Diamond Area / Hermitage Rd Corridor / Ownby District

[I miss RVA]

12 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

I've been saying for years as well that Main St Station should be a transport hub. No brainer to put the GRTC transfer station there, it already has a Pulse stop. It's well situated for a north south/pulse line stop as well, and should have an express shuttle to the airport.

 

That said Greyhound is a private company that largely competes with Amtrak, so I think integrating them would be a non-starter.  

I agree. You would think that would be problematic. However - combining Amtrak, Greyhound and GRTC all under one roof has been on the drawing board and part of old RVA master plans for a few decades - at EAST since the 1980s if I remember correctly. But, to your point, that might well be why it never came to pass.

Edited October 27, 2021 by I miss RVA

[Shakman]

19 hours ago, rjp212 said:

Some changes to Scotts Walk on the most recent site plan.  Looks like a nightmare to navigate during lunch/dinner rush.

Absolutely terrible!

[RiverYuppy]

On 10/26/2021 at 7:39 PM, rjp212 said:

Some changes to Scotts Walk on the most recent site plan.  Looks like a nightmare to navigate during lunch/dinner rush.

This looks like something straight out of Short Pump.  The Canes is front AA but that's because they're expecting everyone to go through the drive thru.  It looks like there is another drive thru on the southern tip of the plan.  

It will be interesting to see what type of stores go there considering the flagship is a Canes...

[whw53]

Found some more renderings of this project - I'm not sure what yal are going on about ...check out the 'Caniac Combo' - there's some density for ya...

https://www.raisingcanes.com/our-menu

 

 

[Downtowner]

Yeah they must of knew people would be raising cane about this project. 

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, whw53 said:

Found some more renderings of this project - I'm not sure what yal are going on about ...check out the 'Caniac Combo' - there's some density for ya...

https://www.raisingcanes.com/our-menu

 

 

Yeah - the density, methinks, will be in the arteries and waistlines...

[123fakestreet]

How has someone not posted this one?  Bigtime infill along Hermitage.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2021/11/18/breeden-pays-3m-for-cobb-lumber-site-for-53m-mixed-use-project/

142 apartments and 24,000 square feet of commercial space that would house Breeden Construction.

I think eventually you're going to see the state sell the DGS Fleet Management site right there on Leigh, too much property value for a big parking lot. Move it to industrial area on southside like the maintenance area that was in the Diamond location.
 

[whw53]

1 hour ago, 123fakestreet said:

How has someone not posted this one?  Bigtime infill along Hermitage.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2021/11/18/breeden-pays-3m-for-cobb-lumber-site-for-53m-mixed-use-project/

142 apartments and 24,000 square feet of commercial space that would house Breeden Construction.

I think eventually you're going to see the state sell the DGS Fleet Management site right there on Leigh, too much property value for a big parking lot. Move it to industrial area on southside like the maintenance area that was in the Diamond location.
 

This came out a few months ago - nice to see it moving forward. I have a soft spot for the Cobb Lumber complex - would have liked to see the brick portion built into the site plan ..but a bigger soft spot for density creeping up Hermitage so I'll take it.  Such an odd name though - Duplex Station?? Almost as bad as 'The Box'. 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, whw53 said:

This came out a few months ago - nice to see it moving forward. I have a soft spot for the Cobb Lumber complex - would have liked to see the brick portion built into the site plan ..but a bigger soft spot for density creeping up Hermitage so I'll take it.  Such an odd name though - Duplex Station?? Almost as bad as 'The Box'. 

I'm with you on the density starting to move into that area. Loving that!  Yeah - weird name. Holy moly...

[ancientcarpenter]

5 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

How has someone not posted this one?  Bigtime infill along Hermitage.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2021/11/18/breeden-pays-3m-for-cobb-lumber-site-for-53m-mixed-use-project/

142 apartments and 24,000 square feet of commercial space that would house Breeden Construction.

I think eventually you're going to see the state sell the DGS Fleet Management site right there on Leigh, too much property value for a big parking lot. Move it to industrial area on southside like the maintenance area that was in the Diamond location.
 

Good lord that's a lot to pay for land. This development is going to be a game changer for that area. 

[I miss RVA]

15 minutes ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Good lord that's a lot to pay for land. This development is going to be a game changer for that area. 

