The American Tobacco Center is one example of an industrial building converted into residential use in the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood; original elements of the industrial architecture are still in tact.

Editor’s Note: The author is a resident of Shockoe Bottom.

The streets of Shockoe Bottom often thrive with diners at restaurants dotting East Main Street and play host to visitors at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market.

Nightclubs in the historic neighborhood are hot spots on Friday and Saturday nights; crowds can be seen lining up outside various bars waiting to escape the cobblestone streets.

For Richmond officials, this River District neighborhood has a lot to offer. Their hope is that it will have a lot more to offer in years to come.

This summer the city will launch an economic revitalization study to determine what types of new business developments the Bottom—as it’s often called—can handle.

In April, the city started courting potential consultants to develop an economic blueprint for the future—a second attempt to find a consultant after an initial try last year. The budgeted cost for the study is $125,000.

Brooke Hardin, the deputy director of Planning and Development Review for the city, said the plan will give city leaders an idea of how the neighborhood should develop. More specifically the plan will identify what residential or commercial opportunities exist and what the city can do to further invest in neighborhood infrastructure. [Click here to listen to Hardin explain who should contribute ideas.]

Hardin explained that housing is plentiful in the area as a result of the adaptive re-use of former tobacco warehouses into apartments.

The two main factors for blossoming residential opportunities came from historic tax credits to developers for re-using warehouses and the construction of a flood wall to help protect the area from river floods.

Jeannie Welliver, the acting director of special projects for the Department of Economic and Community Development, said some business possibilities include mixed-use or transit-oriented development.

The neighborhood is intersected by two major roadways—Main Street and Broad Street—and has immediate access to Interstate 95 and rail services at Main Street Station. In addition, the Virginia Capital Trail for hiking and biking is under construction and will eventually connect the city with Williamsburg, Va.

Because of these transportation corridors, Welliver said the Bottom can support neighborhood or destination retail. An example of destination retail would be the home and office retail outlet Ikea. [Click here to listen to Welliver's audio description of retail in the Bottom.]

Welliver said business  and cultural tourism offerings can add to the Bottom’s potential as a “live-work-play” community; a place in which residents don’t have to leave or travel far in order to get what they need.

City officials plan on inviting residents to offer their input on what’s needed, or wanted, in the Bottom.

Some residents already have an idea of what they’d like to see near their homes.

Shockoe Bottom resident Adam Casper, who has lived in various city neighborhoods, noted that while there are a lot of bars near his home there’s no ABC liquor store nearby. Casper said he could use a good hardware or clothing store too.

Casper thinks the city should consider installing kiosks that serve as information centers on local events at numerous venues. For now, residents and visitors have to depend on flyers or other means of advertising by restaurants and clubs to find out what’s going on.

“This neighborhood has events going on left and right and you’re lucky to get wind of it,” Casper said.

Resident Lena Collins jokingly said the area could use more bars and dance venues, but, like Casper, would be in favor of retail.

“I miss some big stores, like Wal-Mart or something like that,” Collins said. “At least one of them that we could…walk to would be good.”

Welliver said she hopes the city will have a plan in place by the end of this year.

Nov. 21, 2009

Portsmouth has the highest breast cancer mortality rate  in Virginia, according to the latest statistics from state health officials.

Between 2002 and 2006 breast cancer killed about 35 of every 100,000 women in Portsmouth, the Virginia Department of Health said.

Statewide, the breast cancer mortality rate was nearly 26 deaths per 100,000 women. Norfolk, Portsmouth’s neighbor, had the second-highest mortality rate—more than 33 deaths per 100,000.

Officials say there are multiple factors for Portsmouth’s ranking, including race, literacy and resident incomes.

The City of Portsmouth is the only locality in the Portsmouth Health District. State officials calculated mortality rates for each of Virginia’s 35 health districts. Some districts conform to city boundaries while others, such as Piedmont, include several localities.

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Contributing Factors

Jessica Mullen, a senior health educator for the Portsmouth Health District described the city’s population as urban and predominately African-American. She said many residents have incomes falling below the poverty level and there’s a “pretty low literacy rate.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s statistics from 1999, 16.2 percent of Portsmouth’s residents have incomes falling below the poverty level.  Approximately 9.6 percent of Virginia residents earned incomes below the poverty line in the same year.

Mullen said it’s these characteristics that contribute to the breast cancer mortality rate.

“Unfortunately Portsmouth ranks high in a lot of the death mortality rates,” Mullen said. She said mortality rates are also high for other diseases.

“If we’re not at the top we’re close to it,” Mullen said of Portsmouth’s mortality rankings for other diseases.

Black women with breast cancer in Portsmouth die at the second-highest rate in the state.

Mullen said the high rate may also be related to uninsured or underinsured women lacking access to breast cancer screenings, receiving a diagnosis and affording treatment.

In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Health Insurance Estimates showed that 10 percent of Portsmouth’s population was without health insurance.

Gail Jennings, an epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health said race, lack of higher education and poverty are all risk factors that “predict poor health outcomes.”

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Source: Virginia Division of Health Statistics

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Battling Breast Cancer

Mullen said while the health district does not have any special programs addressing breast cancer, the department does try to make women aware of screenings and treatment opportunities.

