THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 1996 TAG: 9606070391
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT K. TURNBULL SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: 110 lines
With restaurants, general stores and large homes lining its tributaries, Scotts Creek was once the center of a thriving waterfront community in Portsmouth. In the last couple of decades, however, Scotts Creek had experienced a steady decline.
But the tide seems to be turning for these shoreline neighborhoods in the wake of the city's recognition of the historic and economic importance of the creek and its decision to financing its improvement.
``The land that is now called Shea Terrace, Park View and West Park View,'' explains Dutch Andrews, Shea Terrace Civic League president, ``was granted by the King of England in 1734 to the Scottish settlers, the Sheas and the Scotts.''
Shea Terrace, Park View and West Park View are referred to as Scotts Creek neighborhoods.
``The oldest of these neighborhoods is Park View,'' says Andrews. ``It was built in the late 1800s. Then came West Park View at the turn of the century and finally Shea Terrace was developed in the 1930s.''
The Scotts Creek project is actually one of the five major parts of Portsmouth's Vision 2005 plan, a 10-year project that centers on five strategic areas.
Most of those tracts are in the corridor between the center of the city and the Elizabeth River waterfront along London and High Streets.
Steve Herbert, Portsmouth's deputy director of economic development, acts as a coordinator for Vision 2005. ``Scotts Creek is a very successful part of the 2005 plan right now,'' he says, ``largely because of the leadership of the three neighborhoods.
``It's remarkable. Each one of the neighborhoods has individual leaders, but collectively they work together very well. So they have been able to leverage that energy to really getting some significant things planned and under way in terms of improvements for the neighborhoods.''
The city's improvements include cleaning the streets, removal of decayed structures, helping with urban designs and creating areas suitable for development. The city has earmarked $750,000 to dredge Scotts Creek all the way to London Boulevard, making it deep water and raising shore property value.
Though residents of each of the Scotts Creek neighborhoods approached the city with independent plans, ``. . . they all worked together and it turned out to be a very healthy and productive process,'' Herbert says. ``Most of the money this year went into Park View by decision of all three neighborhoods.''
Carleen Smith, president of the Park View Civic League explains, ``The main role that Park View is going to play, and the reason we have received the initial focus of attention, is because our neighborhood is really run down the worst. In order to stabilize and bring up all the neighborhoods, we needed to attack this neighborhood first.''
The dredging of Park View's Scotts Creek inlet is expected to benefit the neighborhood. A planned marina should bring redevelopment interest into the area.
``Our focus in the new waterfront development,'' says Smith, ``is to provide good housing stock for Naval Hospital employees. We think that is a real area we could revitalize, from the incoming people. But we want to put a pretty face on so that people will be interested.''
The Portsmouth Naval Hospital is under a $350 million renovation and is awaiting an arrival of 5,000 more employees. Charles Hudgins, vice president of the West Park View Civic League, expresses interest in ``really trying to market Portsmouth to these incoming (Navy) people by making the areas and waterfronts nice so that they will want to stay in the area where they work.
``They might want to live in one of the three neighborhoods that border Scotts Creek or perhaps even in a condo that will be built as part of the Scotts Creek developments.''
The City Council years ago agreed to have a zero boat tax to lure boats from nearby cities. According to Hudgins, there are four or five marinas in Scotts Creek all at 85-90 percent capacity.
What's more, Scotts Creek is a safe harbor - a boat moored there won't be destroyed by harsh winds and churning water. The winds must pass over acres of land and the waters must pass through various channels before reaching a boat in Scotts Creek.
In addition, the Intracoastal zero mile marker is at the entrance to Scotts Creek, marking the beginning of the inland passage to the South.
``I've heard that there are upwards to 20,000 boats that go past the zero mile marker each year, right past Scotts Creek,'' Hudgins says.
The unique marketability aspects of Scotts Creek has drawn the interest of several developers such as the Myrl Hairfield, one of the principals in the Kiln Creek subdivision in the Williamsburg area.
The development plans for Scotts Creek's northside begin with a marina, several restaurants and stores. Condominiums and larger waterfront homes are expected later.
The first stage of the dredging is slated to begin this fall. The Scotts Creek plan is divided in three phases that will continue through 1997.
``The city and the developers have come a long way toward linking up. We're in something of a `defining moment' right now,'' says West Park View Civic League president Martin Smith-Rodden.
``Scotts Creek occupies a significant amount of mostly undeveloped waterfront property in the middle of a metropolitan area with a million people.
``Some people would look at this area as a well-kept secret.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color cover photo by Martin Smith-Rodden
[Aerial photo of Scotts Creek]
Color Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
The City of Portsmouth has big plans and high hopes for the
shoreline around Scotts Creek and its tributaries.
Boats docked in Scotts Creek are well protected from coastal storms.
Three neighborhoods are established in the area; more are being
planned.
Photo
Charles Hudgins hopes Scotts Creek will attract Naval Hospital
families. by CNB