THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 20, 1996 TAG: 9607200006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By AMY WATERS YARSINSKE
LENGTH: 78 lines
On behalf of the Norfolk Historical Society board of directors, I wish to clarify our position on the MacArthur Center project.
NHS continues its strong support of the project. That support began with my predecessor, William C. Wooldridge, in 1994. We are convinced that MacArthur Center is key to restoring the vibrancy of Norfolk's city center, connecting all elements of revitalization in place and projected.
NHS has has engaged in the constructive dialogue about MacArthur Center fostered by Mayor Paul D. Fraim, City Council, consultants and staff, Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Taubman. In the spirit of that dialogue, we contracted with Nore Winter of Boulder, Colo., to comment upon the progress made on MacArthur Center to date.
Winter completed forwarded his report to the society shortly after June 21. On July 2, our board resolved to forward to City Hall copies of the complete report for use in what can be characterized only as an open and receptive dialogue with city leadership. The board did not endorse the entire report, nor did we expect to fully agree with Winter's evaluation of the project. We endorsed two paragraphs of the report, the first pertaining to supporting uses and the other to the Moses Myers House.
NHS did not intend that the report be surreptitiously provided to your newspaper. We had wanted to provide copies to city leaders and planners for their information only. The news about the report published July 3 distressed us all, and the report's contents were unfairly depicted by staff writer Alex Marshall.
Winter's report was moderate at best, pointing to matters that have been or will be addressed in the planning and design process as MacArthur Center moves toward working drawings. The report contained nothing unexpected or inflammatory.
The architectural and planning professionals working on MacArthur Center are doing an outstanding job of listening to and addressing the concerns of public and private parties engaged in the facility's planning.
I walked a copy of Nore Winter's report to Mayor Fraim's office just prior to the Tuesday City Council meeting, contrary to what was reported July 12. I have no idea who provided staff writer Marshall with the erroneous information, but Mayor Fraim's office sent the report and cover letter to the City Planning Department for distribution to all appropriate parties, including the Planning Commission, John Dugan and, yes, the city manager.
William C. Wooldridge's comments in a Jan. 12 letter to Ray Gindroz have been taken out of context - again. Much positive headway was made between January and June. Wooldridge had not seen the conceptual drawings in January because there were none. His comments were constructive suggestions. Nothing about them was based on anything he had seen or had been committed to by the city.
Wooldridge raised legitimate questions regarding the city's approved design guidelines and asked about any potential departures from those guidelines. Norfolk city has since done nothing but accommodate the requests Wooldridge made at that time. Although Norfolk no longer will get federal money for the project and therefore is not required to make the project respect the scale, orientation and materials of the historic properties near the site, Mayor Fraim, City Council and the city manager and his staff have gone to great lengths to assure the protection of and respect for all of the above.
As NHS president and as an urban designer, I have been welcomed as an active participant in every meeting in which design and historic-resource issues were discussed.
One of Wooldridge's comments in the Jan. 12 letter stands out: ``The guidelines are, in our view, well-considered and, if implemented, would give (Norfolk) a retail center which would markedly enhance the city's urban fabric, including its historic properties and districts, and at the same time create an exciting and unique environment with excellent prospects for long-term commercial success and national acclaim.''
Is MacArthur Center the answer to downtown revitalization? The center will be a large piece of the mosaic. Centers akin to the planned center have a positive history of encouraging a revival of shopping and entertainment activity in the city center; supporting employment; and encouraging more people to give downtown living another chance. MEMO: Amy Yarsinske, president of the Norfolk Historical Society, is an
urban and environmental planner and designer. She is author of
``Norfolk, Virginia: The Sunrise City By the Sea'' and ``City Centers in
the Renaissance.'' by CNB