Minutes 05/12/1970 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mmr 12. 1970 We woUld think that some sort of smoke filters on the stacks of factories, incinerators, and buildings that require the burning of fuel or waste~ would be helpful. Also an investigation should be made of the chemical plants or factories that dump waste into our rivers and streams. It~ would also help a great deal if the beverage companies would be required to go back to returnable bottles. People would hesitate to throw money out their car window. As undersigners of this petition, we pledge to do all we an to stop pollution and littering in our city, state, and cotratry." ~4otion of Mr. Holley to refer to the Citizens Advisory Committee for study. Motion of Mr. King to amend to refer to the Area-wide Pollution Committee, was adopted, with one dzssentmng] vote, that of }dr. Holley, ' tal(en Vote being/the amended motion was adopted with one dissenting vote, that of Mr. Holley. 70-203 - The following letter from W. T. Goode, Chairman, Planning Commission, submitting High Street Industrial Commercial Co~d~r report was read: "Throughout this last decade across America, a national dialogue concerning "Inner City" situations in general, and "Urban Core" ~Foblems in particular, ha~s intensified, That metropolitan '~eartlands,, of ~he United States are in real trouble is n~ longer debated. Rather, discussion has turned to measurement of pro- blem~ issue dimensions and whether current approached and nrograms offer solutions. Optimism, unfortunately, During the late Eighteenth Century and for 150 yaars thereafter, a Norfolk=Portsmouth urban core was physically evident and its socio-economic functions understood. Mobility provided by the automotive vehicle, coupled with its harsh demands for open space, in the latter half of the Twentieth Century, clouded such his~ toric urban areas with tmcertainty as to their future and metropolitan function. ~notograps of the National Capitol against a background of urban slums stirred concern over declining fo~rtunes of "Inner City America", a situation conta~f~i~Fg many unfortunate local parallels. Circumscribe an area of three miles radius centered on the United States Naval Hospital (circa 1830), and you have a description of one metropolitan core area. In this context, your City Planning Commission and its Office of Planning have taken a long, hard look at a selected slice known,to you from previous discussions of municipal noticy as the '~Ht~ STREET NON-RESIDENTIAL CORRIDOR". ~ - l~8]at started out in the mld-Eighteent~h Century as a '~igh road" from docks of an English ge~nial settle- ment to interior farm3 and plantations evolved into "the route to the ferry" c~nnecting w~t~ Mqrfp.t~ acrpss the Elizabeth River. Along this aptly named "High Street" developed all land uses traditionally aSsociated with such a transportation artery. Times and technologies sparked replacement demands~ A cross-town divided highway, partiatl~ controlled access, devoid of parking, and grade separated from north-south traffic flow on a r~ilroad and freeway, was accepted as minimal to future welfare of the burgeoning west bank community. Con- struction of this new facility began in 1969 and necessitates study of its impact upon land use and housing patterns; and the role of these two parallel highways and that of the Corridor they define in the life of our Norfolk-Portsmouth metropolitan core. /"his document is intended to be a first step in such a process of basic research and analysis. Current Corridor conditions evoke different responses. What the civic leader sees as disgraceful slum conditions presents a classic case of functional obsolescence to an urban geographer and demonstrable physical obsolescence warranting action to the urban renewal specialist. ~*~ile the municpal adminstrat~r sees a drain on city fiscal resources, the professiDnal staff of Public AdminisCration Service saw a potential economic sine~ of im3~ense value. A §ociologist senses human misery and complex human renewal needs, while suburban homeowners may fail to see any connection between themselves and such peoDie. An aircraft passenger, flying low over Old central Portsmouth, might wonder about the wi~e, straight s%re~t and the broad serpentine highway with its flow~e~ian and green clover leaves which break up the amorphous grey of a metropolitan core and define a long slice 6f heavily urbanized land whose activities amid this hustle-bustle traffic flow remain a mystery. Our professional staff zeroed in on this situation with no intention of providing more than preliminary research and several guideline possibilities for widespread, in-depth p~'D~ic discussion, ~e Planning Com~nission, in presenting this document, looks forward to Jt~ role among the many groups whose advice you seek in formulating public policy on vital issues of such complexity. ~i3e take pleasure in presenting our introduction to the "Ht~ STREET COi~4ERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR". On motion of Mr. Smith the report of "HIC~ STREET CObBfERCIAL-INDUSTR!AL CORRIDOR" was accepted to be received to be released to general public for introduction and study as recommended by W. T. Goode, Chairman, of the Portsmouth Planning Commission. 70-204 - The following letter from the Director of Planning was read: "At its regular 'monthly meeting on May 5, 1970, the City Planning Commission, during its public hearing, again considered the matter of commercial zoning along Portsmouth Boulevard and devoted specific attention to property zoned ~esidential R-TS in the block bounded by Portsmouth Boulevard, Shea Street (projected), Dundein Road, and City Park Avenue. - After much deliberation, tBe Commission again resolved to register~a finding that the existing com~mercial zoning pattern is adequate; thus, reaffirming its stand on certain rezoning and use permit applications related to the southeast corner of Portsmouth BoUlevard and City Park Avenue." - Motion of Mr. King that act~6n be delayed and that both the zoning request mud use permit be placed on the agenda for the next meeting was adopted~ without dissenting vote. Motion of Mr. Holley to refer to the City Clerk to advertise for a public hearing on rezoning of the entire block in question at the first meeting legally possible was adopted, with one dissenting vote, that of Mr. King.