Foundry Park - CoStar HQ

[Hike]

5 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised to read about it this morning.  However, my first three thoughts were:

1) Why only 7,500 capacity?  If they’re going to build an amphitheater, build it big so that the big bands and performers will come. There’s no way this venue is going to compete with the very large outdoor amphitheaters in VA Beach and NOVA. 
 

2) Why is there no roof on this thing?  People are going to fry in the hot sun or drown in the rain. 
 

3) The O Hill folks are going to freak out with the loud music late at night (or anytime for that matter). Expect them to fight this tooth and nail.

Personally, outside of the points I mentioned above, I like the design and this will bring much to the atmosphere on the riverfront.  And man, the view of the downtown skyline will be sweet!  Just hope the city pulls through to get the required permits going in time for construction to start and stay in schedule!
 

 

All points agree, the grass area looks huge, it says up to 10K but there looks to be a lot more room than that. I guess there will have to be a way to allow access to the grassy area or else we'd just walk up there and listen and oh yes, O-Hill is about to get organized.

[ancientcarpenter]

22 minutes ago, Hike said:

All points agree, the grass area looks huge, it says up to 10K but there looks to be a lot more room than that. I guess there will have to be a way to allow access to the grassy area or else we'd just walk up there and listen and oh yes, O-Hill is about to get organized.

Maybe I'm not too familiar with Oregon Hill resident/protest history but if you buy in Oregon Hill it seems a bit silly to complain about music. Brown's Isle music has been going on for a long time, festivals, weekend shannigans, highway, and general city stuff that make it unique and full of character. It's like me moving to Broad St and complaining about bus stops. Or moving to Jackson Ward and complaining about history. No need to reply, I'm just venting.

 

It does say that they are building it to accommodate more seats in the future which is great. I think it's an ambitious approach but they are also being cautious. Sometimes you need a proof of concept for investors to add more cash to the project. Happy to hear that the main guy is Dave Mathews Band manager.... I imagine he'll be booking them almost immediately to play in RVA which is huge to attracting other BiG TaLeNt LiKe BeYoNcE!!! (I'm sorry, I had to...)

 

 

Edited July 14, 2022 by ancientcarpenter

[Hike]

3 hours ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Maybe I'm not too familiar with Oregon Hill resident/protest history but if you buy in Oregon Hill it seems a bit silly to complain about music. Brown's Isle music has been going on for a long time, festivals, weekend shannigans, highway, and general city stuff that make it unique and full of character. It's like me moving to Broad St and complaining about bus stops. Or moving to Jackson Ward and complaining about history. No need to reply, I'm just venting.

It does say that they are building it to accommodate more seats in the future which is great. I think it's an ambitious approach but they are also being cautious. Sometimes you need a proof of concept for investors to add more cash to the project. Happy to hear that the main guy is Dave Mathews Band manager.... I imagine he'll be booking them almost immediately to play in RVA which is huge to attracting other BiG TaLeNt LiKe BeYoNcE!!! (I'm sorry, I had to...)

Oregon Hill has been opposed to projects encroaching because of views, VCU nudging too close, noise/sound, etc. so unless something has changed, this will likely happen again but wouldn't it be nice if it didn't this time. 

As for a larger venue, the Va. Credit Union Live at RIR is a 6,000 seat amphitheater and doesn't sell out that I'm aware of.  It's anecdotal, but I wanted to see Bon Iver last month and didn't go as I was out of town and watched videos on line that people posted, it didn't look close to sold out.  As an older adult, not going out much anymore, is the RVA music scene having to turn people away by the thousands because the shows sell out and we need even larger?  Maybe Bon Iver isn't a huge act, but pretty big I think, so perhaps it's not a perfect comparison for the size venue required, but a theory could be, wouldn't it be good to have a venue sold out and having a "hot ticket" be better than empty seats a lot of the time?  I assume this eliminates some groups because "too small" but I honestly can't think of a band, group, etc. that would draw 10+K but again, I'm old, so who, other than Beyonce is coming here with a huge draw, but it is Richmond, so if a medium sized band played and they promised fireworks, SELLOUT!

