Richmond Development Map

[Brent114]

The second photo above isn’t Gladding.  It’s a proposed dorm on Grace Street. 

[I miss RVA]

52 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

The second photo above isn’t Gladding.  It’s a proposed dorm on Grace Street. 

Okay - you may want to re-read my post, my friend. I didn't say the second photo was Gladding. I said the second "picture" was Gladding -- accounting for the picture of the spreadsheet as the "first" picture. In fact, I didn't mention any "photos" in this post at all. I think I did on another thread, and used a similar photo to the one that includes Gladding.

Just for clarification, I'm re-posting what I wrote - with editorial emphasis for clarity:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALSO - 

The high rise database (see first picture). Is that available to us online here on the forum, or is that also kept strictly offline?

ONE MORE QUESTION:

Is the Gladdings Residence Center at Main and Laurel - VCU academic campus (see second picture) included in the high rise database? I've noticed in pictures that for a 12-13 story building, it has a very strong presence on the skyline - whether because of how it was constructed (perhaps taller floor plating?) or due to enhanced elevation. (What's the elevation at the academic campus?)  I'm asking not only out of curiosity (and so we can account for that building) but because the school is planning what basically will be a bookend high rise student residence building at Laurel and Grace (see third picture) ) -- a VERY similar design and I would imagine, by extension, size.

This ^^^^  is a straight copy/paste as plain text repost of what I wrote.

With the exception of the fact that I didn't think the third picture (second photo) which is of the proposed building at Laurel and Grace needed labeling (definitely an oversight on my part, to be sure), everything else was lableled and referenced correctly.

Edited December 25, 2021 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, Icetera said:

These are just part of my personal documentation.  I could add tp Google Docs but then I would need to maintain both.  As far as high-rises, I only include 200+ feet as established by the Wiki pages.  Even the 16 story residences barely break  200 due to shorter floor plates so while these 12-14 story buildings have nice presence they do not qualify.  I do include them for tracking residential floors/units 6+ floors on a different spreadsheet.

Thanks, Ice. I was wondering if the university residence buildings had shorter floor plating.

I'm curious though how it is that Gladdings has such a prominent peak on that part of the skyline. What is the elevation at VCU? Do we know an estimate of the actual height of the Gladdings structure? I'm just wondering if the building at Laurel and Grace will have a similar height prominence on the skyline.

[Brent114]

The elevation must be pretty high.  I remember back when they were planning a residential building at Grace and Belvedere.  It was around 15 floors maybe but was being touted (only by the developer) as the tallest building in the city….based on feet above sea level lol. 
 

My bad about the photo mix up.  It never occurred to me that the chart was considered the first photo.  That rendering looks a bit like the back of Gladding.  I didn’t pay attention to who posted the images and thought whomever would be excited to know that it was a completely different proposed building  

[I miss RVA]

14 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

The elevation must be pretty high.  I remember back when they were planning a residential building at Grace and Belvedere.  It was around 15 floors maybe but was being touted (only by the developer) as the tallest building in the city….based on feet above sea level lol. 
 

My bad about the photo mix up.  It never occurred to me that the chart was considered the first photo.  That rendering looks a bit like the back of Gladding.  I didn’t pay attention to who posted the images and thought whomever would be excited to know that it was a completely different proposed building  

No worries at all, my friend. I should also have labled the third picture. I noticed that the new/proposed building at Laurel & Grace looks a lot like Gladdings as well - almost like a bookend to Gladdings.

Wanna know what's scary? I remember when Gladdings II was being built during my freshman year in 1981-82 (Gladdings I was built in 1979) - my best friend in undergrad lived in Johnson Hall our freshman year - and he got lucky and grabbed a unit in the new Gladdings building his sophomore year. Being from Richmond, I lived off campus in the city. He was from the 'burbs and wanted to live in the dorms. 

[blopp1234]

8 hours ago, Brent114 said:

The elevation must be pretty high.  I remember back when they were planning a residential building at Grace and Belvedere.  It was around 15 floors maybe but was being touted (only by the developer) as the tallest building in the city….based on feet above sea level lol. 
 

Was Costar secretly the developer of that tower?!?!?!

[Brent114]

I lived in Johnson 87-89.

I grew up in a vinyl-sided house so I adored the tall ceilings, wood floors and picture rail of Johnson Hall.  For the first time in my life I felt fancy/urban (I was what would pass for gothic these days, so old and worn was dreamy to me).  Gladding was still the “new” dorm when I lived on campus. 
 

