RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Tucked between Hanover and Grove ,off of Robinson Street in the Fan, is a beloved community garden.
Flowers now bloom in the middle of a space where cars typically park and neighbors’ trash bins reside.
The site is tended to by Rick Bridgforth for more than 30 years, although he does not actually own the plot where the flowers are planted.
“I would get so irritated because there were so much litter,” Bridgforth said. “And then one day that little voice said ‘if you make it pretty, people won’t litter.’ And so ever since, I’ve been expanding and making the alley pretty, which keeps crime down, number one, and that’s probably why I did it, to make the alley safer. And the second thing is all the pollinator plants I have for the bees.”
Bridgforth is a hairdresser in his 70s who now spends about $15,000 to $20,000 a year on various flowers and plants for the garden.
He said he spends a couple of hours each day watering everything.
“Like a lot of people in the Fan, and particularly this immediate block, if they’re going to sell their house, they put it on the market in the spring because there’s 3,000 tulips that pop up and it’s an amenity we didn’t plan on when we bought our house. It’s like, ‘wow, we got this garden,’” neighbor Kevin Parris said.
Parris and his wife moved next to Bridgforth about five years ago, and they have enjoyed the garden ever since. It is a space where people read, eat dinner, or just stop to enjoy.
“It’s not just an amenity for the immediate neighborhood, it’s the surrounding blocks as well,” Parris said.
Now the communal site is in jeopardy as a developer plans to build a carriage house, adding to the current apartments that already share the parking in the alley.
Richmond-based Johannes Design Group is listed on the special use permit application to renovate the site.
The proposed use is outlined as ‘renovations and additions to existing buildings and a new carriage house.’ The actual business entity owning the site is listed as Amar Al-Saadawi.
12 On Your Side reached out to Johannes Design Group, but we did not get a statement or comment on the project in time.
Since Bridgforth does not own the garden plot, it is a bit out of his hands, though his neighbors are already trying to help.
More and more people are signing an online petition to protect the garden.
“It makes me feel very good because I feel like I’m doing something to give back and this is how I give back. I am not a church person. This is my way of giving back,” Bridgforth said.
2nd district Councilmember Katherine Jordan is also against the SPU as it is written now, and her team tells 12 On Your Side she is currently talking with the City attorney to find a way to save it.
Possible solutions could include giving the City some ownership or donating the space.
Neighbors around the alley are not against adding housing in a time when the City needs it, but there are additional concerns surrounding the project on top of the loss of green space if it goes through.
Parris said he is worried about increased density in the alley, fewer parking spots, and a higher risk for flooding with the construction.
On top of that, their storm system is already struggling to survive.
“I’m an engineer and I make a living off development, but I’m also not that person that says, ‘not in my backyard,’ but in this case, this project really just does not make sense. It’s going to create congestion,” Parris said.
The plans for the SPU are still in the early stages, and any construction likely would not begin for years at this point.
“If we get this land, I will change my will to leave my estate to maintain this as a little park in the alley that people can enjoy,” he said.
Bridgforth said he chooses to just be in the moment. He already ordered 3,000 tulip bulbs he plans to plant this fall.
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