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Ask the Mayor

There is a piece of business property which is no longer in operation that I think would make a beautiful community garden and it would relieve the owner of having to mow the property. How do I go about finding the name and address of the owner? Can you suggest places to research that would provide opportunities for community gardening?

-- Cecilia Neas, Northside  

You can look up the owner of any City parcel on the City's GIS (Geographic Information Systems) page ( click here ) and locate information about that property.

You can check with Tricycle Gardens , a local non-profit group, that helps citizens design, build, and support community gardens. They have helped establish gardens in the Oregon Hill, Carver, Fulton Hill, and Church Hill neighborhoods.

What's the deal with the Downtown Master Plan? It was last summer when it started (I know because I went to the planning sessions) so it has been almost 15 months. Will it ever be passed and what happens if it is not? Did we waste all that time for nothing?

-- Joe Springfield, West End

The Downtown Master Plan was approved by the Planning Commission on July 21 and is now up for a vote by City Council on October 13. State law requires that approval or rejection of the Master Plan must occur within 90 days, which will be October 21.

City Council must pass the plan approved by the Planning Commission and can add amendments to alter the plan at a later date. If Council amends the plan before its October 13 meeting, it will effectively kill the plan because any major changes would have to be approved by the Planning Commission, which does not meet before October 21.

In that case, the entire process must begin again with Planning Commission hearings, public meetings, and Council discussion, all of which may delay approval of the plan until 2009.

I would urge you to contact your Council representative and tell them to pass the plan on Oct. 13 and make any amendments later, as necessary. The citizens have worked hard and waited patiently for this plan, and it should pass without further delays.

I will be out of town on election day and I know it is so important to vote with races for President and Mayor on the ballot. What is the procedure and when is the deadline for registering to vote beforehand?

-- Andrew Sheehan, Northside

You must be registered to vote in the November 4 election. Registration forms are available from the Office of the General Registrar on the first floor of City Hall but must be completed and turned in or postmarked no later than Monday, October 6.

The deadline for registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot by mail

is 5:00pm on Tuesday, October 28. The deadline to apply and cast your vote in person is Sat., November 1.

You can choose this option to avoid the long lines and waiting times expected on November 4. For more information visit the City Registrar's web site or the Virginia State Board of Elections web site .

Seeing a recent news article about VCU's possible purchase of the Theatre Row building, is there a way we can keep City-owned property on the tax rolls? Perhaps offering incentives for renters?

-- Travis Barton, Southside

No agreement has been discussed to sell the Theatre Row building, only that an offer has been extended. There are no plans to sell the building at this time.

The City aims to maximize the value of all of its real estate assets and routinely evaluates real estate strategies to achieve that goal. A normal part of that evaluation process includes analyzing "hold" vs. "sell" strategies.

Mayor Wilder wishes to thank the public for its overwhelming outpouring of concern and support through "Ask the Mayor." Your feedback is important and Mayor Wilder wants you to know that your views will be taken into consideration as issues are examined. Please note that the mayor refrains from responding to specific questions relating to employment, personnel issues, private business proposals or policy matters within the jurisdiction of the state and federal levels of government. Click here to submit your questions to Mayor Wilder.