 

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, Brent114 said:

I lived in Johnson 87-89.

I grew up in a vinyl-sided house so I adored the tall ceilings, wood floors and picture rail of Johnson Hall.  For the first time in my life I felt fancy/urban (I was what would pass for gothic these days, so old and worn was dreamy to me).  Gladding was still the “new” dorm when I lived on campus. 
 

 

Johnson was/is a really cool old building. I used to hang out with friends in that dorm quite a bit, especially my freshman year. Miracle I didn't flunk out of school because as a frosh, I didn't take it seriously. Too busy having fun.

You're class of '89?  I'm just a few years ahead of you - I'm class of '85. 

 

[Brent114]

Class of 91.  I spent freshman and sophomore year (fall 87 -spring 89) in Johnson. 

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, Brent114 said:

Class of 91.  I spent freshman and sophomore year (fall 87 -spring 89) in Johnson. 

Gotcha! 

Like the city (and the metro), the campus has changed dramatically since we were there.

[123fakestreet]

I've been going nuts with these Google Maps lately, I expanded the one I made for Monroe Ward.  This is the opposite of the development map, these are the empty areas, surface lots, etc that are ripe for major redevelopment.  Right now it's the central city area but I'll keep expanding outward, into southside etc as I have time.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1k90VaUwqdfXviei3ivlUCuojSOjp-1th&usp=sharing

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by 123fakestreet

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

I've been going nuts with these Google Maps lately, I expanded the one I made for Monroe Ward.  This is the opposite of the development map, these are the empty areas, surface lots, etc that are ripe for major redevelopment.  Right now it's the central city area but I'll keep expanding outward, into southside etc as I have time.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1k90VaUwqdfXviei3ivlUCuojSOjp-1th&usp=sharing

 

This is really good stuff!  Question: What tool are you using to edit the maps and draw the boxes?

[123fakestreet]

1 minute ago, I miss RVA said:

This is really good stuff!  Question: What tool are you using to edit the maps and draw the boxes?

mymaps.google.com

It's super easy to make these, if it wasn't I wouldn't be doing it.

 

 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, 123fakestreet said:

mymaps.google.com

It's super easy to make these, if it wasn't I wouldn't be doing it.

 

 

Cool! Thank you!

[I miss RVA]

Well gents - I guess Richmond BizSense liked OUR tracker so much - that they decided to copy US and build their own.

It's not fully built out - in as much as Manchester is the only part of the city south of the river with a subsection, and they haven't culled out anything in the south or southwest suburbs, Westhampton, the East End (greater Church Hill to Rockett's and Fulton inclusive) just yet. Give 'em time, though.

But we can take comfort in the knowledge that WE WERE FIRST! By several YEARS. 

Speaking of which -- how'z our tracker looking update wise these days? Just because RBS is working night and day to put trackers together doesn't mean we need to abandon ours. 

Check it out:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2022/07/19/bizsense-development-tracker/

[eandslee]

19 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Well gents - I guess Richmond BizSense liked OUR tracker so much - that they decided to copy US and build their own.

It's not fully built out - in as much as Manchester is the only part of the city south of the river with a subsection, and they haven't culled out anything in the south or southwest suburbs, Westhampton, the East End (greater Church Hill to Rockett's and Fulton inclusive) just yet. Give 'em time, though.

But we can take comfort in the knowledge that WE WERE FIRST! By several YEARS. 

Speaking of which -- how'z our tracker looking update wise these days? Just because RBS is working night and day to put trackers together doesn't mean we need to abandon ours. 

Check it out:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2022/07/19/bizsense-development-tracker/

This is a trip!  They DID copy us!  Funny, but it's a pretty effective way to keep track of everything...otherwise, you forget or get confused about what is going where and what is what.  It's great problem to have, but there was a time back several years (probably 10+ years ago) that I could keep track of all the projects I knew about.  Now, it's just impossible!

[I miss RVA]

27 minutes ago, eandslee said:

This is a trip!  They DID copy us!  Funny, but it's a pretty effective way to keep track of everything...otherwise, you forget or get confused about what is going where and what is what.  It's great problem to have, but there was a time back several years (probably 10+ years ago) that I could keep track of all the projects I knew about.  Now, it's just impossible!

Agreed. Heck, nowadays, it's impossible to keep track of all the parts of town (and by extension, the metro) that are experiencing off-the-charts development - much less the projects in each of those sections of the city/metro.

Like you said - a GREAT problem to have! 

