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Shockoe Bottom Ballpark (Proposed)

wrldcoupe4

By wrldcoupe4
in Richmond

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Brent114 Burg

Brent114

Posted
Posted

The two went hand in hand insofar as the long term lease by the Squirles made the bond deal work.  Nothing was being built without flood control.  The city cannot afford flood control nor can it issue the bonds without a partner that will actually pay for it (by way of the long term lease) which would kerp the interest rates low on said bonds..  

The grocery store and the proposed hotel didnt need a stadium, they needed dry lobbies and aisles.  Neither Kroger nor Westin are going to pay for our flood control. 

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eandslee City

eandslee

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2 hours ago, Tarzan6179 said:

If you think it was "a few people", you are badly mistaken.

It may have been a lot of people, but not compared to the number of those who were in support of the project.  It’s just that those who opposed were really loud, which made it seem like a lot of people.  It was just enough to scare off the developers and political support...and that was that.  Done.  Now (today) all those NIMBYs can’t complain that there is no museum down there when it was they who killed the sure thing to get it built...but they do.  It’s frustrating. 

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cbl1 Whistle-Stop

cbl1

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I think Tarzan appears to still be complaining about the project when it doesn't even exist anymore.  The ballpark is going on Boulevard.

I believe plan for Shockoe bottom continues to be focus on the train station and pulse transportation hubs to fuel business investment in the shockoe bottom area (such as new Wyndham hotel looking to go in the ballpark proposed area).

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Icetera Burg

Icetera

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38 minutes ago, eandslee said:

It may have been a lot of people, but not compared to the number of those who were in support of the project.  It’s just that those who opposed were really loud, which made it seem like a lot of people.  It was just enough to scare off the developers and political support...and that was that.  Done.  Now (today) all those NIMBYs can’t complain that there is no museum down there when it was they who killed the sure thing to get it built...but they do.  It’s frustrating. 

And many of those that were stating opposition could not explain why aside from hearing misinformed sound-bits.

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Tarzan6179 Crossroads

Tarzan6179

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12 hours ago, eandslee said:

It may have been a lot of people, but not compared to the number of those who were in support of the project.

Not sure why you think that. I believe it to be false.

 

12 hours ago, cbl1 said:

I think Tarzan appears to still be complaining about the project when it doesn't even exist anymore.  The ballpark is going on Boulevard. 



Nope. I'm not talking about the old project. I did not say a ballpark was going in Shockoe.

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Icetera Burg

Icetera

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16 minutes ago, RVA-Is-The-Best said:

I've never seen negative reputation on this site before lol

I was thinking the same!  I honestly never understood where the reputation even came from until this week.

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I miss RVA Metropolis

I miss RVA

Posted
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On 7/15/2014 at 5:05 PM, Wahoo 07 said:

My whole life, Richmond has been a great idea poorly executed and it kills me to see a city that should be so much more wallow in underachieving limbo.  A project like this is chance to do something truly trans-formative.  I hope it is not miscarried by politics, misinformation, self-interest, sales pitches, untrammeled emotion, and people who are generally angry with any attempt to advance.

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.  I know this is an old post and and old issue (Shockoe ballpark plan) - but I echo this sentiment.

My whole life, I was frustrated by Richmond's tremendous opportunity to grow and really assert itself as a major city - only to see amazing proposed developments either sacrificed at the altar of historic preservation or caught in the entanglement of racially contentious and divisive politics.  It was frustrating to see high-density redevelopment plans that could have totally reshaped and changed the dynamic of downtown come and go and never happen - watching downtown slowly wither away and lose its retail core - and to see large swaths (i.e. Monroe Ward, the riverfront, etc.) that were ripe for large-scale highrise development become a sea of parking lots - was heartbreaking.  What was worse was to see cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham soar in terms of booming central cities, booming populations, booming business - while Richmond sat stuck in neutral.

I left Richmond nearly 20 years ago (life happens!) - but have been following from a distance the rebirth of my beloved hometown.  That RVA is really on a major upswing that has been a sustained upswing is extremely heartening.  I am grateful to see all the new projects that have come to fruition, that are being developed now, and that are on the table.  I pray Richmond will finally jettison its long out-moded small-minded, small-town way of thinking and finally assert itself as the major urban center it was always destined to become!

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cbl1 Whistle-Stop

cbl1

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Then you have the Tarzan's and the average poster on Richmond Times Dispatch that complain about every project.   "What about the Schools" - seriously do they ever realize it is tax dollars from development that would raise cash for schools!  They think the city can't do two things at one time like work on schools and fund development projects.

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I miss RVA Metropolis

I miss RVA

Posted
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On 8/5/2014 at 5:21 PM, Downtowner said:

RVA has truly gone from ruins during the 90;s to a very lively city making a great come back. I remember going downtown with my father in the 90s and just looking at how awful thr city had gotten. Then by the time Riverside on the James was proposed that is when I really started getting ecstatic about the city. But welcome aboard and hope you stick around with us here.

