VCU Developments

[Hike]

On 7/9/2022 at 8:21 AM, georgeglass said:

DPR is no longer involved in the block D project. I can't get into all the details, but essentially the developer wanted wood construction to save on costs and DPR doesn't do wood construction.

I should have asked this when we were on the topic earlier, is demolition still underway, was it ever? For some reason I thought the old structures were being demolished in advance of this start.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Hike

[I miss RVA]

On 7/9/2022 at 7:51 AM, wrldcoupe4 said:

 sounds like this is going from worse to worse

It really does sound like this is going downhill and fast. All the more reason I wish, quite frankly, that they'd just scrap this whole thing and start over when City Center starts coming together and/or when costs come back in line with something less prohibitive.

[Icetera]

On 7/9/2022 at 9:21 AM, eandslee said:

I was going to say that this sounds terrible!  20 stories to 5-6 stick framed structure?!  Why even bother?  Hopefully, they will use CLT to make it worth it...and even then...

I imagine the wood framing is just for the hospitality buildings as they would be more like residential construction.  The main office/lab structure likely would still be concrete/steel.

[ancientcarpenter]

18 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

It really does sound like this is going downhill and fast. All the more reason I wish, quite frankly, that they'd just scrap this whole thing and start over when City Center starts coming together and/or when costs come back in line with something less prohibitive.

Agreed. The longer they wait the cheaper the materials seem to be anyways + the more integrated it can be on the City Center total package and vision. 

 

I'd hate for them to build a 10, 15, 20, 30 story glass building and then City Center plans a park next to it... as pretty as it would look, office buildings shouldn't be surrounding a park in my view. It all needs to be planned properly... even position of the sun makes a huge difference for such a large, planned project like City Center. 

Edited July 12, 2022 by ancientcarpenter

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Agreed. The longer they wait the cheaper the materials seem to be anyways + the more integrated it can be on the City Center total package and vision. 

 

I'd hate for them to build a 10, 15, 20, 30 story glass building and then City Center plans a park next to it... as pretty as it would look, office buildings shouldn't be surrounding a park in my view. It all needs to be planned properly... even position of the sun makes a huge difference for such a large, planned project like City Center. 

Well said, @ancientcarpenter-- the common development style of southern cities of building a large "pedestal" tower surrounded either by a large plaza or a park is a TOTAL waste of space and completely destructive to urban fabric. In RVA we've seen this with the Fed building and with the old OJRP. Horrible planning. I'm hoping that City Center will place emphasis not just on people density but also on building density. The massing of buildings (PLURAL) - not just the massing of an individual building -- is what will make City Center an outstanding urban-core redevelopment. Ditto the Diamond District (though I'm not holding my breath...)

I'm SO glad that city planners have embraced a new planning philosophy of eliminating height limits, in addition to their emphasis on more cohesive urban design (massing of buildings as well as people). Downtown is not Midtown Manhattan, where sunlight and fresh air are at a premium - and quite frankly, downtown RVA would do well to have some "Manhattanization" take place, where buildings of all sizes, but particularly, taller buildings, are massed together. When I see a full square city block with nothing but a surface lot, I see the potential for not merely one or even two buildings - but as many as FOUR. No reason a downtown RVA city block can't support four highrise buildings - and thankfully, this is the kind of thing we do see in RVA's new philosophy of urban design and planning as expressed in TOD-1 protocols and in the new "amended RP" zoning guidelines. 

[rjp212]

Looks like a VCU grocery store is going in the old Walmart on Grace. 
 

Edit:  Looks like it’s been in the works for a while but keeps getting delayed. 

Rams Market

Edited July 15, 2022 by rjp212

[CitiWalker]

On 7/12/2022 at 1:45 PM, I miss RVA said:

Well said, @ancientcarpenter-- the common development style of southern cities of building a large "pedestal" tower surrounded either by a large plaza or a park is a TOTAL waste of space and completely destructive to urban fabric. In RVA we've seen this with the Fed building and with the old OJRP. Horrible planning. I'm hoping that City Center will place emphasis not just on people density but also on building density. The massing of buildings (PLURAL) - not just the massing of an individual building -- is what will make City Center an outstanding urban-core redevelopment. Ditto the Diamond District (though I'm not holding my breath...)

I'm SO glad that city planners have embraced a new planning philosophy of eliminating height limits, in addition to their emphasis on more cohesive urban design (massing of buildings as well as people). Downtown is not Midtown Manhattan, where sunlight and fresh air are at a premium - and quite frankly, downtown RVA would do well to have some "Manhattanization" take place, where buildings of all sizes, but particularly, taller buildings, are massed together. When I see a full square city block with nothing but a surface lot, I see the potential for not merely one or even two buildings - but as many as FOUR. No reason a downtown RVA city block can't support four highrise buildings - and thankfully, this is the kind of thing we do see in RVA's new philosophy of urban design and planning as expressed in TOD-1 protocols and in the new "amended RP" zoning guidelines. 

