and watching the further deterioration of already substandard housing in several Wards Corner locales[2], on November 21, 2004, Norfolk City Council adopted the Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan.  While city council continues to spend thousands of dollars enticing developers to downtown, and is now focusing on St. Paul’s quadrant (and what about  the $11 million fountains slated for Waterside!), not a move has been made to begin fulfillment of the Wards Corner plan.  Council members like to say their hands are tied because of the revisions to eminent domain.  But this is a smoke screen; revisions to eminent domain did not occur until 2007—2 ½ years after Council approved of the Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan.

Residents and businesses of Wards Corner spoke loudly and clearly last Tuesday evening.  We are just plain tired of the discriminatory practices demonstrated by our elected officials.  Moreover, we are prepared to take decisive action to institute changes of City leadership unless council members begin to right the wrongs, end the neglect, and focus on implementing the Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan –not next year, not next fiscal year, but now.  It’s unfortunate that the eminent domain legislation will make this plan more difficult to accomplish, but Council will simply have to overcome the resultant obstacles.  I respectfully request that you, as our Ward 1 representative, take heed and pay attention to Wards Corner Now.

          

Sincerely,

   

Laura Thom

[1]  Over the years, Wards Corner has lost the beautiful stone Hofheimer building in favor of a generic Walgreens. Regino’s Italian restaurant, a Wards Corner landmark, closed then re-opened far down E. Little Creek Rd., Mary Barnett’s moved to Riverview, Naas Bakery moved to Tidewater Dr.   The space formerly occupied by People’s Drug has been vacant for years.  Uncle Louie’s is gone, so are: Abel Art Supplies, The Toy Works, Herschler’s Children’s Shoe Store, LaVogue, Rice’s Department Store, The Fabric Hut,  Smith & Welton’s, Lottie’s Shoes… the list goes on.   We even had a bowling alley!     

[2] Note the crime statistics in Denby Park and the Texas Streets. 

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Suspect in attempted abduction surrenders

October 22, 2007

A man sought by police on charges that he tried to take a young girl from Granby High School turned himself in at the Police Operations Center at 3661 Virginia Beach Blvd. this afternoon, police said.

In a statement given to The Virginian-Pilot, Andrew D. Truelove, 22, said he was not attempting to harm or abduct the girl, but rather went to Granby

“to seek out school bullies” and “threaten them.”

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“Wards Corner activists blast Norfolk officials over slow reforms”

September 14, 2007

The Virginian-Pilot has printed an article on the Wards Corner Taskforce Meeting:

A presentation by city officials on plans to help crime-ridden neighborhoods in Wards Corner broke down today as neighborhood and business leaders, fed up with the pace of reform, angrily demanded action instead of plans.

Brad Robinson, past president of the Wards Corner Business Association, noted that he recently attended a presentation downtown at which leaders were told of a $7.5 million plan to redo Town Point Park.

“In Wards Corner, we struggle to get a few dollars for a sprinkler system,” he said.
“I’m at the end of my rope,” added Denby Park civic league member Susan Ross. “We’ve been waiting for help for so many years.”

Louis Eisenberg, a Willoughby resident and Wards Corner businessman, was more blunt.

“How many beatings do you think we’ll take before we ask for new political leadership?” he said.

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