Greater Church Hill

[whw53]

Reviewing the CAR agenda today. A lot of good stuff in there but realized we don't have a thread or threads for the greater Church Hill neighborhood. While the scope of projects in the this area are smaller and certainly shorter than this blog tends to celebrate , it would be unfortunate for the decade to go by, the area transform and for there to be not a peep of that in this forum.  There is a building boom going on over there it is creating some very unique places. Also, the densification of this area has and will increasingly contribute to a more lively Shockoe Bottom and downtown core. I wasn't sure how best to throw all this info out there but I think the best way to break the greater Church Hill area up is into 3 threads - Church Hill\Chimborazo, Union Hill\Fairmount, and North Church Hill\Oakwood.  If we need to consolidate or rename in the future - fine by me! 

Anyway - first post for this Church Hill/Chimbo thread....

3101-3105 East Marshall

Developer is going before CAR board next week to make alterations to a project that will take a duplex and transform it and a neighboring building into 9 residential units and 2 commercial spaces. Thing to note is that this has already been approved by CAR they are just going back to ask for a few stylistic material changes.

 

Also on the CAR agenda for 8/25 is a project on 25th St at Clay. 'Bilder Row' will renovate 2 structures and build a new multi-use structure on the corner. From renderings there will be room for commercial space at this corner as well as other space for residences and offices. Looks pretty neat and should complement the Liberty Public House\Frontier block nicely. Will have to follow-up on this one for more details but initial renderings are promising. This is projects first run by CAR board so some change is probably expected...

 

 

 

[whw53]

Reviewing the CAR agenda today. A lot of good stuff in there but realized we don't have a thread or threads for the greater Church Hill neighborhood. While the scope of projects in the this area are smaller and certainly shorter than this blog tends to celebrate , it would be unfortunate for the decade to go by, the area transform and for there to be not a peep of that in this forum.  There is a building boom going on over there it is creating some very unique places. Also, the densification of this area has and will increasingly contribute to a more lively Shockoe Bottom and downtown core. I wasn't sure how best to throw all this info out there but I think the best way to break the greater Church Hill area up is into 3 threads - Church Hill\Chimborazo, Union Hill\Fairmount, and North Church Hill\Oakwood.  If we need to consolidate or rename in the future - fine by me! 

715 Mosby St. - New 3 story 15 unit multi-family building on what was until recently the Mosby Xpress Mart. Not sure how I feel about this -  this definitely clashes with most of the neighborhood - will be interesting to see what staff report from CAR says about the paneling.  The townhome style with multiple entry\access points from the street and the numerous balconies over the street are a positive - at least it breaks it up from just being a vinyl box. This will also brought up for the first time it looks like at the 8\25 CAR meeting.

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by whw53
add info

[I miss RVA]

I actually like these! Gives it a neat urban feel - very New York or Baltimore. Much needed. Hope more such rowhouses get built in that part of town. Hoping they'd use brick and not siding - but still, I like the urban feel with actual stoops coming out to the sidewalk like in other big cities. The corner balconies look nice too.

Great idea to set up sub forums for active East End neighorhoods.

[I miss RVA]

Nice!! I love that the East End is getting in on the development activity now as well.

[whw53]

Reviewing the CAR agenda today. A lot of good stuff in there but realized we don't have a thread or threads for the greater Church Hill neighborhood. While the scope of projects in the this area are smaller and certainly shorter than this blog tends to celebrate , it would be unfortunate for the decade to go by, the area transform and for there to be not a peep of that in this forum.  There is a building boom going on over there it is creating some very unique places. Also, the densification of this area has and will increasingly contribute to a more lively Shockoe Bottom and downtown core. I wasn't sure how best to throw all this info out there but I think the best way to break the greater Church Hill area up is into 3 threads - Church Hill\Chimborazo, Union Hill\Fairmount, and North Church Hill\Oakwood.  If we need to consolidate or rename in the future - fine by me! 

 

Nothing new to introduce here. Took a drive out to the Armstrong Renaissance project for lunch though. This project is coming along nicely.  

 

 

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

I really like the variation in facades and heights in the Renaissance project, makes it feel at least higher quality than most mass produced, develop all-at-once neighborhoods.

[I miss RVA]

This is fantastic! Love to see projects transforming the older urban neighborhoods like this. Plus, it certainly looks like it's adding density. These kinds of projects in the various "less glamorous" neighborhoods (i.e. places other than Manchester, Scott's Addition, Monroe Ward, VCU area, Rocketts/Fulton) - are also an important part of how and why Richmond's population is growing  at double-digit rates. Good to see!

[Icetera]

Though I am not a fan of vinyl, these do seem to create a transition between the suburban-style town-home complex and the dense bones of Venable Street.  I imagine they would be aiming to wrap around the corner on Carrington and hopefully we would see more of a blend throughout further development.

[whw53]

Here are pics of some other new build projects wrapping up in the Church Hill North neighborhood I took yesterday. 

Image 1: 'Williamson Townes' - 2 pairs of attached town-homes along N St b\w 31st and 32nd.

Image 2: 13 apartments above 1,200 sqft commercial space at NW corner of N 30th & Q st.

Image 3: 2 pairs of attached town-homes along the west side of N 30th St b\w R & S..

