Denby Park residents are fed up with City Council’s, to date, impotent response to cleaning up crime in their neighborhood. Finally, at a breaking point, the residents have called WAVY TV’s “10 On Your Side” for help. View the clip “High crime area has area residents concerned“.
Denby Park residents call “10 On Your Side”
February 8, 2008
9 Comments | 
crime, Wards Corner Crime | Tagged: crime, wards corner, Wards Corner Crime | 
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Posted by Wards Corner
Message from Wards Corner Civic League President, Jim English
February 6, 2008Jim English is the president of the Wards Corner Civic League. February’s Wards Corner Civic League newsletter includes the following message from Mr. English:
Dear Neighbors,
Two articles in the Virginia Pilot dated February 6, 2008 really raised my frustration level with our city and state elected leaders to the point where I almost think our government “for the people, of the people and by the people” is indeed broken. I already believe that it is broken at the federal level. Article one says that SB 162, SB 163 and HB 119 which would give localities more power to deal with blighted vacant property is on hold this year to be studied by the Virginia Housing Commission prior to next years general assembly session. Once again the general assembly has clearly dodged their responsibility to give localities more tools to revitalize blighted areas showing once again they lack the political will to represent the citizens of Virginia in lieu of yet another “study”. The second article “city to acquire 11 homes in blighted area” is about the city councils approval on February 5th to buy homes in the Berkley and Campostella neighborhoods for $1.3 million. HELLO!! What about the blighted properties in the Greater Wards Corner Partnership area. We have 11+ houses and properties that should be acquired such as the blighted shopping center in the Northeast corner of Wards Corner!! Where are the council members representing our area? Out to lunch? Or out of town? Where is the political will to deal with the decline of the Wards Corner area that has been going downhill for way over 15 years? I am sure that those properties in Berkley and Campostella are blighted and that area needs attention but what about our area. Is help on the way??Well, last week Mayor Fraim delivered his State of the City address. The following are quotes from that address. Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | blight | Tagged: Wards Corner Civic League | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Project Focus – two down, another comes
February 6, 2008First there was Alphonso Albert, then there was Assistant City Manger Marcus Jones, now according to an email just received from Beverly Sexton, we have a new leader for Project Focus in Denby Park, Assistant City Manager Barbara Lai. Project Focus is truly magical. “Hocus Focus”, POOF!!! a new leader appears.
1 Comment | Project Focus | Tagged: Alphonso Albert, Project Focus, wards corner | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Norfolk buys homes in blighted area –just not in Wards Corner
February 6, 2008The Virginian-Pilot reports that Norfolk is purchasing 11 blighted homes in the Berkley and Campostella neighborhoods for 1.3 million. Still no sign of any real action in Denby Park/Monticello Village.
6 Comments | blight, Virginian-Pilot | Tagged: Berkley, Campostella, Denby Park, Monticello Village | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Wards Corner mentioned in Mayor’s State of the City
February 2, 2008Yesterday, Mayor Paul Fraim mentioned Wards Corner in his State of the City address. The Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center, a city recreation center used by all the citizens of Norfolk, continues to be used as an example of the City’s commitment to help revitalize Wards Corner. Below are the Mayor’s Wards Corner remarks in his State of the City Address:
The City Council continues to be concerned with Wards Corner, but everyone
should be encouraged by recent private and public activity and investment.
For example, S. L. Nusbaum has begun site work on the SouthWind Apartments
– a $15 million development in Denby Park on property formally occupied by a trailer
park – while along Newport Avenue Collins Enterprises begins construction this quarter
on an $80 million townhouse/condominium project.
The City’s Development Department is actively engaged with Wards Corner
property owners on plans to redevelop their properties, and we are confident of a positive
outcome.
Since 2005 the city has invested more than $13 million dollars on the Greater
Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan – for purchase of the Fitness and Wellness Center,
streetscape improvements, strategic property acquisitions, rehabilitation programming
and traffic control improvements.
Police presence has been increased in Denby Park and Monticello Village, and
code enforcement activities have been stepped up.
These are all signs of progress, but we know more needs to be done. The Council
is determined to revitalize this important part of the city.
