Scores of New Hotels for Downtown Richmond

[changingskyline]

1 hour ago, Shakman said:

There no plans to connect the canal?

The Hyatt Place looks to be 11-stories from the Canal elevation.

The current building forms a bridge over the canal. The canal walk runs right under the building along the canal. 

Click through this picture thread and you'll see what it looks like now: http://www.richmond.com/business/local/story-hyatt-place-hotel-planned-for-canal-walk-in-downtown/article_0115b4dc-06ef-510d-9524-e1b20e2afa0b.html

Edited August 28, 2017 by changingskyline

[Shakman]

18 hours ago, changingskyline said:

The current building forms a bridge over the canal. The canal walk runs right under the building along the canal. 

Click through this picture thread and you'll see what it looks like now: http://www.richmond.com/business/local/story-hyatt-place-hotel-planned-for-canal-walk-in-downtown/article_0115b4dc-06ef-510d-9524-e1b20e2afa0b.html

I am talking about the future plans.  Currently there is a brief section of the canal which is underground.  Unless the recently completed residential building is on top of that section of the canal?

Edited August 29, 2017 by Shakman

[drayrichmond]

1 hour ago, Shakman said:

I am talking about the future plans.  Currently there is a brief section of the canal which is underground.  Unless the recently completed residential building is on top of that section of the canal?

I know what you're talking about, I don't think there are any plans to reconnect the canals. However cool it would be to get from one end of the canal to the other by boat, it would be a lot of money to reconnect the sections, the locks would have to be rebuilt, there isn't any sort of locks there now.

In fact, I don't think we physically could, I believe the apartment building and a road go over where they would need to connect.

[Brent114]

The canal will never be restored.  

This is the Kanawa Canal.  It is burried under Byrd Street and connects to the dry canal bed behind Tredegar Iron Works (most of this canal empties out into the James just west of Domonion's complex along the river). 

The water entering the canal now comes from the Haxall Canal and was never a navigable waterway.   

[meegwell]

I love the fact that the canal walk (not the canals) will be better connected.  I have been wishing for this for many many years....waiting for that old brown building to come down!

 

This cbs article touches more specifically on the stairs/connection area...also...notice the pedestrian tunnel (part of the Riverfront Master Plan) is included and would be critical for this development to have guests easily walk back and forth from the Slip (at the Martin Agency) to the "Canal Connection" area that will now be uncovered.  The cobblestone walkway/bridge  there could be beautiful.

http://wtvr.com/2017/08/30/proposed-10-story-hyatt-place-would-be-first-hotel-along-canal-walk/

 

This is a serious canal area upgrade that could finally make that area what it was supposed to be. 

 

 

 

[drayrichmond]

7 hours ago, meegwell said:

This is a serious canal area upgrade that could finally make that area what it was supposed to be. 

Yeah this is going to be a huge upgrade/a lot of money being pumped into the canal area. Write your city councilor and the mayor to fast track this thing!

[eandslee]

An 8-story building  in downtown is about to begin renovation to be turned into a Moxy Hotel.  Shamin is behind the hotel conversion (the areas largest hotel owner).  Work should take a year to complete. The delay is due to getting the design right as Shamin hired a NY architect who could take the time to get it right. 

Other hotel projects Shamin is leading are:

• Construction should start this summer on a 138-room Home2 Suites by Hilton extended-stay hotel in the Towne Center West development just west of Short Pump Town Center.
• Work is beginning soon on a 128-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel on West Broad Street just west of the GreenGate mixed-use development
• Construction should start later this year on the planned 111-room Residence Inn next to the DoubleTree by Hilton Richmond-Midlothian hotel that Shamin bought in 2013.
• Plans are in the works for a 120-room Home2 Suites by Hilton to be built next to the Embassy Suites on Emerywood Parkway in Henrico. Shamin recently received approval for the new hotel from Hilton. It is buying some land from Virginia Blood Services for the hotel. Construction should begin in 2019. Meanwhile, the 224-room Embassy Suites property recently completed a full renovation of the guest rooms and public space.

