As a young lawyer representing clients before City of Richmond agencies, I kept hearing references to what type of zoning would be required by the City Master Plan. Yet, on too many occasions, that plan was more observed in the breach thereof rather than in the adherence thereto.

A new Downtown Master Plan deserves a new beginning, and that is what we are attempting to do. We have advertised and drawn the participation of many hundreds of citizens during the past year -- and for good reason. Our citizens want to live here and enjoy living here.

I made it clear, and our city officials have insisted, that what was needed was "the people's plan" because our citizens are voicing an unprecedented degree of interest in what they want our downtown to become.

This new Master Plan serves as a blueprint for the look and feel of how Richmond's downtown and its riverfront will develop and grow in the coming years. Not only do people work and visit downtown -- it also is one of the city's fastest-growing residential areas.

Citizens have said that they want recreational access along the north bank of the James, which our downtown so noticeably lacks at present. They have said they want guidelines in place and a systematic approach to further maximize the historic qualities for which Richmond is already known.

A Master Plan is a guide for localities to use in making future decisions. As Rachel Flynn, the city's director of community development -- who has ably overseen the Master Plan's development -- has repeatedly noted, "It all starts with a city having a firm vision in place for what it wants to become."

Many cities across America have already bettered themselves -- e.g., New York, Chicago, Charleston, Washington, D.C. -- by purchasing property to create riverfront parkland for public recreation, by investing in environmentally friendly mass transit for traveling convenience, and by establishing design standards to create neighborhood quality-of-life enjoyment that we all want.

Based on massive citizen input, Richmond's Downtown Master Plan outlines seven foundations that would guide future development:

(1)The River: Creating more recreational access so citizens can enjoy what is described as Richmond's "great, wet Central Park" and preserving views to the river by limiting building heights.

(2)Urban Architecture: Requiring that new construction in downtown is in scale and character with Richmond's traditional architecture so that we preserve our valuable heritage.

(3)Variety and Choice: Establishing a variety of zoning options to allow for mixed-used development and creating truly diverse, inclusive neighborhoods within the downtown area.

(4)"Green City": Establishing an integrated system of park areas in downtown, with an ambitious program to plant new trees along streets as well as greenery within sidewalks and median planting strips.

(5)"Traditional City" Transportation: Making "walkability" popular and viable again everywhere in our downtown, providing more mass-transit options such as bus rapid transit, and restoring two-way traffic patterns as downtown has the street network to support a rebirth of traditional modes of transportation.

(6)Economic Diversity: Recreating mixed-income housing and retail opportunities to achieve vibrancy throughout downtown, with affordable work force housing available for citizens who want to live there and enjoy urban amenities such as nearby shopping and entertainment.

(7)History: Maximizing Richmond's unique place in history with such elements as historic architecture and additional cobblestone streets, to show that we already know what needs to be done in our city.

The proposed Downtown Master Plan reflects the vision of what our citizens want our downtown's future to be. In fact, a great many of these recommendations were reaffirmed by last year's Crupi Report, which reviewed Richmond's progress during the past 15 years.

Citizens want to enjoy where they live, and they want to see additional amenities in place that promote the attractiveness of living here. How can we get there? First, we must endorse a blueprint and action plan for what we hope to achieve -- by developing a new Downtown Master Plan.

"Vision" is a term repeatedly noted in the Crupi Report, which also emphasized the Richmond's crying need to begin to dream big.

For too long, too many people have had negative impressions of our capital city. They dissed our crime rate, lack of new businesses, education system, and lack of strong leadership in local government.

The information you'll read in the city administration's online "Visions" newsletter, on the City's Web site at www.richmondgov.com, presents a factual local picture that reflects our new attitude, new growth, and new direction.

It's not at all coincidental that the Crupi Report has observed that "the City of Richmond is moving from a big little city to a little big city."
L. Douglas Wilder is the mayor of Richmond. Contact him at AsktheMayor@RichmondGov.com.