“When people come in for family planning appointments, breast care is always addressed,” Mullen said.

Mullen said women who meet income requirements are referred to the Every Woman’s Life program, a federally-mandated program that offers breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings to women with low-incomes.

Domenick Casuccio, a regional communications and marketing director for the American Cancer Society, said programs to help women diagnosed with breast cancer in the Portsmouth area are strong; however, reaching women is a different story.

Cassuccio said African-Americans have a higher incidence of cancers “across the board” and typically have a higher mortality rate. He too said the two main mortality factors are income and race.

Cassuccio said a lot of women are not aware of the Every Woman’s Life program and other opportunities to received free mammograms.

“Typically there’s more available that what you think.”

Aug. 1, 2009

By Corey Byers

Growing up Chinese in Richmond wasn’t easy for John Kang, he was ashamed of it. As one of a handful of Asian students in the schools he attended, he was often influenced by American stereotypes of what a Chinese person should be.
But Kang, 37, doesn’t want his children to grow up with that same sense of the Chinese culture. Kahn, whose parents are originally from China, practices acupuncture and herbal medicine here on Old Richmond Avenue.

For the past two years Kahn has served as the president of the Richmond Chinese Network in an effort to further networking and cultural opportunities for Chinese-Americans. Known as the Organization for Chinese Americans since 1978, Kahn’s goal is to make it feel more inclusive.

A Growing Community

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the Chinese population in the city jumped 30 percent from 2000 to 2007.

Kahn doubts the accuracy of U.S. Census numbers and believes the actual population of Chinese in the city is quite higher than the 3,221 that were reported between 2005 and 2007. Due to factors such as a fluid population and neglect by illegal immigrants to fill out census paperwork, he believes the true head-count is somewhere closer to 10,000.

Why are Chinese immigrants choosing to come to Richmond?

Kahn said it’s mainly for employment and education. The city has a few companies, as well as the state government, that often hire Chinese citizens to come work in Virginia’s capital.

“Richmond is often a first stop for people who have large employers,” Kahn said. He added that ethnic Chinese individuals may find a job elsewhere and move, or settle down to start a family—either way, he wants to bring together as many people as possible from the city’s Chinese community.

Kahn said the organization wants to help people find opportunities in Richmond as well as help people grow their businesses. Group members come from approximately 100 households, though several thousand people are contacted for various events through e-mails and associations with other Chinese organizations. The group has a page on the online social networking site Facebook.

“Richmond has its good parts as to why people come,” Kahn said. “Part of the reason for the organization is to get people to stay.”

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Listen to a podcast of Richmond Chinese Network board member Sophia Hsu as she describes the organization.

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Informal Networking

Chinese who are new to Richmond don’t always join a formal group such as the Richmond Chinese Network to reach out to others in the community.

Jamie Wong recently earned a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He to the U.S. from northeast China two years ago to attend school and ended up landing a job in Richmond. He said many students from China will come to the U.S. for graduate school and “work very hard.”

While Wong said Richmond lacks entertainment opportunities, his networking has been informal with others in the Chinese community. He gets together with friends for karaoke, games of Mah Jong and potluck dinners with traditional Chinese cuisine.

However, other than those infrequent meetings, his schedule is packed.

Wong said there’s pressure on foreign nationals to keep a job here. He was able to find his job out of graduate school through informal networking and his company has business ties with contacts in China.

Of foreign nationals he said, “If they lose their job, they lose everything.”

For now, Wong is working two jobs, one part-time and one full-time. He plans on staying here for five years to get work experience and earn money and doesn’t rule out staying in the city if he ends up having a family.

“Chinese Americans don’t settle very long in one place unless they have a family.”

Building Families

Richmond resident Eric Lin, a second generation Chinese-American, represents the Chinese community for the Asian American Society of Central Virginia. Lin said the organization plans on hosting an education forum for Asian families and local school officials so the two groups can exchange information about the educational process in the U.S.

Lin, who is also affiliated with the Richmond Chinese Network, said that in China there is a very strong emphasis on education.
“That’s the way people think,” Lin said. “Education is the better way to go to achieve a better life.”

Lin noted that the school systems in America are different from those in China and parents may not feel as though schools are preparing their children as much as they should. Bringing families together with school officials is a way to educate immigrant parents.

Personally, Lin said that as a parent he wants his children well educated and will do what it takes to make that happen.

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TT Lounge on West Cary Street in Richmond serves Boba tea.

Watch an audio slideshow on a popular drink in Richmond that’s native to China.

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Keeping Culture Alive

Another member of the Richmond Chinese Network, Sophia Hsu, said she and her husband, who is Jewish, plan on educating their children in both Chinese and Jewish customs such as learning the languages.

Hsu said the network brings together the older and younger generations for various cultural events such as celebrating the Chinese New Year. She said the network also serves as a way to help people adjust to life in Richmond and offers social opportunities for families and young professionals.

Kahn said he and his wife, who is Japanese, want their two daughters to learn both languages and watch culture-based television shows like Nickelodeon’s Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.

Kahn’s efforts with the network, and within his own family, are all aimed at bringing together cultures without stereotypes or shame.
“I want my kids to transition between groups seamlessly.”

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(Originally posted on http://coreybyers.wordpress.com/ on Aug.1, 2009)