THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 25, 1995 TAG: 9508230172
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 203 lines
MEMORIES OF A century of Portsmouth history are still alive in the old Northside neighborhoods, where residents have been working on a plan to save the best of the past, overcome decline and make the area vibrant for the future.
Northside includes Park View, West Park View and Shea Terrace. It is the area along Scotts Creek between Olde Towne and the Midtown Tunnel. In the city's Vision 2005 plan, Northside is designated for revival as a waterfront residential area, where marinas and other water-related commercial businesses would co-exist.
The neighborhoods, working independently of each other, ``have come up with similar concepts,'' says Councilman Jim Martin, the city's liaison with citizens of the area. ``I think we can tie this city altogether from Shea Terrace to Olde Towne.''
Martin is optimistic the plan will enable Portsmouth to attract many of the additional people expected to come to work at Portsmouth Naval Hospital over the next few years. The hospital is adjacent to Northside, but few of its 4,000 personnel live there.
``We are working with the hospital staff to determine the needs for the future,'' Martin says, ``and to provide housing that will interest the people coming in.''
The hospital's new commanding officer, Rear Adm. William Rowley, says he met last week with Martin and Steve Herbert, the city's assistant economic development director.
``They showed me the 2005 plan, and I'm really impressed,'' Rowley said in an interview this week. ``I see a lot of potential for the Scotts Creek area. I boat around here, so I'm familiar with the creek.''
Hospital officials expect the work force on the base to increase with ``a lot of good young professionals with good incomes,'' Rowley said.
``Now I can't tell anybody where to live, but I believe that with the right housing, the city can attract them to live here.''
One of the first steps the city and the neighborhoods plan would be aimed directly at those hospital workers.
As it turned out, this is a good place to start,'' Herbert said. He also serves as coordinator of Vision 2005.
``The Johnson family has purchased the old Russell Crabhouse property at the end of Elm Avenue and wants to put a marina in there. Their plan jibes with the neighborhood plan.''
Tim and Rhonda Johnson, both 34, bought the property in March and are continuing the tradition of selling fresh crabs - both live and steamed - at the location they now call Scotts Creek Landing. They operate two fishing boats from the area.
``We want to put in a real nice marina,'' Tim Johnson said. ``We want to tear down the old buildings and make it real nice. Maybe we'll have a small seafood place, too.''
He and his family, including his father, John Johnson, are ``ready to go,'' he said.
``We would like to start dredging this winter if the permits can be had. We want to develop the water area first, then the buildings.''
The Johnson plan does what the neighborhood wants, Herbert says.
The new Vision 2005 proposal calls for a waterfront drive from Parkview Avenue along the hospital grounds to Armstrong Street, eliminating troublesome cul-de-sacs at the ends of four north-south streets and connecting them all with Elm Avenue, which runs across town to the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River.
``We are looking at putting upscale townhouses along the new street,'' Herbert said. ``They would have a waterfront address and overlook the marinas.''
The waterfront drive also would connect with a large piece of vacant property owned by the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority. New houses, designed to blend into the neighborhood, would be built in this area.
In addition to the Johnson proposal, existing commercial spots along the creek include another marina, the docking facilities of the Carrie B tour boat and studios of WGNT-TV, Channel 27.
The Naval Hospital's recreational area lies on the opposite side of the cove from the Johnson property. The land is now a construction-equipment staging area for the new hospital. When the building is completed, that land is to be transformed into ball fields and other play areas.
The second initiative would take Park View Elementary School, which has the only public school Montessori program, off a dead-end street - not by moving the school but by opening the street. The school now is at the end of Crawford Parkway. The plan calls for extending the street in an arc via Owens Street to intersect with Leckie Street.
Planning consultant Ray Gindroz spotted the problem with the school's location on his first visit to Park View. He says parents don't want to put their children in a school hidden away with only one way in and one out.
Gindroz originally suggested making Crawford a straight shot to Peninsula Avenue in West Park View. After a second look, he recommended the curving street to make the intersection near an inlet of Scotts Creek. At that point, a mini-park would be created on the water where bird watchers have spotted a variety of birds.
The park fits into the goal of making more places for people to enjoy the water, which shows up all around the Northside area.
In addition, Blair Street, which now crosses Park View from Fort Lane to Elm Avenue, would be extended across Elm and around Oak Grove Cemetery to connect with Crawford and Leckie.
