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Riverside on the James


wrldcoupe4

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okay I decided to start a new thread for this:

here are some details:

Where: on Browns Island between the James River and the Haxall Canal, essentially at the end of 10th Street.

Office building: 230,000 square feet in the west tower

Condominiums: 122 units in the east tower

Retail space: about 70,000 square feet for stores, restaurants and entertainment in the office and residential buildings and in the renovated Power Plant building.

Parking: an 800-space garage

Office tenants: Troutman Sanders (140,000 square feet); Harris Williams & Co. (27,500); Thomas Rutherfoord Inc. (27,500) and Amentra Inc (7,000).

Project cost: $90 million

Condo sales: $125,000 to $500,000

Developer: Daniel Corp.

Here's an article:

Rolling on the Riverside (on the James)

Condos, offices largely full as Brown's Island project nears opening

BY CAROL HAZARD

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

May 15, 2005

Condominiums are sold out.

Office space is 91 percent leased.

And retail? Only one tenant has signed to date.

Still, it's not a bad start for Riverside on the James, a development set to open next month on Brown's Island in downtown Richmond.

Demand for downtown riverfront residential space has been so strong that the developers are planning a 19-story condominium tower to be built near the Turning Basin near 14th Street, sources say. Details on that development should be announced soon.

"We knew people were asking for waterfront living, but in the development industry, you learn not to even try to predict," said Alex B. "Andy" Andrews Jr., senior executive vice president of the Daniel Corp., the developer of Riverside on the James.

"It's safe to say that this project came out a winner for the downtown area and the people of Richmond," Andrews said.....

....About 20,000 of a total 230,000 square feet of office space are still available for lease.

On the retail side, developers had hoped to attract a wine shop, a bank branch and a dry cleaner. But only McAlister's Deli, which has two other locations in the area, has signed a deal. It is taking 3,600 square feet and should open in late summer.

With 70,000 square feet avail- able for shops, the complex has space for as many as 15 retailers and restaurants, Campbell said.

"Retailers have more of a 'show-me' attitude," he said, explaining why they have been slow to respond.

The first residents move in at the end of June

Condo prices ranged from $125,000 to the $500,000s. The units average 1,000 square feet, with the smallest at 700 square feet and the largest at 1,300........

......"The time has come for Richmond to have a successful development on the riverfront," White said. "Water is still magic in Richmond. Plus, when you look at being able to live on the water and walk to work, that has magic."

here

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  • 3 weeks later...

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Now that I have succumbed to modern technology and allowed myself to fully access the RTD, I have found some interesting items hidden therein.

Under Real Estate (on Sundays), there is a listing of Building Permits issued in the last few months. On May 15th there is an item that Richmond Power Plant, 1201 Haxall Point was issued a $643,000 permit for "passenger terminal".

What do you suppose that means?

On May 22nd, there's a listing for Ric Power Plant at 1201 Haxall Point for "fit-up retail store - $165,300".

:huh:

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This is a good overview of the ROTJ project, here are some good excerpts:

"On the Rise

Riverside on the James adds 230,000 sq.ft. of high-end office space to Downtown Richmond.

Matthew Philips

Richmond.com

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

To look out across the landscape of Richmond these days is to see a city awash in construction. The skyline of high-rises and church steeples is now complemented by a seemingly equal amount of cranes and scaffolding.....

......Riverside on the James: the 700,000 square foot mixed-use project will likely usher in an era of new development in Richmond's Downtown Riverfront.

Project: Riverside on the James

Cost: $90 million

Square feet: 720,000

Location: Brown's Island between 10th and 12th Streets....

.....The 15th floor of Riverside on the James' west tower is a busy place these days. The future home of Troutman Sanders' new state-of-the art global conference center is abuzz with crews of carpenters, electricians and painters, all working to ensure the space is ready for the law firm's July 4th weekend move-in......

.......Beyond the bustling workmen and dust-filled air, the skyline of Downtown Richmond appears through panes of glass. It's an impressive view, and one not usually afforded. In the opposite direction lies the James River, the CSX train trestle, and beyond, Chesterfield County.

"We think the views are unique and spectacular from every perspective," said Troutman Sanders partner Jacob A. Lutz. But it's not just the views that led Troutman Sanders to sign on as the project's anchor tenant nearly four years ago, a deal without which the project might not have been possible. It's about making a long term commitment to Downtown Richmond says Lutz. "This is a major investment that Troutman Sanders is making. When we saw the proposal, we knew that's where we wanted to go. We think this is an exciting amenity for the City of Richmond, one that hopefully will culminate the migration of the financial district and revitalizes Downtown Richmond."

Next month, Troutman Sanders will move out of its 90,000 square-foot office on E. Main Street and into 140,000 square-feet at Riverside, occupying the west tower's top five floors. All total, Riverside has 230,000 square-feet of office space, 91 percent of which has been leased; which leaves just 20,000 square feet of available space. Joining Troutman Sanders will be local investment banking firm Harris Williams, which moved in last weekend, and insurance company Thomas Rutherford Inc.

An 800-space parking deck takes up the tower's first six floors, and will serve both office and residential tenants. Riverside's east tower consists of 122 condominiums, all of which were sold by February. Condos range in price from $125,000 to $500,000, and depending on the location, afford balcony views of the James River, Downtown Richmond, or both.