I agree with everything except having public green space being a waste. It is important to have gathering spaces and places where people can get out of the office and experience some sunshine. I also think that is actually ties the building together creating foot traffic and opportunity to increase social opportunities. IMHO green space is very important even in an urban environment. It helps to soften some of the look and makes the area more inviting. Lunch on the lawn to me is an amenity that definitely is a plus.

[I miss RVA]

48 minutes ago, CitiWalker said:

I agree with everything except having public green space being a waste. It is important to have gathering spaces and places where people can get out of the office and experience some sunshine. I also think that is actually ties the building together creating foot traffic and opportunity to increase social opportunities. IMHO green space is very important even in an urban environment. It helps to soften some of the look and makes the area more inviting. Lunch on the lawn to me is an amenity that definitely is a plus.

While I agree that having some specific, dedicated communal public green space integrated within an overall urban environment is an asset to the overall fabric and has plenty of benefit, I will have to disagree that EVERY SINGLE BUILDING somehow "needs" to be surrounded by gathering space. It's an architectural feature extremely common to southern (both southeastern and southwestern) cities and frankly it results in EXACTLY what folks on this forum rail against in terms of downtown development: stand-alone "pedestal" towers surrounded by wide-open "gathering spaces" (whether green or otherwise) - and it short-circuits the cohesive development essential for building a critical mass of both people and buildings in a central city. Again, look at the difference between Midtown Atlanta and Midtown Manhattan. Midtown Atlanta's construction features block after block of "pedestal" buildings - stand-alone towers surrounded by green space or public plazas. There's little to no urban cohesiveness - and street-level "activity" can disappear as it becomes diluted when everyone is working (or living) in their specific towers. Contrast that to the extremely dense, building-butting-up-against-building fabric of Midtown Manhattan. Can green spaces be included in such areas? Of course! Should they? Definitely! However, the streetscape is one of urban density - high foot traffic because of an extremely high concentration of both people and buildings. Storefronts at ground level of both office and residential buildings, cafes, restaurants with outdoor seating - all create a tight, vibrant, intense urban landscape that is MUCH more cohesive than the spread-out application of stand-alone towers surrounded by places for gathering. 

Chicago's New East Side development does a fantastic job of developing a two-city-block-long rectangular park (sort of an uber-mini Central Park of sorts) surrounded by densely packed-in high rises. The green space is welcoming, ample enough for concerts and other enjoyable public events, and a nice contrast to the high-intensity forest of residential towers that surround the park. In this case, the architectural script is flipped - rather than surrounding a single tower with wasted open space, New East Side CREATES a USEFUL open space, surrounded by a dense forest of towers. It's absolutely gorgeous!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This open green space/park - does not pre-date the development of the New East Side neighborhood. The entire neighborhood, including the park did not exist 15-20 years ago - it is a cohesive, planned development, two-decades in the making - and to date I believe 15 (16?) towers (more are on the way!!) AND the park were built from scratch on what used to be 12 city blocks of vacant lots, abandoned lowrise buildings, surface parking, etc. There was nothing here as far back as the early 2000s - and this whole neighborhood was developed out of whole cloth, park included.

I would much rather see green space integrated into central RVA development in THIS fashion (something like the New East Side development) than the way it is included in Midtown Atlanta. The way it is implemented in Atlanta is what I would describe as wasteful.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Downtowner]

Just wanted to let you guys know starting Monday I will be reporting from the pinecrest tower. I got hired last week by Atlantic constructors and got assigned to the pinecrest tower. So you will hopefully get plenty of inside and outside picks from me working on the pinecrest tower.

[Hike]

1 hour ago, Downtowner said:

Just wanted to let you guys know starting Monday I will be reporting from the pinecrest tower. I got hired last week by Atlantic constructors and got assigned to the pinecrest tower. So you will hopefully get plenty of inside and outside picks from me working on the pinecrest tower.

Congratulations on your new job, look forward to seeing this one go up. I lived right next door for a couple years while at VCU, I enjoyed that location, I hope you do too.

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, Downtowner said:

Just wanted to let you guys know starting Monday I will be reporting from the pinecrest tower. I got hired last week by Atlantic constructors and got assigned to the pinecrest tower. So you will hopefully get plenty of inside and outside picks from me working on the pinecrest tower.

A heart-felt MAZAL TOV to you, my friend!!! So very happy for you - AND - very much looking forward to your reports. MAZAL TOV, MAZAL TOV!!! 