[RVABizSenseMike]

Hi everyone, this is Mike Platania with Richmond BizSense. I've been a longtime lurker of UP Richmond and I think I can speak for our whole newsroom when I say we appreciate y'all sharing our stories on here so frequently. 

Just wanted to tip my hat to y'all for being so far ahead of the curve on the development map idea. A few years ago we'd noticed that some other business journals throughout the country had similar maps but I don't think anyone was ahead of UP's back in 2016. 

 

[eandslee]

25 minutes ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Hi everyone, this is Mike Platania with Richmond BizSense. I've been a longtime lurker of UP Richmond and I think I can speak for our whole newsroom when I say we appreciate y'all sharing our stories on here so frequently. 

Just wanted to tip my hat to y'all for being so far ahead of the curve on the development map idea. A few years ago we'd noticed that some other business journals throughout the country had similar maps but I don't think anyone was ahead of UP's back in 2016. 

 

Mike - 

I know I speak for all of us here when I say that it's a pleasure to have you visit our forum.  We noticed the development maps you all made at RBS and loved that you all did it.  In fact, I think you all did a great job by separating out all the developments by neighborhood.  Since you all have a larger platform where more people visit than we do, it's good to show people out there just how much development is taking place in the Richmond Metro area.  I can tell you that it's just too difficult these days to keep all the projects straight in our heads.  The development map really is a great tool to help sort it all out.  Plus, it shows that Richmond is really moving forward (growing) and the map tells that story!  Glad we could be a little inspiration for that project. 

Now, good luck maintaining these maps - we've found that it can be difficult to keep up with it all.  Ours isn't perfect, but it's pretty close.  Besides, we're all just hobbyists, so we devote the time to it when we can.  If anytime you need anything from us (the RVA Urbanplant community at large), don't hesitate to reach out!  We all love RBS and the work you all do and I can tell you that we all can't wait to wake up every morning to find out something that maybe we didn't already know about!  From all of us here, keep up the great work!

[I miss RVA]

33 minutes ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Hi everyone, this is Mike Platania with Richmond BizSense. I've been a longtime lurker of UP Richmond and I think I can speak for our whole newsroom when I say we appreciate y'all sharing our stories on here so frequently. 

Just wanted to tip my hat to y'all for being so far ahead of the curve on the development map idea. A few years ago we'd noticed that some other business journals throughout the country had similar maps but I don't think anyone was ahead of UP's back in 2016. 

 

Hey Mike!!! A HUGE HUGE welcome to our favorite RBS reporter! Holy wow - so glad you've crossed the Rubicon so to speak and posted here in our community forum. Personally hoping you'll be a frequent contributor here - your insights and ear to the ground about the comings and goings of RVA developments will be very much appreciated. So glad you're here!

Thanks for all the great reporting you do in RBS - as you can tell by our constant surfing of BizSense, we rely heavily on the publication and on your reporting to try to stay on top of what's going on as our wonderful city has been booming these last 5 to 10 years. 

Anyway - it's great to hear from you. Please don't be a stranger here. 

[Hike]

1 hour ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Hi everyone, this is Mike Platania with Richmond BizSense. I've been a longtime lurker of UP Richmond and I think I can speak for our whole newsroom when I say we appreciate y'all sharing our stories on here so frequently. 

Just wanted to tip my hat to y'all for being so far ahead of the curve on the development map idea. A few years ago we'd noticed that some other business journals throughout the country had similar maps but I don't think anyone was ahead of UP's back in 2016. 

 

Welcome and great to know you’re a part of the forum and thanks for all the hard work put into Richmond Bizsense! I’d say everyone on here is a big fan of Richmond and for the longest time we were starved of any development, construction, architecture news and for decades not much to go on. Thankfully that has changed and the tides of turned while Bizsense keeps us up to speed with a daily dose of details to keep us on the edge of our seat waiting for the next big thing. 

[RVABizSenseMike]

Thanks for the kind words all. The reception to these maps has been a pleasant surprise.

@eandsleeKeeping it up-to-date will certainly be a challenge, particularly as projects shift from planning to under-construction, but I'm hopeful that the bulk of the time-intensive portion of this project is done. We're planning a Chesterfield/general Southside map, as well as a Northside/Northern Henrico/Ashland one, but those might be a few months out.

I've also considered including smaller stuff on them, such as any empty storefronts that are to be converted into a new restaurant/shop etc. The idea would be if you're walking around say, the Fan, and see paper up in a window of a store but don't know what's going in, you'd have a place to look up what's going in. But for the time being I think the plan is to keep the maps development-focused. Curious what y'all's take might be though. 