By extending Blair, Herbert said, a city park and the Beazley Senior Center would be on the new street. Some new housing near Elm Avenue also would be built.
``This also would bring the neighborhood to the water,'' Herbert said.
Another small change would be replacing a rag-tag assortment of solid walls around the cemetery with open iron fences, he said, ``to open it up and give us the advantage of the open space.''
The third initiative would create a new joint entrance for West Park View and Shea Terrace at the end of a Scotts Creek inlet that separates the two neighborhoods.
``It would be a more formal entrance into the neighborhoods,'' Herbert said.
The plan calls for the now-empty Elks Lodge property along a Scotts Creek inlet on London Boulevard to become a boat club and marina.
A linear park along London at this point would encompass the neighborhood entrances. People headed for both Shea Terrace and West Park View would exit off London at the same place.
``Then you'd turn right to West Park View and left to Shea Terrace,'' Herbert said.
The new configuration would tie the Northside neighborhoods to the civic center proposed for near the new high school and stadium.
The linear park would include a trail so bicyclists could avoid riding on London Boulevard.
The fourth initiative would deal with London Plaza, a small shopping center that has been listed as a problem by all three neighborhood civic leagues. The center attracts people who hang out on the streets, and many nearby residents avoid stopping at the center.
``We're still talking about this one,'' Herbert said. ``But we're going to do something.''
One scenario involves ``taking out the shopping center altogether,'' he said. ``If we did that, we would try to continue development of the medical complex that has started in the adjoining block.''
The committee also has considered reconfiguring the center, Herbert said, and some citizens want to ask the state to move the ABC liquor store.
``People will stop at a center if it looks safe and clean,'' he said. ``That's our goal.''
Meanwhile, the committee has decided to recommend closing Enterprise Way, behind Charlie Falk's used-auto and storage lot and the grocery store, from Elm Avenue to Goode Way.
``That would cut down on the people lolling around back there and leaving trash all over the streets,'' Herbert said. ``It would partially improve the looks.''
The land in the street right of way would be given to property owners whose homes back up to the center.
A time frame for action was outlined by Herbert, who said the initiatives came out of a meeting last week that involved representatives of the three neighborhoods.
``This is a product of the citizens groups,'' Herbert said. ``Gindroz just helped get their ideas on paper.''
The group plans to meet again next week to review Gindroz's design suggestions.
``The communities have to agree on the initiatives and then they must go to the Mayor's Steering Committee,'' Herbert said. ``By that time, we should know the costs of the various projects and will be able to suggest funding sources, such as the Community Development Bloc Grants.''
Herbert would like to find some money right away to start the first project.
``None of these will cost that much because the city already owns a lot of land around here and there also are opportunities for private investment.''
In fact, Councilman Martin said he already has been meeting with developers to interest them in building so-called infill housing in the neighborhoods. Infill housing would have to conform to design standards that have been set by citizens committees and drawn by Gindroz. The standards would require infill housing to conform to the areas in which it would be built.
A plan to build new housing in the 600 block of London Boulevard would create new housing in a style appropriate to the edge of Olde Towne.
Because each of the Northside neighborhoods developed at a different time in this century, new housing could vary slightly in size and style from one location to the other.
``There are a variety of needs, and we need to interest a variety of people,'' Martin said. ``We've got the basic concept, and now we have to get their interest.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on the cover
West Park View, as seen from Lackie Street Bridge on Scotts Creek,
is pictured on the cover. Staff photographer Jim Walker took the
picture. A mini-park would be created on the water where a variety
of birds have been spotted.
Staff photos by JIM WALKER
The Johnson family, who owns the Scotts Creek Landing crab house,
would like to put a marina at the foot of Elm Avenue in Park View.
The Elks Lodge property, along a Scotts Creek inlet on London
Boulevard, would become a marina and boat club in the future.
Drawing
Four initiatives to jumpstart action on the Vision 205 plan for
Northside, in illustration at left:
1. Addition of a marina at the foot of Elm Avenue and creation of a
waterfront drive from Parkview Avenue to Armstrong Street in Park
View;
2. Elimination of the dead end street in front of Park View
Elementary School by connecting Crawford Parkway to Leckie Street
and creating a public park area on the water;
3. Creation of a greenbelt on London Boulevard and a new joint
entrance near the present Elks Lodge building into both Shea Terrace
and West Park View. Future plans include a marina at the lodge
site;
4. Reconfiguration and some change in uses of the existing London
Plaza shopping center.
by CNB