[Hike]

@Downtowner just thought of a request, looked at the GC’s website, Facebook and don’t see a webcam, perhaps you can ask about this, having one set up, if they do that sort of thing.

[eandslee]

1 minute ago, Hike said:

@Downtowner just thought of a request, looked at the GC’s website, Facebook and don’t see a webcam, perhaps you can ask about this, having one set up, if they do that sort of thing.

Good point Hike!  I've been looking for a construction webcam for a while now with no luck.  Maybe Downtowner can point us in the right direction.  Good thinking!

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, Hike said:

@Downtowner just thought of a request, looked at the GC’s website, Facebook and don’t see a webcam, perhaps you can ask about this, having one set up, if they do that sort of thing.

Excellent idea!  It would be really great to be able to watch the construction progress.

[Child2021]

Anyone got any news on the proposed inpatient hospital at VCU Medical? 

[Hike]

17 minutes ago, Child2021 said:

Anyone got any news on the proposed inpatient hospital at VCU Medical? 

We’ll have to add this to the list of projects to look out for, at this time I don’t have anything

[I miss RVA]

There's currently nothing listed on VCU's Master Plan ("VCU One - last updated March 2019) or in the pipeline for planned construction projects through the 2024-26 biennium in VCU's current six-year capital plan program.

There ARE two large-scale buildings on the downtown medical campus are on tap for funding in the new/now current 2022-24 biennium - so these should likely be moving into "active" planned projects:

Transdisciplinary Neurosciences Building
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Academic Building, Library and Innovation Center

The VCU One plan doesn't include a "clear" view of the the structure in the rendering of the Transdisciplinary Neurosciences Building (NW corner of 9th and E. Leigh), but it does show a very nice rendering of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Academic Building (on E. Leigh Street - across 11th Street from the new outpatient hospital) - and it looks to be 13 stories tall - so some definite size to it. Noting 3D-type schematic maps, the Transdisciplinary Neurosciences Building is scaled such that it appears to be perhaps "in-between" the height of the Health Sciences Building and the new outpatient hospital - so my best guess is that it COULD be somewhere in the 13-15-story range, give or take. (Just speculating based on only the information you see here).

Again, no information in the VCU One Master Plan or in the planned construction projects about the new inpatient facility (through 2026) at this time. It is listed as a "new construction" project - but no timeframe for funding or construction is given - so my guess is that is a longer-range project.

Below are some renderings, map, etc., to help give us some perspective on the possible upcoming medical campus projects, sourced from the VCU One Master Plan (March 2019):

Also, to learn more, visit:

Capital Plan Program: https://masterplan.vcu.edu/implementation/six-year-capital-plan-2020-2026/

VCU One Master Plan (2019) https://masterplan.vcu.edu/media/master-plan/documents/ONEVCU_MasterPlan_FINALmedres_web.pdf

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Downtowner]

I will see what I can find out. I’m not sure what the current state of the job site is until I go in for my first day on the job site Monday. My guess is laying electrical pvc to push cables down into underground to connect them to the grid. So I will see what I can find out at some point. I’m very excited to be apart of this project. My company rented a lot at 103 west main street I think it’s across from the Jefferson so that will be nice too just have to put a company sticker or tag on my truck. But I’m excited for this project to get above ground. 

[Downtowner]

So an update from the pinecrest also known as parc view apparently. Everything is below grade. My company is currently installing electrical pvc pipes in order to pull cables through the pipes when we get to ground level. Concrete will start to be poured on Thursday hopefully. So lots of below grade work currently. Also pillars are up in some spots of the job site. Overall this project is has a completion date of 2024 according to my company and the building will be 16 stories tall from what everyone on the job site has told me.

[eandslee]

45 minutes ago, Downtowner said:

So an update from the pinecrest also known as parc view apparently. Everything is below grade. My company is currently installing electrical pvc pipes in order to pull cables through the pipes when we get to ground level. Concrete will start to be poured on Thursday hopefully. So lots of below grade work currently. Also pillars are up in some spots of the job site. Overall this project is has a completion date of 2024 according to my company and the building will be 16 stories tall from what everyone on the job site has told me.

Great report Downtowner!  If you ever get a chance to snap some photos and post them here in your reports, that would be awesome!  You'd have a totally different perspective than anyone else could get being on the actual job site.  Thanks again for your report!

[I miss RVA]

2 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Great report Downtowner!  If you ever get a chance to snap some photos and post them here in your reports, that would be awesome!  You'd have a totally different perspective than anyone else could get being on the actual job site.  Thanks again for your report!

I second everything @eandsleesaid. Many thanks, @Downtownerfor the great info and - PLEASE - if you're able to snag some pics along the way, you know we're all drooling over those! 

