Richmond's Suburban Developments

[I miss RVA]

16 minutes ago, blopp1234 said:

Gotta say this is poor journalism by WRIC.
 

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time they've ventured into those rather choppy waters. 

[I miss RVA]

Nice project snapshot in today's RBS featuring the Ainsworth redevelopment of the former Laural Park Shopping Center (Woodman and Hungary roads in Laurel).  Ainsworth will have 278 apartments, 72 rental townhomes and a retail building. Wow - that's a MAJOR uptick in density for this largely single-family detached house legacy suburb. Construction is cranking away. The first townhomes are slated to be delivered this summer with full buildout of the complex by mid-2024.

Personal fun fact:  I owned a neat little house just off Hungary Road, a little over a half mile east of this site. It was the last place I lived in metro Richmond prior to moving to Chicago in 2001. My ex-wife and I used to go to the Laurel Park Shopping Center all the time. So this is one of my old neighborhoods!

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/02/24/project-snapshot-laurel-park-redevelopment-rising-in-henrico/

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Child2021]

Rode past the Surf Park project, and it seems like they are finally getting ready to connect the site to local infrastructure. 

[I miss RVA]

Full speed ahead for the planned Cloverleah development at the interchange of Hull Street Road and the 288 beltway. The land sale was completed on Friday. Next up for this huge project - 400 homes, including 230 condominiums.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/02/27/8m-land-deal-sets-stage-for-100-acre-cloverleigh-project-near-brandermill/

[I miss RVA]

Finks Jewelers set to anchor retail portion of the West Village project in Short Pump. Development will include 50,000 square feet of commercial space and 100 two-over-two condos. Nice looking development. A lot more surface parking than I would prefer, but I do like the density that the condo development will bring. Construction started last month on the retail/commercial portion, and condo construction is slated to begin later this year.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/02/28/rebkee-digs-in-on-new-short-pump-project-with-finks-as-anchor-tenant/

Edited February 28, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

Reston-based Stanley Martin Homes has purchased two parcels that include Rockwood Golf Park and are about halfway to assembling all of the land needed for their planned 322-unit condo and townhouse project. On tap: 236 two-over-two condos and 86 townhouses. This will bring some nice density to Hull Street Road, just west of Courthouse Road.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/02/28/stanley-martin-acquires-portion-of-rockwood-redevelopment-site-for-2-5m/

Edited February 28, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

Pretty sure we have something on this project earlier in the thread - but figured since RBS featured it this morning, it's worth mentioning: The 160-unit income-based "288 Lofts" apartment complex is currently under construction in Midlothian off U.S. 60 at the interchange with the 288 beltway (on the northeast side of the interchange) across the highway from Westchester Commons.

One reader posted an astute comment: it is interesting that income-based housing would be built here where currently there is no public transportation. My question is: will developments such as this positively impact the prospects of GRTV/CVTA running a PULSE BRT line out to Midlothian?

From today's Richmond BizSense:

 

[plain]

As much as we need affordable housing in the Metro, I too am also questioning this project at this location. Even if GRTC were to be extended this far down Midlothian Tpk (and if it were just a regular bus), where would the stop(s) go? Certainly not right at that interchange. If the county wants some affordable housing (as it should), there's far better places to put it than this particular corner.

[I miss RVA]

30 minutes ago, plain said:

As much as we need affordable housing in the Metro, I too am also questioning this project at this location. Even if GRTC were to be extended this far down Midlothian Tpk (and if it were just a regular bus), where would the stop(s) go? Certainly not right at that interchange. If the county wants some affordable housing (as it should), there's far better places to put it than this particular corner.

Yep - agreed there. This is a very interesting place to locate affordable housing. Really off the beaten path relative to available mass transit. If memory serves (and I can't recall specifics at the moment), there are similar developments in Henrico - affordable housing solutions being constructed in car-centric suburbs dominated by extremely pedestrian UN-friendly "stroads". Without significant expansion of GRTC into the suburbs -- and whether this takes the form of the BRT or regular local bus service, a lot of folks who might not have access to cars are going to be on transit islands. The counties would be well-served to seriously consider upgrading their participation in both GRTC and the CVTA to spur the needed changes that will help these segments of the population and the growing communities in the increasingly farther reaches of suburbia.

[Flood Zone]

2 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

My question is: will developments such as this positively impact the prospects of GRTV/CVTA running a PULSE BRT line out to Midlothian?

I'm not a betting man, but all-in on "No, it won't."

[eandslee]

Anyone heard of this project before now?  Sounds like a great project:

https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/affordable-housing-community-proposed-in-northern-henrico/
 

It’s interesting that this project involves a partnership. Seems like that’s the way to go these days to help spread the risk to developers and helps secure financing to cover the cost of construction.  
 

Edited March 7, 2023 by eandslee

[plain]

1 hour ago, eandslee said:

Anyone heard of this project before now?  Sounds like a great project:

https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/affordable-housing-community-proposed-in-northern-henrico/
 

It’s interesting that this project involves a partnership. Seems like that’s the way to go these days to help spread the risk to developers and helps secure financing to cover the cost of construction.  
 

