THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 28, 1994 TAG: 9407260218
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: - Mike Knepler
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Even though City Councilman W. Randy Wright is looking for Ocean View master plan ideas, he's already suggested a few of his own.
His immediate priority, for the 1994-95 City Council session, Wright said, was creation of an interdepartmental strike force to enforce nuisance-property codes.
Recent efforts to enforce codes against blighted housing, overgrown lots, improperly stored garbage and junk cars have not gone far enough, Wright said.
He asked Deputy City Attorney Andre Foreman to establish a ``blue ribbon committee'' to come up with a new program and begin to enforce it ``block-by-block'' throughout Ocean View.
``I want whatever it takes to accomplish the job. I don't know what it takes, but that's what I want Andre to tell me,'' Wright said. ``Then I want them to go out and look at all the property and bring the full weight of city resources to bear to ensure that owners bring up their properties to standards or else.''
``I'll walk with them,'' he added.
Wright's long-range priorities include:
A new Ocean View branch library, possibly in combination with a new senior-citizens center and community meeting room. A potential location, the vacant lot at East Ocean View and Norfolk avenues where the Blue Nile Hotel once stood.
Development of the Navy's dredge-spoils site near 4th View Street in Willoughby.
Major improvements to the Farm Fresh grocery at the Ocean View Shopping Center or recruiting a new supermarket for the community.
Commercial development at or near Taylor's Landing and Cobb marinas in East Ocean View. As examples, Wright mentioned major hotels such as a Marriott or Hilton and creating a site for a riverboat gambling operation, if the Virginia General Assembly legislates permission for such a business.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK CITY COUNCIL by CNB