[Downtowner]

Supposed to be starting to pour concrete tomorrow. We had some beginning to be poured on the opposite side of the property that we are on. We begin pouring our side tomororw. I had to leave work early today for a personal matter. The underground electrical pipe laying was supposed to be done today. I’ll see what it looks like tomorrow when I get into work. Hopefully my crew got the rest of the pvc pipe laid today so we can start pouring concrete tomorrow. It was a rough day out there as wet as it was. But I’m happy to be apart of this great project. 

[CitiWalker]

On 7/15/2022 at 4:06 PM, I miss RVA said:

While I agree that having some specific, dedicated communal public green space integrated within an overall urban environment is an asset to the overall fabric and has plenty of benefit, I will have to disagree that EVERY SINGLE BUILDING somehow "needs" to be surrounded by gathering space. It's an architectural feature extremely common to southern (both southeastern and southwestern) cities and frankly it results in EXACTLY what folks on this forum rail against in terms of downtown development: stand-alone "pedestal" towers surrounded by wide-open "gathering spaces" (whether green or otherwise) - and it short-circuits the cohesive development essential for building a critical mass of both people and buildings in a central city. Again, look at the difference between Midtown Atlanta and Midtown Manhattan. Midtown Atlanta's construction features block after block of "pedestal" buildings - stand-alone towers surrounded by green space or public plazas. There's little to no urban cohesiveness - and street-level "activity" can disappear as it becomes diluted when everyone is working (or living) in their specific towers. Contrast that to the extremely dense, building-butting-up-against-building fabric of Midtown Manhattan. Can green spaces be included in such areas? Of course! Should they? Definitely! However, the streetscape is one of urban density - high foot traffic because of an extremely high concentration of both people and buildings. Storefronts at ground level of both office and residential buildings, cafes, restaurants with outdoor seating - all create a tight, vibrant, intense urban landscape that is MUCH more cohesive than the spread-out application of stand-alone towers surrounded by places for gathering. 

Chicago's New East Side development does a fantastic job of developing a two-city-block-long rectangular park (sort of an uber-mini Central Park of sorts) surrounded by densely packed-in high rises. The green space is welcoming, ample enough for concerts and other enjoyable public events, and a nice contrast to the high-intensity forest of residential towers that surround the park. In this case, the architectural script is flipped - rather than surrounding a single tower with wasted open space, New East Side CREATES a USEFUL open space, surrounded by a dense forest of towers. It's absolutely gorgeous!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This open green space/park - does not pre-date the development of the New East Side neighborhood. The entire neighborhood, including the park did not exist 15-20 years ago - it is a cohesive, planned development, two-decades in the making - and to date I believe 15 (16?) towers (more are on the way!!) AND the park were built from scratch on what used to be 12 city blocks of vacant lots, abandoned lowrise buildings, surface parking, etc. There was nothing here as far back as the early 2000s - and this whole neighborhood was developed out of whole cloth, park included.

I would much rather see green space integrated into central RVA development in THIS fashion (something like the New East Side development) than the way it is included in Midtown Atlanta. The way it is implemented in Atlanta is what I would describe as wasteful.

 

 

I am not saying every building needs to be surrounded by green space. However, you have pointed out exactly what I am speaking on in the photos you provided. Who says an urban area have got to have every inch of space occupied by a building. Cities morph  and functionality of cities morph as well. I had my cousin come in town this past weekend. She lives in the Dallas Texas area. A comment she made caught me by surprise. She said " I miss the greenery of Richmond. I Dallas everything is mowed down  and just gray looking from all of the concrete."  I  I like the fact that we are growing and would like to have more Skyscrapers in the city. I also think that there is a balance between having built space and functional public space. As I mentioned. Greenery softens the space and keeps it from looking too static. Just my 2 cents. 

[Brent114]

Well Dallas is a pretty dreary city, IMO.   It was never a lush place to begin with (semi-arid grasslands).
 

The photos posted above are a bit disingenuous though.   Those parks work because those building house and employ thousand of people.   A couple hundred office workers cannot populate a park in any meaningful way (nothing is sadder than a bland park with zero people in it).  This part of town does not need any park space.  A meandering  and nicely planted route between buildings would be nice though (like in the VCU provided photos).  regardless of what is built here, the streets will be treelined.  The Capitol lawn is only 1.5 blocks away.  The view across the valley is all green too.  There is ample green space in Richmond already, we need more people to fill those spaces before we introduce more.   

On a related note, downtown could use basketball /tennis courts.   I’m much rather see an urban park than a nod to nature.    Richmond has nature in spades.  

Actually looking back at those photos form Atlanta…even with all of those people bordering the park, it looks dreadful and empty.   I remembered the photos looking more like Bryant Park in NYC. 

[Brent114]

Like one of these on a lot in Monroe Ward…