Sounds good. Hopefully it'll get through. I would love to see something like this on Chamberlayne in the county (this rendering in the picture is obviously the development on Broad just west of I-195 in the city).

 

"Just north of Brook Hill Cir" will put it next to the Chamberlayne Rd/I-95 interchange. Looking at the satellite imagery, looks like they're eyeing the woods on the north side of Upham Brook.

[rjp212]

I'm amazed that with all the data out there, we continue to push affordable housing only into certain areas.   I'd love to hear of an affordable project in the West End, Short Pump, or Moseley.   Mixed income would work great in Innsbrook with the bus routes and job centers.

Edited March 7, 2023 by rjp212

[blopp1234]

There’s a very clear reason as to why areas like Short Pump, West End and Moseley don’t have affordable housing.

 

Nimby’s don’t like apartments or poor people living near them.

 

Every apartment complex that has been proposed in Moseley has dealt with Nimbys claiming that it is Section 8 housing and that it will lower their property values, even though most of the apartments built in those areas have monthly rents higher than most peoples mortgages. It’s all just people being scared of change and spreading misinformation in order to rile people up to stop change.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, blopp1234 said:

There’s a very clear reason as to why areas like Short Pump, West End and Moseley don’t have affordable housing.

 

Nimby’s don’t like apartments or poor people living near them.

 

Every apartment complex that has been proposed in Moseley has dealt with Nimbys claiming that it is Section 8 housing and that it will lower their property values, even though most of the apartments built in those areas have monthly rents higher than most peoples mortgages. It’s all just people being scared of change and spreading misinformation in order to rile people up to stop change.

Unfortunately, this is the truth, whether or not we want to admit it.

[Icetera]

On 3/7/2023 at 7:16 AM, eandslee said:

Anyone heard of this project before now?  Sounds like a great project:

https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/affordable-housing-community-proposed-in-northern-henrico/
 

It’s interesting that this project involves a partnership. Seems like that’s the way to go these days to help spread the risk to developers and helps secure financing to cover the cost of construction.  
 

This is going on the leveled hotel property adjacent to the Super 8.

https://henrico.us/pdfs/planning/2023/mar23/rez/rez2023-00003.pdf

 

[plain]

2 minutes ago, Icetera said:

This is going on the leveled hotel property adjacent to the Super 8.

https://henrico.us/pdfs/planning/2023/mar23/rez/rez2023-00003.pdf

 

Oh ok thanks. I assumed it was going on the wooded area. I was kinda hoping it would front the access road (long ways) but it's going to be great nonetheless!

[Shakman]

56 minutes ago, Icetera said:

This is going on the leveled hotel property adjacent to the Super 8.

https://henrico.us/pdfs/planning/2023/mar23/rez/rez2023-00003.pdf

 

Oh my.  All that surface parking.  

Edited March 8, 2023 by Shakman

[I miss RVA]

14 minutes ago, Shakman said:

Oh my.  All that surface parking.  

100% agreed. Wow... nice density but not the "urban" footprint we might've been hoping for.

[wrldcoupe4]

This is  suburban location. Am I missing something? Does structured parking allow a developer to provide housing at a more affordable cost?

[Shakman]

I have seen plenty of affordable housing developments with structured parking in suburban locations.  Having structured parking could provide space for more affordable housing and additional amenities in this development.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Shakman

[I miss RVA]

1 minute ago, Shakman said:

I have seen plenty of affordable housing developments with structured parking in suburban locations.

QUESTION: Here, in metro Richmond, or in other locations? Seems like a lot of things that work in other (read that as "larger") markets -- for whatever reason -- simply don't pencil in Richmond (YET!)

[Shakman]

5 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

QUESTION: Here, in metro Richmond, or in other locations? Seems like a lot of things that work in other (read that as "larger") markets -- for whatever reason -- simply don't pencil in Richmond (YET!)

In other metropolitan areas.  Of course it can be done in metro Richmond.  Take the initiative and let's start.  It's not going to happen without starting.

[I miss RVA]

6 minutes ago, Shakman said:

In other metropolitan areas.  Of course it can be done in metro Richmond.  Take the initiative and let's start.  It's not going to happen without starting.

Oh I agree with you, certainly in principle. However, developers hinge everything on bottom line - and RVA's market size tends to truncate a lot of what is done in other metropolitan areas. We don't yet have the economic drivers that justify certain levels of increased construction investments (integrated/structured parking costs quite a bit more than a simple paved surface lot) - so in order to get projects to pencil, developers have to cut costs where they can - which I take it is why we see more buildings that are shorter and wider - that is, larger footprint, fewer floors, whereas other cities often have buildings of similar use (for example, multi-family residential) that are taller and narrower (many more floors on a similarly-sized -- or smaller -- footprint). In this case, you'll see structured/integrated parking in, say, NOVA, whereas a similar project in metro RVA will have only surface lots.

It's all a matter of cost, ROI, profitability. And, unfortunately, our truncated market size has a LOT to do with that.

Edited March 9, 2023 by I miss RVA

[wrldcoupe4]

Sorry, I'm probably just obtuse, but while it is possible to provide structured parking, it seems like building a structure that is less expensive would allow more affordable rents. Perhaps there was a government subsidy to provide structured parking versus surface parking in those other situations but not in this situation?