Some Richmond residents call Mayo Bridge “harrowing” and “treacherous” to walk across because the skinny sidewalk offers little buffer between pedestrians and cars. But that doesn’t stop Tricia Pearsall from walking across the bridge, which crosses over Mayo Island in the James River, to go fishing from the river’s shore. She can’t access the island itself. Graffiti covers its fenced-off buildings, and weeds are left to flourish in every crack of asphalt. But that’s soon to change.
Richmond City Council approved a conservation easement for the island on July 28 to protect it from future development.
This puts the city another step closer to executing the park plan approved by the Richmond Urban Design Committee in May. The island, which has long functioned as a derelict and former industrial space, will be transformed to offer visitors a walking trail, river access and green space. As for the James River, the park will work double time to also reduce nutrient pollution from stormwater runoff.
“The James has its difficulties, but it is one of the major tributaries of the [Chesapeake] Bay,” Richmond resident Pearsall said. “What goes on in our island here also impacts what happens downstream, so I hope everybody understands how important this is.”…