Downtowner - fully agreed.  Mind you, I've been away for almost 20 years so all of my following of what's going on back home has been online.  But you hit the nail on the head -- RVA was dying a slow and torturous death in the '90s and into the early '00s.  To see not just the metro - but in particular the city itself -- make such an amazing comeback over the last 10 or so years really is exciting!  I love how, nowadays, it seems like every time I log on and check out what's happening in RVA, something new and exciting is being proposed.  I honestly think the city has seen more development in the last seven or eight years than it saw in easily the 20 years that preceded it.

I go back to the days of a vibrant downtown in the late '60s (when I was kindergarten age) and remember downtown poised to really take off and fly in the '70s - only to watch in dismay as the preservationists on one hand and the city government and dodgy politics on the other teamed to undermine what would have been vital developments.  The city's subsequent population bleed, the loss of downtown retail (despite 6th Street Marketplace - a valiant attempt but not well supported) and missed major project opportunities looked like it would be the death knell of downtown in particular and the city in general.

Which makes the current upswing so exciting!  I'm SO glad to see a complete 180 shift in trajectory.  Mind you, the number of missed projects over the last 10 years (just from following along here) is still head scratching.  Admittedly, the recession early in this century didn't help.  But what about projects like City Center?  That block of Grace between 6th and 7th has been SCREAMING for a high-density highrise development - and the City Center plans looked promising.  Looks like the city fumbled that one away, perhaps?  Or the twin residential towers planned for Main Street (Century Plaza, yes?) - projects like those can have SUCH a dynamic impact on downtown - bringing a critical mass of people living and working and make downtown a true 24-hour place.  It's the formula that makes successful downtowns of successful major cities tick.  Glad to see RVA finally jumping on board - I just wish it would not fumble away so many potentially game-changing projects and really unleash downtown to boom.

A ballpark in the Bottom would be truly iconic, with Main Street Station and the downtown skyline as a backdrop.  There are few MAJOR league parks that have such a dynamic background as this ballpark would have.  With the ballpark plan having shifted back to Mid-Town, perhaps the Bottom can still be redeveloped to its fullest potential and become a truly dynamic part of downtown.  Letting an over-active obsession with history and divisive politics derail significant development in this area would be a complete mistake.

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cbl1 Whistle-Stop

cbl1

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I still to this day thing the best alternative for the ballpark would have been the bottom (with the ballpark really being a way for Richmond to fund the infrastructure needs in that area that they otherwise can't justify).

Such great visibility and showcase of Richmond off I-95.  Direct on Pulse Line as well.    I think would have tied in better with new coliseum complex too - creating much closer sports and entertainment district (vs. splitting all the way to a Boulevard location).

 

 

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eandslee City

eandslee

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Visiting other places that have it together and have done things right just makes you yearn for Richmond to do the same. When it doesn’t happen, that’s when I get frustrated.  So, I understand how you feel.  I’m just hoping the plan to replace the coliseum with a new state-of-the-art arena will actually come to fruition. Hope to have a plan in place by fall and would love to see dirt move by Jan 2019.  I have no idea what will actually happen with the baseball stadium...there are “plans,” but no one really knows what that means.  I think there is still more time to figure out something awesome if a good plan can garner public support.  I’m looking forward to what the future brings.  Richmond may not have the best facilities now, but they could be coming soon!

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CitiWalker Whistle-Stop

CitiWalker

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9 hours ago, eandslee said:

Visiting other places that have it together and have done things right just makes you yearn for Richmond to do the same. When it doesn’t happen, that’s when I get frustrated.  So, I understand how you feel.  I’m just hoping the plan to replace the coliseum with a new state-of-the-art arena will actually come to fruition. Hope to have a plan in place by fall and would love to see dirt move by Jan 2019.  I have no idea what will actually happen with the baseball stadium...there are “plans,” but no one really knows what that means.  I think there is still more time to figure out something awesome if a good plan can garner public support.  I’m looking forward to what the future brings.  Richmond may not have the best facilities now, but they could be coming soon!

I agree. Things seem to be moving in the right direction. Movement period is a good thing. If the arena can come to pass I believe it would be a feather in Richmond's cap. Lets just hope it happens.

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I miss RVA Metropolis

I miss RVA

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The city's involvement in these major development projects has been a cause for concern dating back to the 1970s.  It seems as though City Council can't get out of its own way.  I never could figure out if councilmen were simply on the take or if partisan (and back in the old Henry Marsh days, racially divisive) politics were to blame.  Too many times private developers came to town with wonderful plans for tremendous projects only to see the money dry up while approvals stalled as Council simple "tabled" a vote from meeting to meeting to meeting.  Often, when the city itself would get involved and have, "plans" those plans were often very nebulous and, if they came to fruition at all, were often scaled back from what might have been originally proposed.  I hope that is not the case with a new coliseum and surrounding development.  Whenever I hear that a.) the city is involved and b.) there are "plans" I begin to have serious doubts that the project will actually happen or, if it does, it will invariably be smaller than proposed and potential for the best possible use of available land will have been wasted.

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