There's also 70,000 square feet of retail space, 23,000 of which is housed in a renovated hydroelectric plant, lending Riverside a unique and historic flavor. So far the only tenant to have signed on is McAlister's Deli, but officials at Daniel Corp., Riverside's developer, are confident that once the project is completed and moved into, the retail space will be quickly absorbed, including 1,800 square-feet on the ground level of the east tower that, with a surrounding cement outdoor balcony, is ideal space for a large scale restaurant or bar.

"There will be 900 to 1,000 people living or working here on any given day," said Daniel Vice President Michael Campbell. "The demand will be there. The whole idea is to create a live-work-play community." Campbell said that along with a variety of eateries, potential Riverside retail tenants could include a bank, cleaners and video rental store. "Basic services," said Campbell.............."

read the whole article here

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It's good to know that Troutman Sanders didn't ditch the city for Innsbrook. It's also good to know that Riverside will participate in the holiday skyline. Here's an article, I left out a bunch of it:

Law firm was key to Riverside

Troutman Sanders voiced early interest in downtown project

BY CAROL HAZARD

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jun 10, 2005

If it weren't for Troutman Sanders, Riverside on the James might not have happened...........

It will be the original tenant in Riverside, moving into 140,000 square feet from 90,000 square feet and opening for business there July 5. The firm will occupy the top five floors.

Jacob A. Lutz III, who oversees the project for the law firm, chose architectural detail, such as columns, rotundas, mahogany and marble, to reflect Virginia history.

The Troutman Sanders name will go over the front door -- and become part of the Richmond skyline when the name is added to the building top. And yes, it will be lighted during the holidays.

Other office tenants are Harris Williams & Co., Thomas Rutherfoord Inc. and Amentra Inc.

article

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I would think the Cordish Company would start sweating in fear that Mayor Wilder will revoke the millions the city chipped in if some retail leases are not signed soon.

Wonder what happened with Rams Head Tavern? I looked into the power plant on my Christmas visit, and the interior is awesome. I am truly surprised that the space has not been snapped up.

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  • 1 month later...

from the city building permits today:

Richmond Power Plant LLC, owner; RGI, contractor; 1001 Haxall Point, tenant fitup, restaurant, eat in, $84,675.

This is the second one, so therefore there must be more tenants moving in than McAllister's deli as of yet.....

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The one that puzzled me several weeks ago in Building Permits was $600,000 for passenger terminal at ROTJ! :blink:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey! Maybe that's going to be the name of a new restaurant in the power plant - "The Passenger Terminal" hehehehe.

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Coupe.  What does that little red box beside the ROTJ topic mean (on the forum topic page)?  :unsure:

Nevermind.  before editing this comment it was there, but now it's disappeared.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It means that someone has posted on that thread and you have not seen it yet. It's a way to see the threads with new posts that have been posted since you last visited the site.

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I'm counting at least 20 floors.

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yeah, and both towers seemed about the same height. Unlike most traditional Richmonders, I like them. The skyline needs variety. One of the designs for what eventually will be Vists on the James was rather daring, too. But, or course it was never seriously considered. Even as pleased as I am about Centennial, it ain't too far removed from the "colonial" fix that Richmond needs and loves! :lol:

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yeah, and both towers seemed about the same height.  Unlike most traditional Richmonders, I like them.  The skyline needs variety.  One of the designs for what eventually will be Vists on the James was rather daring, too.  But, or course it was never seriously considered.  Even as pleased as I am about Centennial, it ain't too far removed from the "colonial" fix that Richmond needs and loves! :lol:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well they could have at least kept the height when they redesigned them. Why'd they go so short?

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well it was the first project of its kind in Richmond....they didn't really know how successful it would be. Now that they know, I think you'll see the heights increasing. Vistas is limited by height limitations on its location. There are only a few places in the city with those height limitations. The CBD and elsewhere have no height limitation.

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well it was the first project of its kind in Richmond....they didn't really know how successful it would be. Now that they know, I think you'll see the heights increasing. Vistas is limited by height limitations on its location. There are only a few places in the city with those height limitations. The CBD and elsewhere have no height limitation.

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I think there is especial concern about height along the river and restrictions have been put in place. Elsewhere, as coupe says, in the CBD, the sky's the limit! Henrico County has an 8 floor limit. Not sure about Chesterfield.

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I suspect that the reasoning is twofold.

1) Henrico Fire Department... at the time that the restrictions were put into place Henrico probably had an all volunteer Fire Dept (maybe it still does?). Lifting the height restrictions would mean serious upgrades for the fire dept (they would have to buy ladder trucks for example).

2) Most people consider high-rises out in the country unsightly. Aesthetics usually play a role (primary in most cases) with height restrictions. Developers and residents of "nice" neighborhoods don't want high-rise development to destroy the illusion of living in the country. I used to hate this idea but over time I like the fact that there aren't buildings visible above the tree line out in the counties. Henrico county (with the exception of Broad Street) looks like park land from most of the major roads. It is pleasant and intentional. On the flip side, low density development is eating up more rural land than is necessary.

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