8 Comments | City Of Norfolk | Tagged: State of The City, wards corner | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Wards Corner criminal activity Tuesday night
January 31, 2008I received the following email from Lieutenant Hungerford, Norfolk Police Department, as a response to an inquiry from Laura Thom, Jim English and myself on the criminal activity and police presence in the Greater Wards Corner area on Tuesday night , January 29th, 2008. As always, we in the Greater Wards Corner Partnership appreciate the great service of the men and women in our Police Department.
Louis/Jim/Laura –
Yes there was a robbery at the Shell on the evening of the 29th. A lone B/M suspect went into the station, displayed a gun and took money fomr the cash register. We had several units right in the area, but the guy disappeared into the woodwork. He ran over behind RC’s so he probably lives in one of those apartments.Also, with regard to the event that also occurred on the 29th at about the same time over by Norfolk Collegiate – An officer, over off of Lafayette Blvd., attemtped to stop a car for a traffic violation, and he fled. Our guys backed off, but put it out on radio. Another unit saw the vehicle on Granby and by the time he turned around the bad guys stopped the car and ran off, with the exception of the woman and a child. She was being detained (which she was being vocal about). Drugs were found in the car. K-9 was attempting to get a track. The area was cordoned off at the time due to the tracking effort. Sorry for the inconvenience,but we were working to make the arrest. Unfortunately we did not get the guys, but V& N (Vice and Narcotics) is following up since the car was not stolen, and the woman can ID the suspects. The car was impounded.
V/RRog
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Message from RJ Luce
January 30, 2008Below is a listing of the meetings for Norfolk City Council for 2008. I will be attending the February 5th meeting at 7:00 pm. All who would like to attend please email me back so that we can coordinate. I am planning on attending every evening meeting that I can to tell the council that we want their support, loud and often.
Thanks,
RJ Luce
Meeting Schedule
- First Tuesday: 7:00 p.m. Business meeting, formal docket. Public can address Council on new business provided they have followed the sign-up policy.
- Second Tuesday: 2:30 p.m. Business meeting, formal docket. Public can address Council on new business provided they have followed the sign-up policy.
- Third Tuesday: 2:30 p.m. Business meeting, formal docket. Public can address Council on new business provided they have followed the sign-up policy.
- Fourth Tuesday: 7:00 p.m. Business meeting, formal docket. To the extent possible, public hearings and planning-related items will be scheduled during these sessions.
The full meeting schedule and canceled meetings can be found here.
Guidelines for speakers can be found here.
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Posted by Wards Corner
Letter regarding Dalis/Martone property
January 30, 2008The following is a letter sent to Larry Hecht at Harvey Lindsay by the Book Exchange owner, John Knight.
Dear Mr. Hecht,
Over the last few years, I have had several conversations with you regarding the constant deterioration of Midtown Shopping Center. Unfortunately, my calls seem to have made little difference. I am writing this email to update you on the current situation and to include others in this dialogue in hopes that we will see some improvements.
I encourage you to look at the website wardscornernow.com. Specifically, I would like for you and Ms. Dalis to read some comments by frustrated business owners and citizens:
https://wardscornernow.com/2008/01/23/two-more-stores-to-close-in-midtown-shopping-center/
The discontent regarding the Dalis/Martone property is rising quickly. As you know, Foot Locker just closed it’s doors and word has it that several more businesses are planning to leave soon. In addition, there are now many broken windows in the back of the building which, according to your property manager, Ms. Dalis believes are the problem of the railroad and not her problem. We are also experiencing a large increase in rodents on the property.
Last night, we had a second special meeting of the Wards Corner Partnership which was attended by over 100 concerned citizens. As usual, Midtown Shopping Center was pointed out as being the biggest problem in the business district. As I’m sure you know, this building, it’s lack of occupants and state of disrepair are increasingly reflecting badly on Harvey Lindsay, you and Ms. Dalis. I imagine that you and Harvey Lindsay have little control over what is happening but I want you to be aware of the impression. I also encourage the three of you to attend meetings of the Wards Corner Partnership, Wards Corner Partnership and/or Wards Corner Business Association so your voice can be heard and any misunderstandings can be cleared up.
