Scott's Addition may soon get its long-awaited park

State of play: The owners of Christie's Fine Gardening & Creative Landscapes on Norfolk Street are donating a portion of their adjacent lot to the Capital Region Land Conservancy, CRLC announced last week.

• Once the transfer is complete, CRLC will work with the city to ensure the half-acre near Brambly Park and The Veil is protected from development and forever preserved as a public green space.

Zoom in: Ensuring all Richmonders are within a 10-minute walk of a park or green space is part of the city's long-term vision and a specific goal for Mayor Avula, the mayor said in a statement.

• As an undeveloped space, the park should also help cool the neighborhood by reducing the urban heat island effect that comes from a lack of trees and a lot of concrete, a particular challenge for Scott's Addition, CRLC notes.

The intrigue: The transfer of the property is part gift and part sale with CRLC paying $600,000 for a portion of it.

• Christie's Fine Gardening owners Christie and Kevin Barry said that while they wanted to help create more green space in the neighborhood, they also needed a little help with rising real estate taxes.

• Since the couple bought the property, their assessment has gone from $241,000 in 2012 to $1.77 million this year, per property records — a 634% increase.

What's next: The transaction is expected to close later this year and is contingent on CRLC's Board approval and it raising the rest of the $600,000.

• $250,000 has already been committed, per the group.