 

[rjp212]

I was showing some of the new construction to a client the other day in and around Church Hill North.  There are at least 15-20 new single family/duplex builds sprinkled throughout the neighborhood.   The empty lots are being filled up quickly!

[I miss RVA]

Good to see all the way around. Man, I LOVE that one at 30th and Q. Looking mighty good!

[I miss RVA]

Really gorgeous stuff. Hope they continue along these lines in that neighborhood. Am guessing there are other developable parcels nearby?

[whw53]

12 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Really gorgeous stuff. Hope they continue along these lines in that neighborhood. Am guessing there are other developable parcels nearby?

Venable street / Carrington St. corridor and the the surrounding area is on fire. I think the Mosby St. will see a lot of activity in the future esp. if the Mosby Court South housing complex ever gets re-developed. Will open up a lot of land. Still, there are plenty of lots for infill projects like this one. Another cool project I saw along Mosby I'm trying to track down renderings for...its only a bit north of this. When I find I will share out. That was a similar density to this and with commercial space along Mosby St.

[rjp212]

Anybody know the order of the "court" redevelopments?  I am a huge proponent of mixed income/mixed use development and I know Creighton is next, but which one is after that?

[whw53]

I wasn't able to find the Mosby item yet but here is a neat mixed use corner project along Venable. This went before the CAR board for a conceptual review in June. I've attached the summary of staff comments at the top.

2322 Venable St - currently a vacant lot. Developer is proposing 2 apartments w/ commercial space on ground floor.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by whw53
edit

[I miss RVA]

Really good stuff!! So glad to see these neighborhoods starting to ignite now. If all the old housing projects in that part of town - Mosby, Creighton and Whitcomb all get redeveloped, a lot of good things can happen there. rjp212 I also am a proponent of mixed-income and mixed-use. Here's hoping there's plenty of opportunity in these neighborhoods as new housing stock starts to be developed.

[whw53]

Ok this is the project I was looking for. It was 'approved with conditions' by the CAR board back in October. I don't think it needed a SUP but haven't seen any permits come out so not sure the status of this project. Anyway - 

801-803 Mosby St.

 2 buildings consisting of commercial space at corner of Mosby and Carrington along with 8 units of residential as a mix of apartments and townhomes. 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by whw53

[I miss RVA]

Man oh man - this is simply fantastic! This is exactly how big cities do things. Lots of projects. LOTS of them. All across town. All at the same time. I can recall how utterly dead development was in Richmond years ago - and believe me, more structures either burned down, were torn down or were abandoned and left to rot than were built. 

Anything like this going on in either Carver or Randolph? And if so, maybe a sub forum for those neighborhoods if things are on the move there? I recall when Randolph had pretty much been razed to the ground and really started to pick up some steam about 20 years ago - there were still a ton of undeveloped streets back then. Maybe most of it has been rebuilt by now. Just curious.

Again, this is SO amazing to see! I love how there are new things popping up in the older neighborhoods - and at the same time, there are wholesale transformations of entire sections of town like Manchester, Scott's Addition, Fulton/Rocketts -- and I honestly am beginning to think that Monroe Ward is the next part of town to REALLLLLY ignite on the development front - and that could be huge!

[whw53]

Unabashedly urban, this is probably my favorite proposal so far for Venable St. It was approved with conditions back in late April but so far no activity on site yet. It could be the developer is working with city staff on those conditions before applying for permits. 

NW corner of Venable & Russel St. - 9 new row-homes by Eastern Edge Development on empty lot.

 

[I miss RVA]

Oh my these are gorgeous!!! Totally urban! You can just FEEL Brooklyn or Baltimore or South Philadelphia in this project. I hope this project gets replicated all over the East End and maybe in some infill spots in neighborhoods like Carver, Randolph, and the southern stretches of Manchester. Could you see the old neighborhoods with these REAL northeast row houses lining streets? Simply beautiful!

[whw53]

Special Use permit approved by City Council last night for a 4 unit - or 'two two-unit attached dwelling' building on a vacant lot off 21st St. in Fairmount. Walking distance from Market at 25th St- great amenity and  the anchor for this part of East End. Infill development here should help them out... 

 

 

[whw53]

The former George Mason Elementary has been rebuilt and rechristened as Henry Marsh Elementary. I will close this project out on the development map. 

http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2020/sep/03/henry-l-marsh-iii-elementary-school/

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, whw53 said:

The former George Mason Elementary has been rebuilt and rechristened as Henry Marsh Elementary. I will close this project out on the development map. 

http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2020/sep/03/henry-l-marsh-iii-elementary-school/

That's fantastic. WOW -- Sen. Marsh is 86 years old?? I'd thought about him recently wondering if he was still with us. Had no idea he's that old.  May he live and be well in good health, both of mind and body!

[whw53]

Glenwood Ridge apartment project has been completed. I will close this one out on the development map..

Edit: Aerial picture of completed project here - https://jamesdoranco.com/glenwood-ridge/?utm_campaign=Search&tmad=4c3eb6224e17

Edited October 1, 2020 by whw53

[whw53]

Retail listing page for the corner slot at the new mixed use project at 2910 Q St. The brochure includes some cool aerial photos of the almost completed project - scroll to the right in the picture bar to view.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/2910-Q-St-Richmond-VA/20445476/