VCU Developments

[wrldcoupe4]

Soon... I think Richmond will be renamed VCU their construction blitzkrieg is like the energizer bunny!

ahh well, at least we're looking at another $150 million of investment downtown :

VCU and RCH to build new Children's Hospital

VCU Health System and Children's Hospital of Richmond have announced a partnership to build a free-standing comprehensive children's hospital on the VCU medical campus.

Click Here.

Plans are to build the hospital and a parking garage on the block bordered by 10th and 11th, and Marshall and Broad streets. The cost is estimated to be anywhere from $100 million to $150 million, said Leslie G. Wyatt, president and chief executive officer of Children's Hospital of Richmond.

[wrldcoupe4]

as of right now, I believe that there is simply a parking lot on the site where they are proposing to build this new hospital. to give you an idea of where it will be:

downtown map

I wonder if there will be any height to the building. It wouldn't look out of place, considering it will be next to city hall.

I guess we'll find out more in the paper tomorrow.

time to tally up another $150 million for that downtown revitalization

ahh here we go... it'll be directly across the street from Old City Hall.

As you can tell in the foreground, nothing has to be torn down because it is a surface lot!

by the way...the pic is courtesy of RyanR of RCW....thanks!

Edited November 29, 2005 by wrldcoupe4

[PeninsulaKiddo]

...Wowwwww. I had no idea that VCU had such a huge impact on the city and its revitalization. I did know it was big, but not THAT big.

And to think... my application for VCU goes out in the mail in 2 days...

[wrldcoupe4]

oops! correction... on the north end of the block is the VCUHS Children's Pavillion...so I guess they'll either tear it down or incorporate it into the new structure.

Peninsula....first off, glad you ventured over to the Richmond forum! Second, VCU is a massive contributor to the city's revitalization.

Besides the hundreds of millions of dollars they've already spent in recent years, they are currently working on the following:

***$200+ million Monroe Park Campus Expansion... including:

The School of Business, $42.07 million; Phase II, School of Engineering, $42.8 million project, new home of the VCU Adcenter, a renovation of the Belting Building, student housing, an underground parking deck, and an executive training conference center.

***VCU Medical Center Expansions....The $17 million nursing school will replace the old one at 1220 E. Broad St. The $160 million, 356,000 square-foot critical-care hospital will have 15 stories. The $30 million Massey addition will house research facilities. The $18 million parking deck is at North Eighth and Duval streets. Plus this new $100-150 million children's hospital.

there are also a few other projects in the works that I can't remember at the moment....not to mention all of the new investment that has sprung up around VCU's investments! It's been great!

[PeninsulaKiddo]

oops! correction... on the north end of the block is the VCUHS Children's Pavillion...so I guess they'll either tear it down or incorporate it into the new structure.

Peninsula....first off, glad you ventured over to the Richmond forum! Second, VCU is a massive contributor to the city's revitalization.

Besides the hundreds of millions of dollars they've already spent in recent years, they are currently working on the following:

***$200+ million Monroe Park Campus Expansion... including:

The School of Business, $42.07 million; Phase II, School of Engineering, $42.8 million project, new home of the VCU Adcenter, a renovation of the Belting Building, student housing, an underground parking deck, and an executive training conference center.

***VCU Medical Center Expansions....The $17 million nursing school will replace the old one at 1220 E. Broad St. The $160 million, 356,000 square-foot critical-care hospital will have 15 stories. The $30 million Massey addition will house research facilities. The $18 million parking deck is at North Eighth and Duval streets. Plus this new $100-150 million children's hospital.

there are also a few other projects in the works that I can't remember at the moment....not to mention all of the new investment that has sprung up around VCU's investments! It's been great!

Thanks much for the detailed info! VCU making "a big impact on Downtown Richmond" is a bit of an understatement!

I'm mostly interested in pre-medicine so hearing about the huge investments there is pretty awesome I've ventured into the Richmond forums a few times, just haven't posted much lol.

[wrldcoupe4]

haha well don't hesitate to post here. It's a little lonesome in the Richmond forum sometimes...

VCU is definitely a good place for med school.. I think the g/f wants to go there for Dentistry or Pediatrics...

VCU Medical Center is HUGE... over 800 beds easily. With the new expansions, that will only grow significantly.

good luck on the application process!

[burt]

Thanks much for the detailed info! VCU making "a big impact on Downtown Richmond" is a bit of an understatement!

I'm mostly interested in pre-medicine so hearing about the huge investments there is pretty awesome I've ventured into the Richmond forums a few times, just haven't posted much lol.

Peninsula Kiddo, if you happen to major in cosmetic surgery, will you oversee my facelift upon graduation from VCU Medical? God knows, I need one!.

Welcome to the forum that is positive. That other Richmond Forum is so, if not bitter, cynical. No humor whatsoever!

[wrldcoupe4]

rendering of the new children's hospital, to be built by 2011:

[wrldcoupe4]

Philip Morris gives $2.2 million to VCU for Monroe Park Campus Expansion

excerpt:

"We value VCU's collaborative approach to preparing a highly qualified work force and its contributions to the economic transformation of the city -- a commitment shared by Philip Morris USA through our investment in the new Center for Research and Technology," said Michael E. Szymanczyk, chairman and CEO of Philip Morris.

The new research center, near VCU Medical Center, will represent an investment of $300 million and is expected to employ more than 700.

