Scott’s Addition is getting another pocket park, and it started with a garden

Scott’s Addition has gained thousands of residents, hundreds of apartments, and more breweries than most people can name. What it hasn’t gained, in any meaningful way, is grass.

That’s about to change. Christie and Kevin Barry, who’ve run Christie’s Fine Gardening & Creative Landscapes out of 3420 Norfolk Street for more than twenty years, have signed a letter of intent to transfer their 0.43-acre property to the Capital Region Land Conservancy. Under the agreement, CRLC will pay $600,000 for the land through ROCA CASA LLC, and the Barrys will donate the rest of its value as a gift. Once the deal closes, CRLC will work with the Greater Scott’s Addition Association and the City of Richmond to restrict future development and preserve the parcel as open space in perpetuity.

The assessment history tells the story of the neighborhood around them. When the Barrys bought the land in 2012, it was valued at $241,000. Today it’s assessed at $1,777,000. Warehouses became apartments. Industrial buildings became tasting rooms. The neighborhood boomed, but the tree canopy didn’t follow.

Why a half-acre matters here

Scott’s Addition runs about 15 degrees hotter than most other parts of Richmond, a byproduct of all that pavement, all those rooftops, and a shortage of tree cover. The Greater Scott’s Addition Association has been working with the city and Groundwork RVA on tree plantings to chip away at the urban heat island effect, but the Richmond 300 comprehensive plan is explicit about what the area still needs: neighborhood parks, small public spaces where community life can actually happen.

The Science Museum of Virginia opened The Green. The Diamond District has greenspace baked into its plans. Christie’s Garden, as the future park will be known, fills in another piece.

“We are so happy to gift a garden to the people in Scott’s Addition,” Christie and Kevin Barry said in a joint statement. “We believe that being in touch with nature uplifts people and their spirits in all aspects of life.”

According to the Trust for Public Land’s ParkServe model, nearly 3,000 residents already live within a 10-minute walk of the site, and more than 600 current residents will gain that access once the park is established. With more apartments coming online nearby, that number will keep climbing.

A quality-of-life gap, finally closing

Parker C. Agelasto, CRLC’s executive director, framed the Barrys’ decision as an extension of the work they’ve been doing on the property for decades. “The Barrys understand the healing benefits that access to outdoor greenspaces have for us all and have devoted their work and now their land to providing these benefits to the community,” he said. “The addition of this half-acre, though small, is an important step in helping address the void of greenspace.”

Mayor Danny Avula tied the project to his administration’s broader park access goals. “Creating a new park in Scott’s Addition is a meaningful step toward advancing the goals outlined in the Mayor’s Action Plan and ensuring more Richmonders are within a 10-minute walk of a park,” he said. “This investment reflects our commitment to improving quality of life, promoting environmental sustainability, and expanding equitable access to outdoor spaces for everyone who calls Richmond home.”

Second District City Council Member Katherine Jordan, whose district includes Scott’s Addition, called the preservation “a huge win for the neighborhood.” She pointed to the pandemic as a turning point for how residents think about public greenspace. “COVID highlighted the vital importance of parks,” Jordan said. “Scott’s Addition has long been short on this type of quality-of-life amenity. I’m thrilled by the further greening of one of our most heat-challenged neighborhoods.”

Dr. Jeremy S. Hoffman, president of the Greater Scott’s Addition Association, said Christie’s Garden will be the fourth park the organization has helped bring to the neighborhood since 2018. Once complete, every corner of historic Scott’s Addition will sit within a 10-minute walk of a park or greenspace. “We need this investment now as our community continues to grow,” Hoffman said.

What’s next

The transaction is expected to close later this year, but it depends on CRLC raising the necessary funding and receiving board approval. $250,000 has already been committed. The conservancy is asking donors to contribute to a restricted fund dedicated specifically to acquiring the property and securing greenspace in Scott’s Addition.