For those who haven’t yet seen it, CBRE has available an informational flyer about the Shoppes at Forest Hill development. We’ve seen the site plans and such for many months, but this is the first good view of the exterior concept I’ve seen up close. I’ll be curious to hear how it’s received by my fellow residents.

After seeing a car go into the FasMart and a vehicle rollover in the Shoe Warehouse lot, the Westover Hills/Clarence/Dunston parking lot curse reared its head again today in the form of a car hitting the exterior of the Family Dollar store. Store damage was noticeable, but apparently not structural.

5100 Forest Hill Ave, affectionately known as that house (among other things) is officially on the market. The price? $269,500. Given the Keystone Kops-style “renovation” this property has undergone (not to mention the mere $62k assessment from the city), I suspect that’s wishful thinking at best.

Anyone want to start a sale date/price pool?

The Richmond Waldorf School holds its May Faire celebration tomorrow, Saturday May 10, from 10-2. Open to the public, this event is brings members of the larger Richmond community to RWS to celebrate. Children decorate wreaths with fresh spring flowers, dance around the Maypole, and sing songs of Spring. Children’s activities, stories, and delicious treats are available for the whole family.

The Richmond Waldorf School is tucked in behind Westover Baptist Church, at 1000 Westover Hills Blvd

Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities presents its annual Great Big Gigantic Yard Sale, Saturday April 26, 7AM-3PM at the Westover Community Center (which is on the grounds of Westover Hills Elementary).

For those who want to participate and have interesting items to sell, a few spaces remain. Spots are available for just $35. Vendors are also welcome and can set up shop for $45.

Call 646-8995 or 646-8252

Back in September, Westover Hills Elementary won a Dominion Grant to fund an outdoor learning center. Work crews arrived this week and the center, near on the Jahnke Road side of the school, is shaping up nicely. I understand we should see it in regular use within the next couple of weeks.

At least 2 of us in Forest View were repeatedly harassed tonight by an incomprehensible gentleman banging on our front doors. If you happen to see an erratic-acting, intoxicated dark-skinned man wearing a hat and riding a woman’s bicycle, keep an eye on him. I suspect he’s just a random crackhead, but who knows anymore.

About 15 Richmond & Chesterfield police cars (and a couple of fire/rescue) have descended on Jahnke & Dorchester Ave. A loud crash was followed by lights & sirens galore, as Jahnke between Forest Hill & the railroad tracks was saturated with emergency vehicles.

Edit: Apparently a high-speed chase out of Chesterfield crossed into the city, came up Jahnke and ended abruptly at 5101 Dorchester. I was turned away before I could get closer than a couple hundred yards out, but it appears if the car hit the house itself. Photography was frowned upon.

Rescue took at least one person away, presumably an occupant of the car being pursued. Here’s hoping the residents of the house didn’t get injured in this mess.

The $29.99 Shoe Warehouse lot at Westover Hills Blvd/49th St & Clarence St saw an overturned vehicle this morning. The T-D has a short video available.

People fly through that lot regularly, especially to use it as a cut-through to avoid the Forest Hill/Westover Hills light. I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often…

Nothing says “Good Morning!” like the sight of a fire truck, several police cars and a man collapsed on the ground right outside your window at 7AM on a Saturday. What at first appeared to be the after math of a shooting or stabbing turned out not to be. Apparently a very intoxicated individual ran into asign at the railroad crossing, then fled on foot, and made it 1.5 blocks before running out of steam.

…to the old McCrory Dollar building. Demolition permits are in, and the sucker’s coming down. With the Shoppes at Forest Hill project dead and no other plans for development submitted to the city, it appears as if we’re in for a lovely vacant lot.

Is that better or worse than a years-empty building?

A reader just alerted us to yet another Forest Hill/Jahnke Rd wreck, and that it “looks really bad” and “someone has to be hurt.”

Sigh.

The Richmond Waldorf School will be holding its Holiday Bazaar on Saturday November 17, 10am-3 pm. Featured will be arts & craft vendors, children’s activities, and perhaps the best-sounding lunch menu I’ve ever seen for such an event.

For those of you who’ve never noticed the Waldorf School before, it’s tucked in behind Westover Baptist Church in that little bend of WH Blvd, where 49th St splits off.

The Westover Hills Elementary School is in the process of renovating their library and courtyard. The school has received grant funding for some of the projects, but is dependent on volunteer help to accomplish all the renovations.

One of the projects is removing a large brick wall located in the middle of the courtyard. The wall is about 100’ long and 5’ tall. The wall removal project will begin Wednesday morning and will likely carry over through Thursday.

On Friday the playground will receive new landscaping so it is imperative that the wall be removed by Thursday afternoon. Two local companies, TK Davis Development and Gilbane Building Company will be providing workers and tools to cut the wall up and assist with removal of the brick.

Due to the compressed timeframe to complete the project volunteers from the community are desperately needed! Start time is planned for 9am Wednesday, 10/24, and work will proceed throughout the day and (probably) into Thursday as well. If you have even an hour to help out it will make a difference.

You will not need any special skills! Bring work gloves. Bring a wheel barrow if possible (not required.) Lunch will be provided for anyone that comes out to lend a hand! Even if you are unable to lend a hand please feel free to come by and take a look!

The804.com takes a look at 5-year home value appreciation. Two southside neighborhoods get mentions: Westover Hills slots in at 4th lowest in the city at 68%, while Forest View (that little triangle tucked in between Westover Hills Blvd, Forest Hill, and the railroad tracks, which also happens to be your author’s neighborhood) was 4th highest in the city (and apparently 6th in the general metro area) at 125%.

You can decide on your own whether that’s good or bad.

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If you use the railroad crossing on Jahnke Rd, you may have noticed that it’s currently closed for repair. It likely won’t be reopened ’til Saturday evening, but there’s a fairly painless detour nearby.

Gunshots in the vicinity of Jahnke & Forest Hill? We heard several rounds, and the 911 operator said we weren’t the first to report it…

Several police, including one on a dirtbike (!), have been all over the neighborhood ever since.

If you’ve noticed some police activity in the Forest View neighborhood, it’s likely due to a hit & run on W. 49th. If you see a burgundy Toyota Camry with front end damage, the police wouldn’t mind hearing from you.

A Plan of Development was submitted to the city seeking to tear down the vacant McCrory Dollar at Forest Hill and Westover Hills Blvd and build 12 small commercial/retail spaces with residential on the 2nd floor.

Ryan @ Richmond City Watch posted preliminary renderings and added that the city is waiting on a resubmittal of plans from the developer.

I’m under the impression that some of the neighborhood groups may have seen/heard this already, but it’s new (within the last 3 weeks or so) to me. I’ll be curious to see how this develops (no pun intended).