Monroe Ward / Oregon Hill

[Brent114]

This is a good move for Vinyl Conflict.   Grace Street is actually coming back quite strong at the moment.  The Oregon Hill spot is cool but they can actually be used as a bit of an anchor for other stores along Grace.  They have a big following and I imagine that in a bigger space, that isn't strictly residential, they can host more events…which will drive more pedestrian traffic to Grace Street. 

[ttr]

On 2/2/2022 at 8:46 AM, upzoningisgood said:

This aspect is technical enough that most people, even councilmen, won’t know about it. If you know someone in Addison’s district, I think he would be the most amenable so have them bring it up to him. Basically I think this is where good old fashioned outreach and organizing comes into play. The biggest hurdle is on the fire safety stuff because people will be scared when you bring up building with wood/timber 12 stories up, and that’s where you just have to know the data—clt is manufactured to burn slowly and the regulations come with a ton of fireproofing measures.

What makes you say it isn't legal in Richmond? As far as I can tell, Richmond just follows the VA codes, which mostly follow the IBC (and we know there is a six story CLT building in Charlottesville) : https://library.municode.com/va/richmond/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICICO_CH5BUBURE

Do they specifically disallow it somewhere else? 

[upzoningisgood]

@ttr My understanding is VA uses the 2018 IBC and the mass timber regulations were added in IBC 2021

[I miss RVA]

8 minutes ago, upzoningisgood said:

@ttr My understanding is VA uses the 2018 IBC and the mass timber regulations were added in IBC 2021

What is necessary to help transition the state to the newer standards?

[wrldcoupe4]

How does that jive with the Apex building in Cville though?

https://www.nbc29.com/2022/04/22/apex-plaza-opens-charlottesville/?outputType=amp

[ttr]

2 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

How does that jive with the Apex building in Cville though?

https://www.nbc29.com/2022/04/22/apex-plaza-opens-charlottesville/?outputType=amp

I think Upzoningisgood is right, I just looked and that building is five stories of CLT on top of a concrete podium. So the Virginia code allows mass timber but just doesn't treat it any differently than stick frame. Other parts of the world and country allow CLT to go significantly higher.

 

There's a guy in Charlottesville who's trying to get VA to allow taller single stair buildings, I'll ping him and see if he can put mass timber on the docket as well. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/05/how-allowing-single-staircase-buildings-could-change-virginias-housing-market/

[I miss RVA]

28 minutes ago, ttr said:

I think Upzoningisgood is right, I just looked and that building is five stories of CLT on top of a concrete podium. So the Virginia code allows mass timber but just doesn't treat it any differently than stick frame. Other parts of the world and country allow CLT to go significantly higher.

 

There's a guy in Charlottesville who's trying to get VA to allow taller single stair buildings, I'll ping him and see if he can put mass timber on the docket as well. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/05/how-allowing-single-staircase-buildings-could-change-virginias-housing-market/

Awesome!! Please keep us informed as to how he responds and if he's able/willing to do it. 

Thanks for doing this! 

[eandslee]

Just an aside:  I hate the name of this material.  CLT = Charlotte in my mind.  

[ttr]

8 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Awesome!! Please keep us informed as to how he responds and if he's able/willing to do it. 

Thanks for doing this! 

He told me that VA updates its codes every three years to the latest IBC codes, which means they're basically just always a year behind the IBC; so they are working on updating the codes sometime this calendar year. Sounds like it's really only a matter of time before tall mass timber construction is allowed, possibly starting at the beginning of 2023. Pretty cool stuff!

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, ttr said:

He told me that VA updates its codes every three years to the latest IBC codes, which means they're basically just always a year behind the IBC; so they are working on updating the codes sometime this calendar year. Sounds like it's really only a matter of time before tall mass timber construction is allowed, possibly starting at the beginning of 2023. Pretty cool stuff!

This could be a game-changer, particularly given how costs have been of late.

[I miss RVA]

The old building that housed Mamma Zu's has been sold. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of this - will a new restaurant or some other retail establishment open up there? Or will the building give way to new residential development?

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2022/06/22/mamma-zus-old-building-sells-for-900k/

 

 

[I miss RVA]

A quick question:

What with it being a slow news time for projects - and since we just had a fantastic feed of fresh photos, hot from the streets of Manchester chronicling the new projects that, thank-God, continue apace, would anyone have time/availability to slide over to 321 W. Grace to check in on the Pinecrest/Parc View construction? It's been quite a while (last photos I think were maybe in March or April?) - That project has been underway now officially for a little while - it would be really cool to see what progress has been made.

 

[wrldcoupe4]

There's site work happening. nothing vertical.

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

There's site work happening. nothing vertical.

