Riverfront Park -- The Next Steps

Over the past month I‘ve interviewed staff, stakeholders and individuals who bring some expertise to the discussion of designing a riverfront park.  I have also reviewed documentation to date on riverfront park planning and also federal and state regulations which would impact the park.  Embarking on another design concept process, costing over $100,000, is both premature and unnecessary.  Steps need to be taken first to get us in a position to move to design (not another concept) of the park.

First and foremost council and the public need to understand the regulatory limitation on the park site. City staff that are responsible for enforcement of Chesapeake Bay and other regulations need to brief the council and the public on those limitations and the process that must be followed.   

The council will then need to make some decisions to refine the concept for the park:

1. Does the city adhere to federal/state regulations as they apply to the Resource Protection Area (RPA) and floodway regulations?  

2. Entertainment venue, park setting, or a combination? Different uses will have different requirements, i.e., shade vs. sight lines. How do we accommodate current uses of the area—Heritage Festival, Via Colori for example.

3. Will parking be a part of the plan such as angled parking on Sophia St. to replace lots in the park area?

4. Does the city incorporate the Downtown Loop and East Coast Greenway which both run down Sophia Street as part of the riverfront park plan?

5. What public amenities should be included—bathrooms for example.

These are just some of the decisions that will narrow down the design concept for the park.   At this point a reorganized taskforce, including stakeholders, individuals with expertise in the type of development we would like to see, and city staff who will oversee regulatory compliance can further define the plan (size of an entertainment venue,  park lay-out concepts, etc.) to get it ready for council review and approval.

A series of public hearings or presentations can be made for community input.  We should also consider setting-up a process, e-mail address, city hall contact, etc. for the public to submit comments, suggestions, questions, or concerns at their convenience. The goal is to have a concept ready for final design.

As we go through this process there are some steps the city can take now to prepare the site so when the space and money comes available the city can move forward with the project. A few steps to be taken are:

1. Contract for site survey. Estimated cost $3,000 to $6,000.

2. Complete archaeological survey of site (or update 1981 archaeological survey). Estimated cost up to $16,000.

3. Secure Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from Architectural Review Board (ARB) for demolition of lodge building.

4. Create single lot. Site currently broken into (9) lots.

5. Identify potential funding sources

At some point professional services will be needed to complete this project.  We have not yet reached that point. Some education and concept refinement need to take place first.  This effort does not require the services, or the cost, on consultants. More later on my thoughts on what the park should
include……………..

Matthew Kelly, Councilor At-Large, Fredericksburg City Council