Edited July 14, 2022 by Hike

[123fakestreet]

Love the huge infill here.  This is such an underutilized space, and the amphitheater will have great view of the skyline and river.  It also isn't going to be yet another failed project, because there are already regular concerts there, this just gives them a nicer permanent venue.

 

Now time for an apartment complex to fill in at the corner of Byrd and 2nd, and another office (hopefully tower) on 5th and Tredegar across the street from Costar.

Edited July 14, 2022 by 123fakestreet

[Hike]

7 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

Love the huge infill here.  This is such an underutilized space, and the amphitheater will have great view of the skyline and river.  It also isn't going to be yet another failed project, because there are already regular concerts there, this just gives them a nicer permanent venue.

 

Now time for an apartment complex to fill in at the corner of Byrd and 2nd, and another office (hopefully tower) on 5th and Tredegar across the street from Costar.

I also just read on the bizsense article a post by someone that said this and hopefully this is the case - In reference to the Oregon Hill complaints "Since there is no re-zoning or special use permit required, there's not really much they can do about it."

Edited July 14, 2022 by Hike

[eandslee]

20 minutes ago, Hike said:

I also just read on the bizsense article a post by someone that said this and hopefully this is the case - In reference to the Oregon Hill complaints "Since there is no re-zoning or special use permit required, there's not really much they can do about it."

Oh gosh...one can only hope!  Tired of the O Hill folks being against everything...especially Scott Burger.   Birds were his argument against this development.  Birds....really?

[eandslee]

Just wanted to post a rendering of the new amphitheater here for reference:

 

[Hike]

10 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Oh gosh...one can only hope!  Tired of the O Hill folks being against everything...especially Scott Burger.   Birds were his argument against this development.  Birds....really?

Yeah, saw that, poor guy, he needs to relocate to a less urban environment. 

[jbjust]

3 hours ago, Hike said:

Oregon Hill has been opposed to projects encroaching because of views, VCU nudging too close, noise/sound, etc. so unless something has changed, this will likely happen again but wouldn't it be nice if it didn't this time. 

As for a larger venue, the Va. Credit Union Live at RIR is a 6,000 seat amphitheater and doesn't sell out that I'm aware of.  It's anecdotal, but I wanted to see Bon Iver last month and didn't go as I was out of town and watched videos on line that people posted, it didn't look close to sold out.  As an older adult, not going out much anymore, is the RVA music scene having to turn people away by the thousands because the shows sell out and we need even larger?  Maybe Bon Iver isn't a huge act, but pretty big I think, so perhaps it's not a perfect comparison for the size venue required, but a theory could be, wouldn't it be good to have a venue sold out and having a "hot ticket" be better than empty seats a lot of the time?  I assume this eliminates some groups because "too small" but I honestly can't think of a band, group, etc. that would draw 10+K but again, I'm old, so who, other than Beyonce is coming here with a huge draw, but it is Richmond, so if a medium sized band played and they promised fireworks, SELLOUT!

I absolutely hate driving out to RIR to watch a concert.  As a downtown worker, I would walk down to a concert much more readily than I would drive out to RIR.  I also think COVID is depressing crowds.  I went to a sold-out Avett show in the fall that had lots of empty seats because of no-shows (the concert was sold out prior to COVID and rescheduled twice). 

[Hike]

48 minutes ago, jbjust said:

I absolutely hate driving out to RIR to watch a concert.  As a downtown worker, I would walk down to a concert much more readily than I would drive out to RIR.  I also think COVID is depressing crowds.  I went to a sold-out Avett show in the fall that had lots of empty seats because of no-shows (the concert was sold out prior to COVID and rescheduled twice). 