• Work has started on a renovation of 160-room Richmond Airport Hotel at 5501 Eubank Road to convert it into a Sheraton. Shamin bought the hotel in late 2015. It had been called the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Richmond Airport, but the previous owners lost that designation about a year before it was sold.

http://www.richmond.com/business/local/work-on-richmond-s-moxy-hotel-set-to-start-other/article_cc9fa0f8-e270-5ea2-994e-1d9099907370.html

[Brent114]

Looks like the Commonwealth renovation is just about complete. 

 

 

[jbjust]

I'm pretty sure the Commonwealth was back open for business weeks ago. 

[Brent114]

Perhaps.  I assume that there was a rush to get it open before the GA was back in session.  There is still exterior work being done on the 9th (?) Street side.  So technically the renovations aren’t complete. 

[eandslee]

Well, that announcement went from 12 stories to 10 stories pretty quick!  Looks like the TOD-1 zoning is good for buildings UP TO 12 stories, but Salomonsky and White are aiming for a 10-story Wyndham Hotel with about 130 rooms.  As for timing, well, we are going to have to wait until perhaps this fall before formal plans are submitted to the city.  No start date was mentioned.  

“The city’s planning staff recommended the Commission approve the request, citing the land use recommendations laid out in the Pulse Corridor Plan adopted by the City Council. The plan aims to promote dense, mixed-use development in areas along the city’s soon-to-be-completed, 7.6-mile bus rapid transit line on Broad and East Main Streets.”

So far, no one has come out to oppose the new hotel, so all is looking good on that front.  The developer plans to incorporate the facade of the bakery into the design, but will not qualify for historic tax credit financing.

“The request will now go before the Council, which will weigh in at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 29.”

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/salomonsky-in-talks-with-wyndham-to-bring-hotel-to-shockoe/article_01270b5a-c383-5bef-937a-48452af7c4bf.html

Edited May 22, 2018 by eandslee

[RVAbigdawg]

A high rise on the other side of the interstate!  Yay!

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

If we really wanted to be pedantic, you could say that 8 story apartment building (Overview City Side) was the first

[georgeglass]

On 1/1/2018 at 8:20 AM, eandslee said:

An 8-story building  in downtown is about to begin renovation to be turned into a Moxy Hotel.  Shamin is behind the hotel conversion (the areas largest hotel owner).  Work should take a year to complete. The delay is due to getting the design right as Shamin hired a NY architect who could take the time to get it right. 

Other hotel projects Shamin is leading are:

• Construction should start this summer on a 138-room Home2 Suites by Hilton extended-stay hotel in the Towne Center West development just west of Short Pump Town Center.
• Work is beginning soon on a 128-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel on West Broad Street just west of the GreenGate mixed-use development
• Construction should start later this year on the planned 111-room Residence Inn next to the DoubleTree by Hilton Richmond-Midlothian hotel that Shamin bought in 2013.
• Plans are in the works for a 120-room Home2 Suites by Hilton to be built next to the Embassy Suites on Emerywood Parkway in Henrico. Shamin recently received approval for the new hotel from Hilton. It is buying some land from Virginia Blood Services for the hotel. Construction should begin in 2019. Meanwhile, the 224-room Embassy Suites property recently completed a full renovation of the guest rooms and public space.

• Work has started on a renovation of 160-room Richmond Airport Hotel at 5501 Eubank Road to convert it into a Sheraton. Shamin bought the hotel in late 2015. It had been called the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Richmond Airport, but the previous owners lost that designation about a year before it was sold.

http://www.richmond.com/business/local/work-on-richmond-s-moxy-hotel-set-to-start-other/article_cc9fa0f8-e270-5ea2-994e-1d9099907370.html

I have no idea why this is so delayed, but it does look like work is taking place. 

 

[Wahoo 07]

https://richmondbizsense.com/2019/04/18/new-marriott-offshoot-brand-hotel-headed-canal/

Plans for a new hotel in place of the failed Hyatt Place.

[Brent114]

A bit shorter than the other but it has some interesting things going for it.   

I like that it is on the south side of the canal.  

There will be 10 condos in the building (good to see ANY new condos downtown even if it is just a few, it’s still a good sign). 

The rooftop restaurant will have the best view in Richmond and there is already a partner interested in operating  it.

[georgeglass]

5 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

A bit shorter than the other but it has some interesting things going for it.   

I like that it is on the south side of the canal.  

