THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 16, 1995 TAG: 9510160026
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
They're praying for bones.
The discovery of human bones, Great Bridge residents believe, would be about the only way to stop the construction of a Commerce Bank and a Rite Aid pharmacy on what they believe is historic ground.
Concerned residents are banding together to save the 3-acre parcel on the busy corner of Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road, sold to a developer recently by the family that had held the property for generations.
They're planning an archaeological survey, to see what's there. And they're trying to raise more than $700,000 to buy the land and turn it into a park.
The call to action is a signal of a larger frustration, evident citywide, that development in the state's fastest-growing city is eroding a cherished quality of life and destroying evidence of Chesapeake's heritage.
The City Council Tuesday will debate a proposed historic preservation plan, which would be Chesapeake's first. The plan was drafted by a Norfolk consultant on the advice of residents who attended four public hearings over the summer.
The plan calls on City Council to pass some type of historic preservation ordinance, hire a full-time staff person to deal with historic preservation issues and appoint a special commission, a group of citizens that would oversee efforts to maintain significant landmarks.
The plan also calls for establishing design guidelines and a mandatory review process for any projects that would affect historic buildings or land.
That's likely to be a contentious point, balanced as it is against the need for commercial development and the rights of property owners.
But Diane O. Mahoney, 65, a Great Bridge resident, said it's time that preservation became more important than growth.
``It seems to me that its financial greed, robbing them (developers and city officials) of something that should be precious to them,'' Mahoney said.
Even if passed, the plan probably will be too late to save the grassy knoll at the heart of Great Bridge.
The council is expected to decide Tuesday whether to give Herman A. Hall III, the new owner of the property, a permit to allow drive-through windows at the bank and pharmacy.
Hall already has had bulldozed an 1850s-era farmhouse that was on the site, saying it was too dilapidated to save.
Residents say the lot is laden with historical significance. It's reputed to be the site of a 1701 church called the Southern Branch Chapel; the chapel was said to be the headquarters for patriot forces who defeated the British in a strategic Revolutionary War battle in Great Bridge in 1775.
History buffs believe the chapel's foundation and some unmarked graves may be buried beneath the lawn that soon will be churned up for construction.
Molly H. Kerr, 21, a Great Bridge resident and archaeology student at Mary Washington College, has volunteered to conduct an archaeological survey of the land sometime this month. The owner of the property has agreed to give her a weekend to do it.
``This just gives us the opportunity to find out what's there,'' said Judith H. Kerr, 54, Molly's mother.
Meanwhile Robert K. and Maria E. Parker, owners of a bicycle shop in Great Bridge, are recruiting volunteers and trying to raise donations to buy the land.
``It's going to be some big bucks,'' said Robert Parker. ``We're going to have to get some corporate involvement in this.''
Hall said he would welcome an offer from any group interested in historical preservation. But he said it would take a lot of money to reimburse him for all the expenses he's incurred in buying the land and designing it for construction.
``I think it would be great if it could be done, but I'm hard-pressed to see how it could be,'' said Hall, a Great Bridge native, who grew up just a block from the lot.
Hall said he's worked hard to come up with a development plan for the land that would fit with the neighborhood, minimize traffic problems and preserve some of the park-like setting. He'll keep some of the trees, for example, and has given a representative of the Norfolk County Historical Society of Chesapeake permission to erect a monument to the chapel and the Battle of Great Bridge. He said he's even offered to donate money to the society to pay for the marker.
``I really feel like we are proponents of trying to do the best that we can for the city,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by STEVE EARLEY\The Virginian-Pilot
At issue is this property at the corner of Battlefield Blvd. and
Cedar Road - on which a bank and a pharmacy are to be built.
by CNB