VCU Developments

[Icetera]

On 5/22/2021 at 6:37 AM, eandslee said:

I think it’s interesting that it says that it is the Center for Adult Critical Care when in the rendering it has the word “Children’s” at the top.

I think they are using the visibility from I-95 to advertise those facilities rather than indicate the use of the building itself.

EDIT:  Looking into the project details, the tower does have an abundance of pediatric units so perhaps this is an earlier concept before they moved forward with the Children's Hospital expansion. 

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, Icetera said:

EDIT:  Looking into the project details, the tower does have an abundance of pediatric units so perhaps this is an earlier concept before they moved forward with the Children's Hospital expansion. 

Makes sense. Perhaps this is why this project is seemingly off the table right now.  Well, there room for expansion if they need it!

[skinsfan]

He said that they’re not working on it anymore since they pulled the Children’s part out and added it to the existing facility. Now that’s not to say that the building isn’t happening of course. Just that he’s not part of it. 

[Hike]

Ok eyes on the ground out there, has the bridge portion of the project been started, in red below?  I'm not usually that keen on bridges, but for some reason, this one seems ok.  I  like the way it's an extension of the same plane and continues along several additional buildings.  Also, I like webcams, but they do leave off quite a lot...like this view.

p.s. this is an old rendering, perhaps it's different or gone?

p.s.s. just answering my own questions, from the VCU outpatient facility webcam, I can see there is no bridge, yet, or is it gone from the project? The new rendering, hard to tell.  

 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Hike

[Icetera]

1 hour ago, Hike said:

Ok eyes on the ground out there, has the bridge portion of the project been started, in red below?  I'm not usually that keen on bridges, but for some reason, this one seems ok.  I  like the way it's an extension of the same plane and continues along several additional buildings.  Also, I like webcams, but they do leave off quite a lot...like this view.

p.s. this is an old rendering, perhaps it's different or gone?

p.s.s. just answering my own questions, from the VCU outpatient facility webcam, I can see there is no bridge, yet, or is it gone from the project? The new rendering, hard to tell.  

The bridge is a key part of the development to connect buildings so I see no indication of it being dropped.  I have not seen work begin on it as of yet.

[blake_p]

2 minutes ago, Icetera said:

The bridge is a key part of the development to connect buildings so I see no indication of it being dropped.  I have not seen work begin on it as of yet.

A while back, the Urban Design Committee reviewed the plans, but I can't find them quickly.  The bridge is going to go diagonally across the intersection of 11th and Marshall, hug the front of Nelson clinic, then turn and connect to the Gateway building.

[Hike]

1 hour ago, blake_p said:

A while back, the Urban Design Committee reviewed the plans, but I can't find them quickly.  The bridge is going to go diagonally across the intersection of 11th and Marshall, hug the front of Nelson clinic, then turn and connect to the Gateway building.

which would be something like in the first image above then if I'm interpreting your description here.

[eandslee]

Let's go back to these renderings a second.  Really?  Why did VCU pick the bottom design?  This is far more hideous than the top design.  The bottom design reminds me of a cartoon character that has a tiny lower body and a huge, muscular upper body!  Just looks weird.

[Blackbird Fly]

The bridge connecting the peds inpatient tower to the main hospital will not drop off. Connection with the main hospital will be mandatory for allowing for quick personnel movement between the peds tower and the main and even to transport patients for imaging such as MRIs. It will also make it faster/more pleasant to move between buildings to take advantage of the main’s cafeteria/restaurants, laundry services etc. I can’t recall if the new tower will include a new peds ED or not, but if not the bridge will also be mandatory for transport patients being admitted. 
 

Overall, I agree it does look nice in the renderings. 

[blake_p]

3 hours ago, Hike said:

which would be something like in the first image above then if I'm interpreting your description here.

I found the link: http://richmondva.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4f3aeae1-8b77-4ebb-8462-a7cca9d38d47.pdf

 

[eandslee]

51 minutes ago, blake_p said:

I found the link: http://richmondva.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4f3aeae1-8b77-4ebb-8462-a7cca9d38d47.pdf

 

Oh, but that composite metal sheathing though...

[Hike]

2 hours ago, blake_p said:

I found the link: http://richmondva.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4f3aeae1-8b77-4ebb-8462-a7cca9d38d47.pdf

 

Not sure what to say, there's a reason this isn't widely distributed and only seen the first time, at least for me.  Just not fond of the angle, I'll call it the jaywalk version, which is illegal and should have been here too. In the original rendering, I felt using the same material made sense as an extension of the hospital and worked, but here, the material needed to change and disengage from the children's hospital.  I can almost feel how this happened, but really I'm sure they spent hours pouring over the layout and getting input from the doctors and administrators, but it looks like an all nighter and the drawings were due in the morning and at 3am the light bulb went off,  "crap, the bridge".