There will be 10 condos in the building (good to see ANY new condos downtown even if it is just a few, it’s still a good sign). 

The rooftop restaurant will have the best view in Richmond and there is already a partner interested in operating  it.

Plus, I like that they are adding a little retail. I really hope this gets built and actually I think it suits the site better than the previous proposal.

[eandslee]

6 hours ago, Wahoo 07 said:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2019/04/18/new-marriott-offshoot-brand-hotel-headed-canal/

Plans for a new hotel in place of the failed Hyatt Place.

This project seems to me to be a test of mixed use in the city. There is just about everything in this project except for office space.  Hopefully, this project will be successful and encourage other developers to do something similar, but on a much larger (read taller) scale!  

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Looks like this was on the development map previously as "Future phase of Locks?", with a link to this 2016 RTD article about the final stages of development at the Locks, with this particular sentence referring to this AC Hotel site

Quote

“On the other side of the canal is another building site that we are evaluating,” he said.

Which means, the development map is now updated with renderings, an updated link and info. Nice to have another set-in-stone development on the canal

I hope someone retries the Hyatt proposal on the other side of the canal eventually. It would bring a critical mass of energy around that stretch (Hat Factory/Vistas) and connect it with the rest of the Locks + Riverside on the James to the west

[rjp212]

On 3/24/2019 at 9:50 PM, georgeglass said:

I have no idea why this is so delayed, but it does look like work is taking place. 

 

Seems work has come to a complete stall with them removing the dumpster. 

'However, Mr.(Mark) Olinger, (City Director of Planning)  stated, “Work has stopped because (the owner) does not have an approved plan of development, which means (the owner) cannot get a building permit.  We have reached out to get additional information we need from (the owner) to finalize the plan of development,' Mr. Olinger continued. "Once that is approved, we can move to finalizing the building permit."'

http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2019/may/18/work-stopped-planned-downtown-hotel/

[Brent114]

This will never be a hotel.  I was looking forward to a Moxy in town too. 

If the  one on the canal gets built, that will be the last hotel downtown for a while (one as part of the Navy Hill  project is just a pipe dream .  There’s no market demand).  There seems to be zero movement on the 18th Street hotel too ( isn’t it the same hotelier proposing that one?).

I’m still waiting for the Whole Foods site to become a Halloween store  

[Shakman]

16 hours ago, rjp212 said:

Seems work has come to a complete stall with them removing the dumpster. 

'However, Mr.(Mark) Olinger, (City Director of Planning)  stated, “Work has stopped because (the owner) does not have an approved plan of development, which means (the owner) cannot get a building permit.  We have reached out to get additional information we need from (the owner) to finalize the plan of development,' Mr. Olinger continued. "Once that is approved, we can move to finalizing the building permit."'

http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2019/may/18/work-stopped-planned-downtown-hotel/

These things happen.  

[wrldcoupe4]

The use is permitted  by right in B-4 zoning. I'm surprised a POD is required for demo, but perhaps due to change of use?

[Brent114]

4 hours ago, Shakman said:

These things happen.  

Not where there is market demand. 

This is what, year 3 for the project and they still haven’t figured out the permit?   When they were doing demo it was at a pace slower than residential.  

I want this hotel at this location but I’ve lost all faith in this developer.  This Richmond forum needs a “fictional development” thread and all of these hotel proposals need to go into it  

[georgeglass]

1 hour ago, Brent114 said:

Not where there is market demand. 

This is what, year 3 for the project and they still haven’t figured out the permit?   When they were doing demo it was at a pace slower than residential.  

I want this hotel at this location but I’ve lost all faith in this developer.  This Richmond forum needs a “fictional development” thread and all of these hotel proposals need to go into it  

I understand the frustration and I don't know what the problem is, but Shamin has developed other hotels like The Hampton Inn downtown and they are currently building a Residence Inn by Johnston-Willis Hospital. They have a history of completing the projects they announce, so not sure why you would lose faith in them. I do agree, things don't look good for this project for whatever reason...but I wouldn't lose faith in the developer. I have also seen that the Moxy website has never had this project listed as a coming soon for whatever that is worth. So perhaps Shamin couldn't reach an agreement with Moxy about some aspect of the development.