As soon as I posted about crowds I said Covid, so yeah, that’s true but still not sure what’s the right crowd side to expect. Walking from downtown job to a concert is perfect, I also hate going to RIR, pretty big hassle.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Hike

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

With the Coliseum closed and the RIR amphitheater kind of a joke, this is probably the best chance we have to attracting big acts (or at least almost arena acts). The views from this to the skyline are going to be stunning. I almost was gonna say I'd rather this site be used for development but then I realized it's right behind Tredegar lol. So this is the best possible activation we can have for this site, I'm excited. Now move it through quickly before the Oregon Hill curmudgeons get their bearings together

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

Now time for an apartment complex to fill in at the corner of Byrd and 2nd, and another office (hopefully tower) on 5th and Tredegar across the street from Costar.

AMEN!!! From your keyboad to God's eyes, my friend!  Both developments would be a perfect compliment to this part of the riverfront. Having another tower (maybe THAT'S where LEGO could build their U.S. HQ when - ooops! Ummm... I mean IF it were to come to pass... that they move their U.S. HQ to RVA (praying this happens within the decade!!) - how about right there at 5th and Tredegar? An iconic LEGO tower would be perfect. And I've been jonesing for some kind of high-density residential development at or near 2nd and Byrd for a couple of decades now. Maybe it will happen as Monroe Ward starts to head up and as the riverfront development REALLLLLLLLLY takes off. And folks, can we deny that this amphitheater became an even more likely development once CoStar moved forward with their huge HQ complex right there? Just like with LEGO and the Chester area - BIG projects like CoStar have a huge - very positive - ripple effect on the surrounding area - and the riverfront is benefitting mightily. Nice to see CoStar's yet-to-be-built tower already paying dividends!!) What was it @upzoningisgoodsaid recently - "growth begets growth".  We're seeing it in Chester vis a vis LEGO. And now we're seeing it on the riverfront vis a vis CoStar.

Wow - this is really exciting.

Oh - and I would also wish they'd bump up the initial capacity to at least 10K - but 7,500 is nothing to sneeze at. Not huge - but not tiny. A good start. At this point - we'll take it!

As for the Oregon Hill NIMBYs (talk about flies that buzz around pestering the living daylights out of everyone...) I offer them a couple of quarters. Maybe they can search for and find a still operational pay phone and call someone who gives a you know what about their kvetches. As @ancientcarpentersaid - if you live in Oregon Hill, expect music and activity because of proximity to the downtown riverfront. If you want peace and quiet and solitude, there are some nice places just a little farther west in Riverview that might be just out of earshot of downtown concerts. These folks need to grow up and put their big-boy pants on and realize they live in a city. Not a small town.

[Hike]

Was wondering just now, will this, if it goes thru or should I say, when it goes thru, will it effectively kill the VACU amphitheater or will there be competing similarly sized amphitheaters. If built, in my eyes, the one at RIR is over.

[eandslee]

47 minutes ago, Hike said:

Was wondering just now, will this, if it goes thru or should I say, when it goes thru, will it effectively kill the VACU amphitheater or will there be competing similarly sized amphitheaters. If built, in my eyes, the one at RIR is over.

I agree with you...the VACU amphitheater, I think, has lived its life.  I went to one concert there and loved it, but that was in the late 1990s.  This venue should be awesome!

[Jawless]

@Hike I think they will both be fine and find their different markets. When I lived in Raleigh we had Red Hat Amphitheater downtown and Koka Amphitheater in Cary. Both similar sizes, but Koka seemed to hit that family market a lot more with their shows and easy parking. I can see the same thing happening here. 

[Hike]

2 minutes ago, Jawless said:

@Hike I think they will both be fine and find their different markets. When I lived in Raleigh we had Red Hat Amphitheater downtown and Koka Amphitheater in Cary. Both similar sizes, but Koka seemed to hit that family market a lot more with their shows and easy parking. I can see the same thing happening here. 

I hope so and that may be the case and the more the merrier. I’ve never been to a concert there but have been to the track for races and a camper expo and walked by the amphitheater, though that was probably 7 years ago or more and let me say, there’s absolutely no there there. It’s in what could be said is the absolute worst part of Henrico and perhaps the most unsafe neighborhood next door, there’s no saving that area any time soon, I’d say, bye bye and never look back. I can’t believe I entertained going recently but wanted to see bon iver and was willing to forgo all this to see them  and if that’s our bar, it’s pretty low.