Lastly, a week ago, I was told by a business owner that the following conversation took place between you and him regarding renting the old Regino’s place. The gentleman’s family has owned a successful restaurant in Norfolk for over 60 years and they would like to relocate to an area with more parking. He approached me about the space. I told him it was a good location and he should contact you about leasing it. The gentleman called me back 15 minutes later and was infuriated with your response. Apparently, you told him that the
owner is only accepting proposals from national chains. He then told you that Regino’s is not a national chain and neither are many of the other business that are left. I am extremely puzzled by this hocus pocus as another potential tenant was told that Ms. Dalis is not giving leases longer than 6 months. As we both know, national chains do no sign such short leases and neither would any business in it’s right mind.As citizens of this community, I think you and Ms. Dalis owe it to the citizens and business owners of Wards Corner to be honest with us. If you are not interested in leasing any of the vacant units, take down your signs and let us know what your plans are. Over the past several years, millions of potential tax revenue has been lost by the city, business owners have been financially hurt, customers feel uncomfortable and Wards Corner has become more dangerous because of this situation.
We sincerely want to work with you and Ms. Dalis to solve our problems and we await your response.
Sincerely,
John Knight
Owner- Book Exchange
Secretary- Greater Wards Corner Business Association
4 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Dalis, Martone, wards corner | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Your P.A.C.E. Officer’s crime prevention tips
January 30, 2008I received the following email from our red sector P.A.C.E Officer, Curtis Jackson:
Good Afternoon,We’re trying to get these crime prevention tips out to everyone and if you can help us out, we would appreciate it.We have seen a problem with people leaving their valuables in their vehicles, and the bad guys are breaking into their vehicle and taking them. We came up with the idea of this brochure, PACE Officer Crime Prevention Tips , to help educate the public to help prevent them from being a victim.Thank youOfficer Curtis Jackson3rd Patrol Div. Red Sector P.A.C.E.831-3484
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Posted by Wards Corner
Requested information
January 30, 2008Below is the information that was projected on the screen at last nights meeting. There was a request to post this so that everyone would have the representatives contact information.
Tonight’s Goals
1. Denby Park
a. Economic Development – Partnership with property owners.
b. Widening of Fort Worth Avenue
2. Wards Corner Business District City Owned
Infrastructure.
3. Titustown
a. Alexis Apartments
4. Police Department
Ward One: Don Williams, donwilliams1@cox.net, 636-4710 M
Ward Two: Theresa Whibley, drwhibley@msn.com, 714-3151 M
Super Ward 6: Barclay Winn, barclay@winnnursery.com, 494-1400 O
Super Ward 7: Daun Hester, daun.hester@norfolk.gov
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Posted by Wards Corner
WC Partnership meeting recap
January 29, 2008The second meeting of the reinvigorated Wards Corner Partnership was held tonight at the Workforce Development Center. Across the front of the meeting room sat 10 current civic league presidents who together proposed an action plan to put more pressure on our elected officials to ebb the downfall of Wards Corner.
The action plan included:
- Moving forward with the Comprehensive plan, especially redevelopment in Denby Park
- Purchase of the Alexis Apartments
- Wards Corner infrastructure improvements
The conversation tonight highlighted, once again, the lack of a champion for the Wards Corner Partnership area on City Council. A plan to let our concerns known was debated and letters to the editor, letters to the councilpersons, and this website were determined to be excellent tools to let the councilpersons and our fellow citizens know that we are fed up with the lack of attention to the blight in Wards Corner.
The Partnership members at tonights meeting are energized and intend to work until Wards Corner is no longer placed “on the back-burner”. Wards Corner Now.
To have your letters and articles posted on this website, email them to wardscornernow@wardscornernow.com
3 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Wards Corner Partnership | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Old Trolley Route
January 29, 2008The following is an editorial written by Tim Smith and printed in the Virginian-Pilot this past weekend titled “Old trolley route”:
Now that everything is a go with light rail in Norfolk and The Tide is moving forward, Norfolk must begin to move on the Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan. Looking at aerial images of Norfolk, extending light rail from the Saint Paul’s area of the city to the beaches of Ocean View via Fenchurch, Church and Granby streets seems to makes perfect sense.
