Eight winners and 10 honorable mentions offer visions for the town’s historic rail and harbor district
CAPE CHARLES, Va. — Visitors to the Cape Charles Fall Festival this Saturday, Oct. 3, will get a look at how designers, students and everyday citizens imagine the future of the town’s historic railroad and harbor district.
The Town of Cape Charles will put every entry in its Railroad & Harbor Ideas Competition on public display during the festival and recognize the competition’s eight winners and 10 honorable mentions. A jury of professors from the region’s universities met in Cape Charles on Sept. 25 to make the selections.
The winners are Camden Whitehead, Callie Mikita, Ishmam Chowdhury, Jeremy Sommer, Katie Honbarrier, Chris Hazell, Christopher Brause and Hadeel Abdulhadi.
Honorable mentions went to Caroline Griffis, Susan Chartier, Elena Craft, Jeff Lawall, Karen Jolly Davis, Marshall Galliano, Roger Malik, Shelley Davis, Eric Hack and Damion Geist.
A railroad town without a railroad
Cape Charles grew up around the railroad and shipping trade on the Chesapeake Bay. When rail service gave way to the highway and the 17.6-mile bridge-tunnel at the southern tip of the Eastern Shore, the town entered a long period of decline.
The competition was designed to change the conversation about what comes next. Its purpose, according to the town, is to encourage Americans from all walks of life to develop innovative and creative ideas that provide vision for the Master Plan Framework being developed for the railroad and harbor area.
Town officials say they hope the contest will spur public interest in this typical American town — joining legacy and the future, historical context and contemporary thinking — and spark a lively debate about how to shape railroad towns that no longer have a railroad.
How the competition worked
Registration opened May 1, with background materials on the town’s history and the development site posted online. Entry fees were $100 for individuals, $25 for students and $50 for Cape Charles residents.
Each entry was limited to three landscape pages, opening with an abstract of no more than 50 words, and submitted electronically as a PDF. Submissions were due Sept. 18.
During the contest, the town also issued an addendum noting a change involving the railroad easement on the property. The full addendum, along with site plans, site photos, historic photos and the Master Plan Framework, is available on the competition web page.
What comes next
The ideas are meant to inform the town’s Master Plan Framework for the railroad and harbor area rather than serve as final designs. Residents can review the winning and honorable-mention entries in person at the Fall Festival or download them from the town’s website.
Supporters who want to back the effort without competing can donate at four sponsorship levels: Visionary ($2,500), Catalyst ($1,000), Creator ($500) and Enthusiast ($250). Donations can be arranged through Town Treasurer Marion Sofield at (757) 331-3259, ext. 23.
For more information: Visit the competition page at capecharles.org or contact the Cape Charles Planning & Zoning Department, 412 Tazewell Avenue, at (757) 331-3259.
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