BY BILL McKELWAY

Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

The future of the James River in Richmond may suffer as much from influences beyond the city's borders as from a lack of local vision.

That was the warning sounded by several speakers at a Richmond Times-Dispatch Public Square tonight.

More than 200 listeners and participants attended the event at the Richmond Times-Dispatch's downtown offices. It was among the best-attended in a series of gatherings during the past two years examining matters of public interest.

Panel members focused on the importance of the river as a historic centerpiece of the city -- "a flowing Central Park," said Rachel Flynn, the city's director of economic development -- and as a landmark whose reach encompasses about one-third of the state's population.

L. Preston Bryant, the state's secretary of natural resources cited population growth and runoff from agriculture and spreading "impervious surfaces" as threats to the river.

Although comments reflected an optimism that competing interests can work together to achieve a universal goal of preserving the river's well-being, there also was a clear common belief that the river's future in Richmond and elsewhere is at a critical juncture.

"I think we're at a critical point in deciding where the city wants to go in the future," said George Ross, developer of the Echo Harbour project below the river's rapids.

Ross, who envisions a promenade and walkway to enhance public access to the water, urged politicians to trust professionals in reaching a consensus about making the most of the resource.

And such speakers as Bill Street of the James River Association and Leighton Powell of Scenic Virginia stressed increasing river access.

Powell spoke of the floodwall, for instance, as a needed objective that ended up becoming a concrete eyesore. She urged a modification of the twin, gutter-like barriers that would accommodate -- rather than inhibit -- people, scenic views and new parks and commercial buildings.

Street said only two public-access points to the river exist between Richmond and Williamsburg, a more than 50-mile stretch of the meandering James that also flows through some of the state's most historic and largest private landholdings.

Powell said river-based tourism -- which has developed in such cities as Charleston, S.C. -- could infuse revenue without requiring new roads, new schools or more housing.

Ross and Jud White, an environmental policy manager for Dominion Virginia Power, said economic stimulus also can come from developments that provide a new peopleand environment-friendly concept.

"It's going to take a lot of effort," White said. "It's going to take cooperation and collaboration."

Contact Bill McKelway at bmckelway@timesdispatch.com