[wrldcoupe4]

VCU has $1 Billion in Projects Planned or Underway

Video also in the link...

One billion dollars in new developments are coming in and around downtown Richmond. It's all part of Virginia Commonwealth University's expansion and the university hopes the projects will give a boost to the city.

When the university spent $100 million on Broad Street, it spurred $100 million of private investment. With $1 billion in projects on the way, the impact on downtown could be immense.....

VCU also wants to double the number of graduate students and doctoral students it currently has enrollled. University President Trani believes that the University can currently support up to 33,000 students.

The university says it can handle around 4,000 more students, but don't expect more than that. Dr. Trani says, “We think 33,000 is a very good number for us."

It could prove to be a very good number for downtown Richmond as well. Dr. Trani says the university is working with the Carver and Jackson Ward neighborhoods to make sure the growth doesn't hurt residents there.

Dr. Trani says the goal is to add research and graduate student programs, leading to more jobs and development for the city.

The story also mentioned that if VCU moves forward in tearing down the West Hospital, it will replace it with a new $200+ million school of medicine.

Projects underway/planned:

$250 million Monroe Park Expansion (4-6 stories)

$150 million new Children's hospital (9+ stories)

$160+ million Critical Care Tower (15 stories)

$17 million Nursing School

$30 million Massey Cancer Center expansion

$200 million School of Medicine tower

$11 million Parking Deck

plus, the story includes the Philip Morris R&D facility, I'm assuming because the Biotech park is almost a part of VCU...

Not to mention plans for a downtown law campus that VCU and UofR are collaborating on...

Edited January 25, 2006 by wrldcoupe4

[Cadeho]

Welcome to the City of VCU!

I like what they're doing, but don't touch the West Hospital.

[wrldcoupe4]

Yeah.. I hope they can find a way to salvage west hospital. Could VCU build on the site of the lottery building that was never constructed?

[burt]

Yeah.. I hope they can find a way to salvage west hospital. Could VCU build on the site of the lottery building that was never constructed?

Hmmmm! I responded to this and submitted the post, but it didn't come up. Probably just as well, because I expressed a different viewpoint.

[wrldcoupe4]

I like hearing different viewpoints

[burt]

I like hearing different viewpoints

My comment was that while I love the old building (I watched it being built!), a World-Class Medical facility needs contiguous spaces for quick access and proper-sized and arranged floors, labs, ORs, etc. If making VCU Medical a first rate ranking medical facility requires demolition and construction of up-to-date spaces, I say that's the price. I'm sure the people who work there know that while at the same time they will mourn the loss of a Richmond treasure.

[eandslee]

My comment was that while I love the old building (I watched it being built!), a World-Class Medical facility needs contiguous spaces for quick access and proper-sized and arranged floors, labs, ORs, etc. If making VCU Medical a first rate ranking medical facility requires demolition and construction of up-to-date spaces, I say that's the price. I'm sure the people who work there know that while at the same time they will mourn the loss of a Richmond treasure.

I was born in that hospital, but I agree that it is more important that VCU be up-to-date with it facilities than for me to be able to look at that building and say, "hey, that's where I was born." It's the 21st century and VCU at some time or another will have to demolish old buildings that are not up to par. I have no hard feelings for them wanting to demolish the building.

[wrldcoupe4]

Another VCU project in the planning stages.....

the $60 million Medical Sciences Building II

This isn't a rendering persay, it's a graphic to show the massing of the building. The design should be much different:

It will be built on the site of the old Nursing School.

[Cadeho]

As said before, it can be tranformed into student and guest housing.

I've come to the conclusion MCV started in the wrong part of town. It destroyed Court End and is threatening to snuff out the rest of it. VCU can buy up more land, believe me. They could take up the rest of the valley. I'd rather see highrises coming up in the valley than the jail and no-name industrial places.

They have other places they could tear down. A building such as the West Hospital can never be duplicated and given how Richmond's architects are, they'd never be able to pull anything off of style. When will VCU destroy First Baptist and that house at College and Broad? Luckily Monumental Church and the Egyptian Building are protected and I believe First African is. They'd wipe those treasures off the face of the earth if they could. Heck they still can! If they were pressuring the Museum of the Confderacy to move along with the White House, they could still have the others moved. They have to grow right? Where will they stop?

Edited January 28, 2006 by Cadeho

[burt]

VCU has bought the Belvidere Street on ramp to the Downtown Expressway's west-bound lanes from Richmond Metropolitan Authority. Only 1200 cars use the ramp daily, and when a hearing was held, no one showed up to protest.

VCU will build an 800-car parking deck with a direct ramp to the Expressway which it thinks will be of huge benefit to its students on the new campus.

Edited January 28, 2006 by burt

[Cadeho]

Yeah no one cares about a ramp. Every time I've walked that area, I've never seen anyone use it. I think I may have used it once... or maybe not. I usually use the one on Canal or Idlewood.

[wrldcoupe4]

[eandslee]

Cool graphic Coupe! I wonder how the Centennial Towers will appear in that rendering of the Monroe Campus? I can't wait to see some of these project build up and get finished!

[urbanvb]

very nice for sure.

[burt]

I think the graphic for Monroe campus is a bit out-dated because the tower has been eliminated.

I wouldn't be surprised if skywalks were built across Belvidere Street. Traffic is very heavy on that thoroughfare.

[wrldcoupe4]

True, but the rendering gives one an idea of how much massing is in this new expansion.