@I miss RVAI do plan to make a habit of chiming in when appropriate here!

@HikeIt's certainly been a good time to be a business reporter in Richmond. We at BizSense have a good time chasing stories down each day and lord knows there's plenty going on to keep us busy. 

(I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that if y'all ever hear of anything going on in town to definitely send us a tip, my email is [email protected] and our general tip line is [email protected])

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

Thanks for the kind words all. The reception to these maps has been a pleasant surprise.

@eandsleeKeeping it up-to-date will certainly be a challenge, particularly as projects shift from planning to under-construction, but I'm hopeful that the bulk of the time-intensive portion of this project is done. We're planning a Chesterfield/general Southside map, as well as a Northside/Northern Henrico/Ashland one, but those might be a few months out.

I've also considered including smaller stuff on them, such as any empty storefronts that are to be converted into a new restaurant/shop etc. The idea would be if you're walking around say, the Fan, and see paper up in a window of a store but don't know what's going in, you'd have a place to look up what's going in. But for the time being I think the plan is to keep the maps development-focused. Curious what y'all's take might be though. 

@I miss RVAI do plan to make a habit of chiming in when appropriate here!

@HikeIt's certainly been a good time to be a business reporter in Richmond. We at BizSense have a good time chasing stories down each day and lord knows there's plenty going on to keep us busy. 

(I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that if y'all ever hear of anything going on in town to definitely send us a tip, my email is [email protected] and our general tip line is [email protected])

Hey Mike - Really glad to hear that more maps are on the way!  if I might offer a couple of suggestions:

You might want to consider also adding a specific West End map for Westhampton/Willow Lawn/Tuckahoe separate from the current Westwood/West End map, and a specific East End map that looks at Greater Church Hill (inclusive)/Rockett's and Fulton.

May I also (strongly) suggest breaking out suburban Chesterfield from South Richmond - and not lumping them all together into one general Chesterfield/Southside map. Unless something happens with the casino, South Richmond outside of Manchester/Swansboro likely will continue to see only pockets of development - Westover Hills, Stratford Hills - maybe some activity along the Pike (U.S.1/301) whereas all across Chesterfield, projects will abound, popping up like mushrooms after a summer thunderstorm. Perhaps down the road even the Chesterfield map should be split between southwest and south suburbs, given the different (and likely very active) levels of development 1.) already happening along the Powhite Parkway extension corridor and 2.) that will likely follow the construction of the LEGO factory.

I realize you don't want SO many maps that it gets to be challenging to manage all of them - but as we've learned here, managing just one can be a challenge, and really culling out location-specific trackers can be really helpful to the end user, allowing for a more granular look at what's going on rather than fishing about in a large ocean of projects. Idk of that makes any sense, but it's an idea worth considering.

Edited July 20, 2022 by I miss RVA

[RVABizSenseMike]

21 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Hey Mike - Really glad to hear that more maps are on the way!  if I might offer a couple of suggestions:

You might want to consider also adding a specific West End map for Westhampton/Willow Lawn/Tuckahoe separate from the current Westwood/West End map, and a specific East End map that looks at Greater Church Hill (inclusive)/Rockett's and Fulton.

May I also (strongly) suggest breaking out suburban Chesterfield from South Richmond - and not lumping them all together into one general Chesterfield/Southside map. Unless something happens with the casino, South Richmond outside of Manchester/Swansboro likely will continue to see only pockets of development - Westover Hills, Stratford Hills - maybe some activity along the Pike (U.S.1/301) whereas all across Chesterfield, projects will abound, popping up like mushrooms after a summer thunderstorm. Perhaps down the road even the Chesterfield map should be split between southwest and south suburbs, given the different (and likely very active) levels of development 1.) already happening along the Powhite Parkway extension corridor and 2.) that will likely follow the construction of the LEGO factory.

I realize you don't want SO many maps that it gets to be challenging to manage all of them - but as we've learned here, managing just one can be a challenge, and really culling out location-specific trackers can be really helpful to the end user, allowing for a more granular look at what's going on rather than fishing about in a large ocean of projects. Idk of that makes any sense, but it's an idea worth considering.

Good stuff, thanks. I do think the day will come when the Westwood are will warrant its own thing and to be spun off from the West End/Willow Lawn areas. And that's a good point re: Chesterfield and South Richmond.

This is inside baseball but the goal is certainly to not have a dozen or so maps, mostly just the areas that are most flush with development. 

[Child2021]

Kemps Storage development has started, along with a city re-development of Hull Street.