Edited June 2, 2021 by Hike

[Icetera]

17 hours ago, Blackbird Fly said:

I can’t recall if the new tower will include a new peds ED or not

There is a new PEDS ED and Trauma unit.

 

13 hours ago, Hike said:

Not sure what to say, there's a reason this isn't widely distributed and only seen the first time, at least for me.  Just not fond of the angle, I'll call it the jaywalk version, which is illegal and should have been here too.

Think of it as adding rain coverage for those using the crosswalks.

Since it is wrapping around a windowless façade I am perfectly ok with this design, though I do wonder if they ran into structural limitations with the original design going through Sanger Hall (perhaps alignment?).  Given the nature of the business, the walkway is certainly necessary.

[Brent114]

See! It wasn’t topped out a few weeks ago. 
 

[Hike]

1 hour ago, Brent114 said:

See! It wasn’t topped out a few weeks ago. 

I was just noticing that too, also have noticed the mobile cranes presence over the last few days or so, not sure what that one's doing..

[wrldcoupe4]

There is also a mobile crane to the north of campus on the other side of 64/95. I believe they are building a parking structure over there. 

[Hike]

Tower crane at the outpatient hospital is gone, I've been looking at the webcam and it's been there, now gone.  I went back thru the calendar on the web link for the camera and it's been gone since early March.  My link tricked me or something, I've been under the impression the crane was there, perhaps the camera was stuck on a certain day and I never noticed, not sure. I want to blame someone else  for my not noticing this, any ideas, was the camera stuck on a date prior to removal and it just got fixed today...

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Hike

[eandslee]

11 minutes ago, Hike said:

Tower crane at the outpatient hospital is gone.  When did this happen?

 

 

Oh, that’s been gone for a while now. Maybe a little more than a month?  2 months?

[Hike]

1 minute ago, eandslee said:

Oh, that’s been gone for a while now. Maybe a little more than a month?  2 months?

I see that now.  I revised my initial post.  Was that from having been downtown and see that it's gone or from the web camera?  Mine was "stuck" on an image that indicated it was still there until today...

[eandslee]

3 hours ago, Hike said:

I see that now.  I revised my initial post.  Was that from having been downtown and see that it's gone or from the web camera?  Mine was "stuck" on an image that indicated it was still there until today...

I saw it from the webcam…mostly, but I’ve been downtown and have seen it with my own eyes too.  Maybe you need to clear your cache. That is weird though. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by eandslee

[Richmonopoly]

On 6/9/2021 at 1:50 PM, wrldcoupe4 said:

There is also a mobile crane to the north of campus on the other side of 64/95. I believe they are building a parking structure over there. 

I was just going to create a post asking about this, so thanks! 
 

I snapped a photo passing by.  

Just now, Richmonopoly said:

I was just going to create a post asking about this, so thanks! 
 

I snapped a photo passing by.  

A tower on top of that garage would have added a nice aesthetic on the drive up and down 95. 

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, Richmonopoly said:

 

A tower on top of that garage would have added a nice aesthetic on the drive up and down 95. 

I second this!  I drove through last Sunday and thought, “Dang, that would be a very prominent place to build a tower!”  Unfortunately, it’s just a parking deck, but I can tell you that driving north on I-95, it looks amazing. This view is driving south (which also isn’t a bad view).  Like I said, it’s a very prominent perch!

[I miss RVA]

This could be something quite interesting - especially given VCU's penchant for tearing down and building new. Interesting though that an alley runs through the property. I'm curious what might happen there - and if VCU might buy up more of the surface parking immediately adjacent to the lot they just purchased? I'm not holding my breath though -- we've been stung before with much ballyhoo'd potential/proposed developments for highrise residential, office, mixed use along Belvidere -- only to have absolutely NOTHING come of it. Wasn't there a fairly big apartment building - something like 18 stories tall - called "The Belvidere" proposed for somewhere along in that stretch of Belvidere? And what about the 13-story office building for which there were tons of renderings at Belvidere and Broad? I think that's still a vacant parking lot and an abandoned fast-food joint sitting there.

Anyway - I've long been hoping some kind of highrise, high-density, intense development might rise along there - Isn't most of that area along Belvidere and Broad zoned B-4?

https://richmondbizsense.com/2021/09/03/vcu-buys-belvidere-parcels-for-5m-to-add-to-holdings-near-monroe-park/

[wrldcoupe4]

The Belvidere seemed to be a design intended to increase the value prior to VCUREF's approach. I'm not sure that would have ever happened.

[123fakestreet]

15 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

The Belvidere seemed to be a design intended to increase the value prior to VCUREF's approach. I'm not sure that would have ever happened.

Yep that was a scam plan to pretend the owners actually intended to do anything with the property so they could get more money from VCU