Daniel Bluestone leads tour of historic Rock Hill Garden after Hands Across McIntire Park event

Daniel Bluestone of the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park (CPMP) led a tour of the historic Rock Hill Garden landscape - a landscape threatened by the proposed McIntire Road Extended and Route 250 Bypass Interchange at McIntire Road projects. The garden is behind the Park Street building where the Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA) is located. This garden is one of several historic properties that are eligible for listing on the National Register of Histsoric Places and will be negatively impacted by the roadway projects.

About 20 of the 200-300 people who participated in the Hands Across McIntire Park event on September 27 enjoyed the garden and learned much of the history and historic importance of this garden on the tour.

One of the mitigation ideas to limit impacts on this garden from the road projects is to ensure that a dense stand of trees shield the highway from the garden. But, a sewer easement is currently being considered for transfer to Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority that would be forty feet wide and eliminate the possibility of planting large trees in the easement. This easement directly restricts the opportunity to provide screening between the road and the garden. A city council decision on the proposed easement may be on the next City Council agenda on the first Monday in October.