City of Williamsburg

Clues from the Linda Test

I judge many things by what I call the “Linda Test.” If my wife feels a certian way, I will bet that many other people, women in particular, would too. We in the City say we want to see some of the older neighborhoods maintained and/or revitalized. Here is what my wife says it would take to keep her happy enough to call these places home.

I had a brief discussion with my wife, Linda, after the meeting with John A. McLaughlin, the consultant hired by the City to explore issues surrounding the Richmond Road corridor. He asked us to answer the question “What would be so bad that it would cause you to sell your home and move away from the City, and why?” I asked Linda a similar question after the meeting. Her answer:

1. - Property values began to drop. The issue here is that she wants to know the time, effort, money and love she puts into her home will not be wasted.

2. - Bad neighbors moved in. She went on to explain that a “bad” neighbor was one who was noisy and did not keep up their house to a standard she could live with. Why: A home must be a place of refuge and relaxation. If she has to call the police in the middle of the night to shut down a noisy party, or hassle the City to enforce standards, it sucks the joy right out of living here.

3. - Traffic – specifically, if our street was ever opened back up to allow through traffic to Harrison Avenue. If she felt that she could not allow our young daughter and our dog to roam in the front yard safely, she would move immediately

Most people at the meeting the other night said they wanted to see the area stay and/or become residential. We have to be sure Linda’s three issues are addressed if we want to be successful in doing that. People will not choose to call this place home if they are believe that

i) their financial and emotional investment is not protected,

ii) the fight for the quality of the neighborhood has to be initiated and sustained by them rather than the City, and

iii) the safety of their family is in jeopardy.

Question to you, the reader: What causes neighborhoods to decline? What can the City do about it?

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 | Posted by Joe Hertzler

(3) Comments | Filed under City of Williamsburg

TRAFFIC! Look at areas that have the most cut-through traffic. They are almost always the areas that are not kept up as well.

Posted by | Thursday, July 1, 10:24 am

Joe:
I agree with Linda’s comments.  In a nutshell what we are seeking are standards which are well known and enforced.  The price we have to pay for a wonderful place to live and work is diligence.  With time situations change but the standards should not.  For example we know that traffic is a big issue.  We cannot stop people from coming here (don’t want to do that) but we can enforce standards for driving and parking that ensure that our area is not negatively impacted. We can strictly enforce speed limits, enforce and strengthen parking rules, use traffic calming measures, etc.

Posted by | Tuesday, July 27, 5:00 am

A neighborhood declines as it becomes impersonal, as it loses its humanity and human scale.

When I moved to Williamsburg in 2000, I decided to keep my little house in North Arlington until I knew that I would never want to move back to it. I visited the house last weekend.

In the past 5 years, the number of rented houses on the block has increased from 2 to at least 7. This has led to 3 noticeable changes that have convinced me I will not move back.

First, because the homes are rented not to families but to unrelated singles, there are far more cars; both sides of the street are now lined with parked cars, which stay there all day, since it’s close to a Metro stop.

Second, because renters tend to be transient, they rarely have an interest in becoming an integral part of the neighborhood. This means there is far less interaction among residents who chance to see each other outside. There is now little sense of community.

Third, “in-filling” has started. One house was moved to the side of its lot to create a new buildable lot, where a house at least twice as large as any other on the block is now under construction. The lot next to mine was divided to create a pipe-stem lot. There is now a starter-castle glaring down on my bungalow’s back yard. The owners have made it clear they are not interested in mingling with their neighbors.

The block-long neighborhood has lost its appeal. I will not move back.

Posted by | Monday, April 25, 8:28 am

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