Riverfront park a step closer to reality

BY EMILY BATTLE

Date published: 7/1/2007

BY EMILY BATTLE

The block of Fredericksburg's downtown riverfront between Hanover and Charlotte streets could be transformed into a long-talked-about park if Fredericksburg leaders stick to a plan unveiled last week.

The riverfront task force that the City Council commissioned spent months sifting through all the ideas that have been hatched about the riverfront in the decades of discussion of how to spruce it up.

Last week, Vice Mayor Kerry Devine and Councilman George Solley, who serve on the task force, presented the final product to the rest of the council to rave reviews.

The group worked with Alexandria-based landscape architecture firm Lardner/Klein to come up with a plan for that block that includes a central fountain, an "earth sculpture" for kids to play on, tree-lined walks that could be used for art exhibits and an outdoor amphitheater.

Devine said the task force hopes to schedule public meetings later this summer where residents can weigh in on the plan. Task-force members will also be seeking ideas for the entire city riverfront.

Although the city doesn't own the entire riverbank that makes up its northeastern border, Devine and Solley want the task force to come up with a plan to unite all of the public lands along that bank into a linear park. They're starting with what has been called a "focal point" at the end of Charlotte and Hanover streets.

Everyone on the council seemed to applaud the plans last week, but there are two questions city leaders must answer before they can make the plan for that block a reality: land availability and money.

First, they have to figure out when they could buy the three privately owned properties in that block. Those include a retail building owned by Tommy Mitchell, another owned by Franklin Liebenow and the Wings on the Water bar and restaurant.

Solley and Devine said they've gotten a good reception so far in talks with property owners.

Mitchell said last week that he likes the plan, and that "the riverfront has been the most underutilized asset that we have downtown."

He also owns property across Sophia Street from the proposed park, where he said he hopes to develop retail shops and residential condominiums.

Devine said it will be more cost-effective to develop the whole block at once, instead of developing what the city owns now and waiting on the other properties.

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Date published: 7/1/2007

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