Endview
Surrounding development must appeal to many
It has been a circuitous, sometimes painful trek from the Newport News City Council’s decision five years ago to purchase the 310-acre Endview plantation to Saturday’s opening of the plantation house as an historic attraction from the Civil War era. And the journey is far from finished.
The city paid $10 million for the property both to prevent residential development on it and for its economic development potential. The council was right; there was immediate interest from a mall developer. The potential sales tax looked good for the city budget.
But just as quickly there was a public outcry against intense development in the last bucolic area of the city, against the traffic it would generate and against destroying Endview by pressing 20th century reality too close to its walls.
Slowly the city and its residents have reached compromise. But the opening of the plantation house to the public doesn’t signal the end of the process. A city task force continues to look at the remaining property. Its’ task is to meet the city’s original goal of using the land to generate revenue while honoring the city’s commitment to preserve Endview on 30 to 60 acres.
This is, we know in hindsight, the approach that should have been taken from the beginning. But it won’t be easy.
History buffs will continue to push for more of the land to be preserved for its historic significance. Nearby residents, themselves participating in the rapid residential settlement of the area, will argue that the open space is preferable to congestion that brings more traffic and increases demand for more roads.
But in the end, more city residents will want to recoup a portion of that $10 million purchase price by selling portions of the tract and having businesses contribute tax revenue to the city.
The task force and the City Council that reviews its recommendations must take all of these preferences into account and, when a decision is made, communicate both the decision and the sound logic behind it to the citizens. Without that, the next development proposal will likely hit the same brick wall that helped stop the mall.
Seat belts
Accidents again show effectiveness of buckling up
No matter how many times you hear it, the old adage bears repeating: Buckle up. You need look no further than two separate accidents last week that had drastically different results.
Robert B. Johnson, 57, dangled upside down in his car following an accident on Main Street in Gloucester County. His 1991 Lincoln veered into a parked truck – but the seat belt kept Johnson in place inside the car. He was treated and released from a hospital.
That same morning, a Goochland County man was killed and another man was injured on Interstate 64 in Newport News. Erik J. Oliver, 20, was driving west on I-64 near the Oyster Point interchange when he apparently lost control of the car, struck several trees and overturned. Oliver’s roommate and passenger, Alvin R. McNeece, 19, died. Oliver was treated at a hospital and released. He’s been charged with drunken driving and other offenses.
Neither man was wearing a seat belt, and both were partially ejected from the car. State police suspect that alcohol played a part in the crash – yet another reason not to drink and drive. Alcohol tends to keep you from doing the smart thing – like catching a cab or a bus home or buckling up.
The two accidents, of course, did not have the exact set of circumstances. One was on a local street, while the other was on a highway. The fatal accident involved alcohol and greater speed. But the lesson holds. Buckling up gives you a greater chance of surviving an accident.
Earlier this year, the General Assembly missed a chance to encourage travelers to buckle up. A bill would have allowed police to stop vehicles if the driver or front-seat passenger was not wearing a seat belt, but the bill didn’t pass. Currently, seat belts are sort of required: Police have to see some other violation in order to make a stop.
Buckling up ought to be the law. Lawmakers should pass this bill next year.
AM-610, huh?
Advisory is weak; feds should increase power
When you are on Interstate 64 heading for the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, you need information. You need to know whether traffic is backed up at the tunnel and whether, as a result, you might spent 10, 30, 45 minutes or more idling in the massive backup.
There’s not a lot of time. A split second can make the difference between veering onto I- 664 and taking the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel across to the Southside or being caught in a traffic nightmare.
And what are your sources of information? On weekdays during rush hour, you might catch a traffic update on the car radio. But at any other time, your only hope is 610 AM on your radio dial. Good luck. The weak signal is difficult to pick up and almost impossible to understand amid the static.
But the Federal Communications Commission has denied a request by the Virginia Department of Transportation to upgrade the signal. That was a bad decision.
VDOT should appeal to the FCC for a new decision. It should also appeal to local members of Congress for some help.
