THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503150096
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: IDA KAY'S PORTSMOUTH
SOURCE: IDA KAY JORDAN
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
The folks who live in the Woodbine neighborhood adjacent to the old Churchland High site on High Street might not want commercial development on the now-vacant property, but they didn't cause the financial problems of a potential developer a few years ago.
Michael Blachman, a former chairman of the Industrial Development Authority who lives in Woodbine, called to remind me that he had signed a development agreement with the developer. The neighbors worked with the developer on details of sound barriers and other protective measures for Woodbine.
But it never was built because the developer got into financial problems when the economy changed, Blachman said. The residents, he said, had no part in the fate of the proposed project.
I don't doubt for a minute, however, that many of them were just as glad it never happened.
Laurie Gellman, also of Woodbine, believes the big parcel with wetlands in the back could be a ``wonderful asset'' for the city. But, she added, Churchland doesn't need another grocery store or a discount department store, which would be part of the recently proposed development.
Since the new proposal surfaced, several people have suggested to me that a sports-entertainment complex would work there. One person mentioned a small golf course or a driving range with a health club and restaurant. Another suggested an indoor tennis club with the amenities of a spa and restaurant.
They could be right. A profit-oriented sports-entertainment complex could be the answer to everybody's problems and a profitable commercial use.
Now whether that would compete with the Portsmouth YMCA in Churchland is another matter. Since the Y does not offer indoor tennis, a driving range or a restaurant, there is a possibility of tailoring a commercial operation to attract those who are not interested in the Y.
As I suggested last Friday, the people who own property nearby need to get into a pro-active stance, acting as volunteer economic developers. They probably could find developers for a suitable project.
Portsmouth needs all the help it can get from its citizens. Rather than react to proposals from City Hall, all of us need to go out and find our own.
That is a difficult assignment because, for all the lip service given to working with the public, many bureaucrats don't really take kindly to ideas from citizens - in Portsmouth or anywhere else.
Blachman and Gellman both have been involved in highly visible economic development projects. Blachman is one of the local investors in the riverboat gambling proposal, and Gellman was very involved in trying to get a horse racing track here. They know firsthand the problems of melding citizens and city employees into a smooth-working group.
They - as do a lot of other people who live in the area of the vacant development site - know people who might be interested in developing good projects.
Maybe they could brainstorm and come up with an acceptable plan to make the property productive for the city.
I don't think any of us can wait for city employees to come up with all the solutions to the city's waning commercial base. It's not going to happen without some help from citizens who want to get Portsmouth off and running again.
Too much needs to be done.
While city employees are spending a lot of time and money on the big projects, such as the race track and the riverboat gambling projects, smaller projects suffer. That's where citizens can step in and fill the gap.
The failure of both of the city's pie-in-the-sky projects essentially was out of local hands and dependent on factors at the state level. But finding a successful, acceptable project for the old Churchland High site and for a hundred other smaller places around town is not out of our hands.
Most of us are more easily motivated to say no to a City Hall proposal than we are to try to do something about Portsmouth's sagging economic base. Ironically, sparring with citizens not only takes a lot of time of city officials but also give them an excuse for not accomplishing as much as we would like for them to do.
I wonder sometimes what would happen if all of us focused our energies on positive actions rather than negative reactions. MEMO: Agree? Disagree? The Currents would like to hear from you. Send your
thoughts to The Currents, 307 County St., Suite 100, Portsmouth, Va.,
23704-3702, or fax us at 446-2607. by CNB