This route uses old trolley rights-of-way laid down decades ago but, for the most part, still maintained as public land. It cuts through the center of Norfolk and would serve more residents than a Hampton Boulevard route.
This route ties together five retail areas (Ocean View, Wards Corner, Riverview, 21st Street and Downtown). It also ties together the Virginia Zoo, Lafayette Park and Ocean View Beach Park. And it would provide access to DePaul Medical Center.
In addition, this route links Naval Station Norfolk to a large number of condo units. Tying light rail to the Peninsula would also be easy from the Wards Corner area.
For this extension of light rail to work efficiently and cost effectively, the revitalization of Wards Corner must begin now. That way, the infrastructure will be in place to just continue on with the light rail system when the downtown line is completed.
For light rail to truly work in Norfolk, The Tide must benefit those in the core neighborhoods as well as downtown.
Timothy P. Smith
Norfolk
3 Comments | Virginian-Pilot | Tagged: Light Rail | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Depaul Hospital update
January 28, 2008I received from Delceno Miles the following update on Depaul Hospital:
Bon Secours Hampton Roads remains committed to our quest of creating a new health model in Hampton Roads. This bold new vision emphasizes primary care, prevention, the establishment of medical homes, outpatient care, and the development of easily accessible, acute care services in health care town center settings.
We are very pleased to announce that the second round of COPN applications was filed with the Virginia Department of Health on December 31, 2007. The purpose in submitting these applications is to ensure that we continue our momentum in gaining approval as the filing cycle started in early December 2007; we do not anticipate learning of the health commissioner’s decision until late March 2008.
The applications are consistent with the letter of support received by the City of Norfolk. The table below illustrates the details of the DePaul application:
Bon Secours
DePaul Medical Center
Beds
· 64 total
· 54 med/surg
· 10 OB
Total OR’s
6 Operating Rooms
Key Services
Advanced Imaging
Radiation Therapy
Lithotripsy
Emergency Department
A key element of our bold new vision is the development of medical homes for our community’s underinsured and uninsured. In addition to the submission of the COPNs, we are continuing our work with the perpetuation of the medical homes at Bon Secours Maryview with the Maryview Foundation Healthcare Center, and with the collaboration with Park Place Medical Center in Norfolk.
In today’s Pilot Online, there is an article on Bon Secours Partnership with Park Place Medical. Also we have submitted our resounding results in our current COPN applications from the Maryview Foundation Healthcare Center. This document helps illustrate that their chronic disease patients are more likely to have access to much needed medications and by contrast, are less likely to use the emergency department and have a 15.9% reduction in hospital readmissions.
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Urgent! Meeting for all the residents and businesses in the Greater Wards Corner Area this Tuesday night
January 26, 2008At the meeting on January 15th , over 100 concerned residents and businesses of the Greater Wards Corner area came together to discuss the City’s plans for, and apparent discrimination against, the Greater Wards Corner Partnership Area. As agreed upon at that meeting, we are taking decisive steps to make our voices heard by City Council.
There will be an important follow-up meeting Tuesday, January 29th, 7pm, at the Norfolk Work Force Development Center, 201 E Little Creek Road (down the row from Kroger) where we will continue to work on formulating our plan of action. We must decide how next to proceed in order to hold our elected officials accountable for the implementation of the Greater Wards Corner Comprehensive Plan.
Our task at this next meeting is to iron out and formulate our means of implementation for what must be our three most important items of action. Remember, if you aren’t present and don’t make your voice heard, you will not have cause for complaint, We must all be present to represent our neighborhoods and businesses. The future depends on it. WARDS CORNER NOW!!
Comments Off on Urgent! Meeting for all the residents and businesses in the Greater Wards Corner Area this Tuesday night | wards corner, Wards Corner Civic League | Tagged: wards corner | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
The Wards Corner Hula Hoop Lady is an Inspiration
January 23, 2008
We have all seen this very dedicated woman hula hooping in the median strip in front of the ATC Fitness Center. We miss her when she is not there. Many of us know her story and for those who do not, Pilot Online has her story. Pamela Brown is her name, and she is a true inspiration.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Wards Corner
Wards Corner Now - Wards Corner, Norfolk, Virginia 