Safe to say site work = digging at this point?

[wrldcoupe4]

Think so. Found a few tidbits as well. First one you can clearly see sitework.

https://www.enr.com/blogs/11-mid-atlantic-monitor/post/54250-enr-midatlantic-names-rycon-construction-2022-contractor-of-the-year

https://ryconinc.com/projects/parc-view-at-commonwealth/

https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/nicholson-joins-51m-virginia-residential-development-10-05-2022/

Also - I count 16 floors in the rendering. Am I wrong?

Edited June 27, 2022 by wrldcoupe4

[I miss RVA]

35 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Think so. Found a few tidbits as well. First one you can clearly see sitework.

https://www.enr.com/blogs/11-mid-atlantic-monitor/post/54250-enr-midatlantic-names-rycon-construction-2022-contractor-of-the-year

https://ryconinc.com/projects/parc-view-at-commonwealth/

https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/nicholson-joins-51m-virginia-residential-development-10-05-2022/

Also - I count 16 floors in the rendering. Am I wrong?

Yep!! That qualifies as digging in my book. The surface lot has been stripped and some holes are already underway. 

Nope - you are not wrong.  Recall, the developer announced (late last year or early this year) that he was adding a floor and X number of units (I forget how many) - he had the opportunity to expand the project and jumped on it. So it is, in fact, 16 stories. (or 'storeys' for any and all Brits out there!)

Thanks for the links to the publications! Good information. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Think so. Found a few tidbits as well. First one you can clearly see sitework.

https://www.enr.com/blogs/11-mid-atlantic-monitor/post/54250-enr-midatlantic-names-rycon-construction-2022-contractor-of-the-year

https://ryconinc.com/projects/parc-view-at-commonwealth/

https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/nicholson-joins-51m-virginia-residential-development-10-05-2022/

Also - I count 16 floors in the rendering. Am I wrong?

I counted 16 as well…unless the ground floor is an expansive and open 2-stories tall!

Thanks for the extra tidbits of info. Wow!  306 auger cast piles!

[I miss RVA]

2 minutes ago, eandslee said:

I counted 16 as well…unless the ground floor is an expansive and open 2-stories tall!

Thanks for the extra tidbits of info. Wow!  306 auger cast piles!

1.) It's definitely 16 stories - I recall the developer adding enough additional units that it required increasing the height to 16 stories. It was in RBS, I do believe. Mind you - if the ground floor is that vaulted "double-height" design, that would give the 16-story structure the equivalent height of a 17-story building - and there would be no complaints from this quarter!

2.) Yeah- 306 auger cast piles - they're not playing around with THIS one! 

 

[Brent114]

Tower crane!!!

[I miss RVA]

49 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

Tower crane!!!

SWEET!! 

Is anyone close enough to Monroe Ward to grab some up close and personal pix of RVA's newest member of the Tower Crane family? 

[eandslee]

Awesome!  And what a nice “threaded needle” shot Brent!!  I’d die now for a webcam!

Hard to see anything from this camera view.  Resolution is too grainy:

https://www.wtvr.com/weather/skytracker-cams

Edited June 30, 2022 by eandslee

[I miss RVA]

16 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Awesome!  And what a nice “threaded needle” shot Brent!!  I’d die now for a webcam!

Hard to see anything from this camera view.  Resolution is too grainy:

https://www.wtvr.com/weather/skytracker-cams

Yep - not nearly enough resolution to see something from that distance (the Channel 6 tower cam)

I was wondering if the developer was going to put up any kind of construction site webcams.

[Child2021]

Funny enough, I saw a crane fixture being driven down commence last week, I kind of wondered where it went to, but it seems that I have found out. 

[Brent114]

The crane gives and the crane takes away…. the one in Manchester, at the foot of the Manchester Bridge, came down today  

[I miss RVA]

45 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

The crane gives and the crane takes away…. the one in Manchester, at the foot of the Manchester Bridge, came down today  

Thanks SO much, @Brent114!! You are DA MAN!

I guess the crane gods had a supply-chain shortage of cranes, so they moved the one from the Tidewater over to the Parc View site. Kind of a "handoff" so to speak. It's all good though - we still have the crane up at the Commodore site. Is the one at the state parking deck at 8th and Broad still up or did they take that one down finally?

3 hours ago, Child2021 said:

Funny enough, I saw a crane fixture being driven down commence last week, I kind of wondered where it went to, but it seems that I have found out. 

Depends on which one(s) you saw. There were two up in Manchester - apparently the one at the construction site of the Tidewater building -- on W. 7th between Commerce Road and the river -- just came down. But there's one at 7th and Hull - and now this one at 321 W. Grace in Monroe Ward downtown.