RICHMOND, Va. -- Plans to temporarily transform and reopen what was formerly known as the Lee Circle were approved Monday by Richmond's Planning Commission, despite a recommendation to reject the proposal.
The city's proposal is designed to fill the circle on Monument Avenue, which is about three-fourths of an acre, with trees and plants in an intentional attempt to keep people from gathering inside it due to safety concerns.
But last week, the Urban Design Committee (UDC), which serves as an advisory board to the Planning Commission, voted the $100,000 planting project down. Among their concerns:
- They believed the proposal ignored the historical significance of the space.
- The design restricts access to the community even though people used the circle as a gathering spot during protests against racial injustice in 2020.
- The committee questioned how temporary the plan would be considering there's no timeline from the city on permanent "Reimagine Monument Avenue" efforts.
- The city did not engage the public before bringing the project forward.
- The committee questioned whether the city has the resources to maintain landscaping of that size.
UDC also recommended that the fencing and barricades surrounding the circle be removed. Barricades were installed in June 2020, and fencing was installed in January 2021.
However, the city's Planning Director Kevin Vonck asked the Commission to approve the design as presented. Vonck made three main points:
-The space, as currently designed, is a busy roundabout with the purpose of moving vehicular traffic and is not safe for pedestrians to cross into it.
-The design should remain "agnostic" and "not make a statement."
-There will be future initiatives to permanently reimagine the circle.
Vonck said "it's okay to let the space rest and heal" as the city moves forward on other equity initiatives.
Following Vonck's recommendation, commissioners discussed the proposal and heard comments from the public for about two hours.
The Commission's Chairman Rodney Poole, who ultimately voted to accept the plan, initially had reservations about Vonck's stance. During the group's last meeting in September, members voted to send the proposal back to UDC to receive their input before taking a final vote. Poole said since the Commission purposely asked for UDC's input, he was "uncomfortable" to vote against its recommendation, though he later did.
Councilman Andreas Addison, who also voted to accept the plan, said he thought the historical significance of the circle was being "discarded" by the plan. He raised concerns, as did multiple members, about the lack of community engagement and that the city could come up with a "better plan" if it would engage its citizens.
However, Vonck said the city did not need to engage the community on this proposal due to it being temporary.
Commissioner Elizabeth Greenfield, who also voted to support the plan, questioned the use of the word "temporary," stating that sometimes, "temporary" projects end up becoming permanent.
2nd District Councilwoman Katherine Jordan, whose district includes the circle, was present at Monday's meeting. She said neither she nor her constituents were engaged before the plan was presented. Jordan has since attempted to get the word out about UDC's and the Planning Commission's meetings through her own efforts on social media and weekly newsletters.
While Jordan agreed that the circle was a dangerous spot for public gatherings because of its location, she pushed to have the fencing removed, which the city can do at any point per its contract with the state, which owns the barriers. She also said a "recognition of the protests" needs to be included in further discussions about the space's future.
Comments from members of the public were mixed and passionate at times. Some people who said they used the circle to gather with community members in 2020 urged the Commission to vote the plan down.
"I watched a really amazing thing that was on national news- was the city coming together in a way that literally makes me cry still when I think about it. It was people standing up for something that really mattered to them, and now we're trying to create a park that will keep them away from utilizing the space by putting so many plants in their place that they can't even occupy the space," said Kat Driggs, who said she grew up on Monument Avenue.
However, some neighbors of Monument Avenue expressed concerns that opening it back up would lead to disruptions and potentially violence in their neighborhood.
"The overwhelming majority of Monument Avenue residents and Allen Street residents, again due to safety concerns, would highly recommend that the barricades and fencing not be taken down until such time as the landscaping and plantings can be completed," said President of the Monument Avenue Preservation Society Michael Lantz.
Councilor Addison said he has seen community members use the circle for cornhole, cookouts, and other activities. He questioned what the difference was between the former Lee Circle and the rest of the grassy median along Monument Avenue that people frequently access and use for personal enjoyment.
One of the two commissioners who rejected the plan, Burchell Pinnock, voiced his opposition to the landscaping project due to a lack of community engagement and intentionality considering the historical significance of the circle.
Charles Woodson, the UDC member who made the motion to reject the plan last week, was disappointed in the Planning Commission's decision.
"I can only imagine that the Planning Commission was given information unavailable to the UDC. Big promises were made by the City in the sell. My hopes are that they can stay on top of the plantings and maintain a successful project within the allotted budget. I stand by my belief that the project is wasteful and non-inclusive of community," Woodson said in a statement following the meeting.
Vonck said he does not know the timeline yet on when landscaping work can begin or when the fencing will be removed. He said staff will likely regroup later this week to discuss planting selections and a timetable.
Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders said an engagement process to permanently reimagine Monument Avenue could take multiple years.
