Street in Richmond’s Carver neighborhood is set for widening

An alley-like street in Richmond's Carver neighborhood is slated for widening and might spell the demolition of several homes.

City officials said the design work to widen the 1200 block of Catherine Street, between Harrison and Norton streets, is preliminary and there has been no determination that the four rental properties will have to come down.

The Department of Public Works expects to finish surveys this fall that will clarify whether the homes are needed, as well as the project's timetable, city spokesman Michael Wallace said. The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority would buy the property if it's needed. City records list the owner as Leigh Rentals LLC.

Wallace said widening Catherine is a goal of the Neighborhoods in Bloom revitalization program for Carver, but he was unable to explain why that block was selected over other narrow portions of the street.

Garland W. Curtis, acting vice president of real estate and community development for the RRHA, said any decision to tear down homes would follow a review by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The agency approved the Carver Residential Historic District in 2002 based in part on a survey that listed more than 300 contributing structures, including the homes in Catherine's 1200 block.

"Given the development that has already occurred in that neighborhood and the fact that this portion of Catherine Street narrows and is out of line with the rest of Catherine Street, [the widening] is appropriate and has the widespread support of the community," Curtis said in a statement released in response to questions last week.

H. Charleen Baylor, president of the Carver Area Civic Improvement League, said the street widening is key to the community's revitalization efforts and would encourage infill development along Catherine and Leigh streets.

"This is a project that has been on the books for a while," she said. "Everybody thinks it's an alley, but it's a street."

The four two-story homes, which include a three-unit row, were built around 1900, according to a survey filed for the Carver Residential Historic District. The homes sit close to the street on the block's south side. The north side is vacant.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or .