[Jawless]

4 minutes ago, Hike said:

I hope so and that may be the case and the more the merrier. I’ve never been to a concert there but have been to the track for races and a camper expo and walked by the amphitheater, though that was probably 7 years ago or more and let me say, there’s absolutely no there there. It’s in what could be said is the absolute worst part of Henrico and perhaps the most unsafe neighborhood next door, there’s no saving that area any time soon, I’d say, bye bye and never look back. I can’t believe I entertained going recently but wanted to see bon iver and was willing to forgo all this to see them  and if that’s our bar, it’s pretty low.

I don't disagree with the area being rough. I also don't see myself going to a show at VACU anytime soon, but I do think they can find a market here if they try. 

[I miss RVA]

28 minutes ago, eandslee said:

I agree with you...the VACU amphitheater, I think, has lived its life.  I went to one concert there and loved it, but that was in the late 1990s.  This venue should be awesome!

Yep - I can see that. I went to a couple of shows there back in the 90s - including Barry Manilow. Go ahead... laugh if you like. Very talented, dis guy from Brooklyn! I did go to the amphitheater in Virginia Beach in the 90s as well to see Elton John, then I got a chance to see him a couple more times in Richmond at the Coliseum before moving up here to Chicago.

[Hike]

20 minutes ago, Jawless said:

I don't disagree with the area being rough. I also don't see myself going to a show at VACU anytime soon, but I do think they can find a market here if they try. 

Time will tell, but for now, let’s keep our fingers crossed the River amphitheater happens and when it does, the rest of this will work it self out.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Hike

[eandslee]

Found this audio interview with Johnathan Spiers, who broke the news of the newly proposed amphitheater at Tredegar Hill, on a local talk radio station, WRVA.  It was a good listen.  Only lasted about 7-8 minutes, but some fairly cool nuggets found within (nothing groundbreaking), but some inside information that didn't come out in the article.  Take a listen:

https://omny.fm/shows/richmonds-morning-news/jonathan-spiers-july-18-2022

Tip: fast-forward the little commercial at the beginning.  The last few minutes of the recording are just commercials.

Edited July 19, 2022 by eandslee

[flaneur]

Take this with a very big grain of salt, but while visiting family in RVA this past week, my brother told me his friend at CoStar said, "don't be surprised if the plans get scaled back." This is second-hand and I don't know his friend, but apparently there's talk internally about reassessing the scope of the project among staff. I'm hoping this is just second-hand speculation, but given office trends now and the evolving future of how we work, it wouldn't surprise me. I know CoStar has had a stricter return to office policy, but if they want to compete for the best talent, they'll probably need to ease up on required days in the office. Do any of y'all work for CoStar or have good contacts who might know more? On a positive note, the city looks amazing and you can feel the increasing urbanism and vibrancy everywhere. Plus the food and drink scene just keeps getting better and better. 

[eandslee]

I'll second that - hopefully, this is just speculation.  So far, I don't think we've seen anything official and I guesstimate that there's about a month or so between now and groundbreaking.  If a scale-back happens, I won't be surprised either, but I will be disappointed for sure.  I guess we'll just see what happens.  Thanks for the news (even if it's not true...and it better NOT be true!).

[Brent114]

I mean they did just buy an entire office building in Manchester.  When they did I just assumed that would be their new office. 

[I miss RVA]

Praying it's just idle chatter and COMPLETELY UNTRUE!!! "NOT TRUE! NOT TRUE and NOT TRUE!!"  (Damn - no folded-hands/prayer emojis!)

From MY keyboard to God's eyes, folks!

Edited July 23, 2022 by I miss RVA

[plain]

I hope that won't happen. Especially after I said what I said in that other thread just now lol (I was referring to the initial report of it being 510' when I said it).