You know it! 

[I miss RVA]

I just took a few minutes to really read the RBS article - and wow -- found a really cool personal connection to it. So the reason the project will be called "Duplex Station" is to pay homage to an old Richmond church envelope printing company - "Duplex Envelope Company" - which was located on West Broad Street closer toward VCU. The development company's (Breeden Co.) founder Ramon Breeden,  worked at Duplex Envelope Company, as did his father.

So what's the personal connection? I've mentioned that my father managed a printing company that specialized in church envelopes, stationery, etc. - that was located over on Leigh Street in Scott's Addition. "McDaniel Envelope Company" ... well... Duplex and McDaniel were direct - and quite fierce - competitors back in the day for DECADES. I remember my dad talking about it all the time - about Duplex stealing some of his business - or McDaniel snagging a client from Duplex... wow... talk about bringing back memories!

[eandslee]

Just saw a headline from the RTD that VCU just purchased another building off of Hermitage Rd to be part of their Athletic Village for $7.25M.  I can't get behind the paywall, but looks like it would be a good read.  Contains some good renderings.

Edited December 3, 2021 by eandslee

[Icetera]

28 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Just saw a headline from the RTD that VCU just purchased another building off of Hermitage Rd to be part of their Athletic Village for $7.25M.  I can't get behind the paywall, but looks like it would be a good read.  Contains some good renderings.

Looks like the final piece other than the eventual ABC property.

Quote

In a sale that closed Tuesday, VCU bought a six-acre parcel at 1609 Sherwood Ave. from Bourne Enterprises for $7.25 million, according to commercial real estate brokerage Porter Realty Co., which represented the seller.

The plot of land includes a 174,000-square-foot industrial building that houses West End Printing. West End Printing intends to relocate to eastern Henrico, Porter Realty said.

Quote

VCU hasn't taken ownership yet of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority headquarters, which is located along Robin Hood Road at the northern end of the development.  

The General Assembly set a sale price of $16 million for the ABC facility and allocated $14.7 million toward the purchase. VCU will add $1.3 million of its own money. Virginia ABC moved its offices to Hanover County earlier this year but has continued to transport product from the city warehouse. 

VCU doesn't know when it will take ownership of the building, athletics director Ed McLaughlin said Friday. 

Altogether, the village will cost between $80 million and $100 million, McLaughlin said earlier this fall. Construction could start as early as next summer and will take five years or more. VCU won't purchase any more land toward the village.

https://richmond.com/news/local/education/vcu-buys-industrial-building-along-hermitage-road-for-7-25-million-to-be-part-of/article_9a20f068-eca2-5ed3-8298-e8bcf15dd81d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

[eandslee]

Thanks so much for posting!  This is all good info to know!  

[123fakestreet]

52 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Just saw a headline from the RTD that VCU just purchased another building off of Hermitage Rd to be part of their Athletic Village for $7.25M.  I can't get behind the paywall, but looks like it would be a good read.  Contains some good renderings.

My takeaways from the article:

1 VCU property acquisition for athletic village is now complete (pending ABC warehouse transfer)

2 athletic village construction may start next summer

3 construction may take 5 years to be totally complete

4 the new baseball stadium will not be built by VCU or on VCU property

 

#4 is a change from what we've been told for a while, and as recently as a month ago. VCU was supposed to build a baseball stadium on the ABC warehouse property and the Squirrels would lease it for use as well. Now they are saying VCU won't build a baseball stadium but will continue to lease a city stadium to be built nearby. I'm surprised that isn't the headline here.

 

[eandslee]

30 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

 #4 is a change from what we've been told for a while, and as recently as a month ago. VCU was supposed to build a baseball stadium on the ABC warehouse property and the Squirrels would lease it for use as well. Now they are saying VCU won't build a baseball stadium but will continue to lease a city stadium to be built nearby. I'm surprised that isn't the headline here.

 

This was actually announced a months ago.  The new baseball stadium will be built just south of the Sports Backers Stadium on the west side of Hermitage Rd. 

[wrldcoupe4]

We are going to lose the squirrels. The city can’t get anything done. This is sad news. 

[I miss RVA]

34 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

We are going to lose the squirrels. The city can’t get anything done. This is sad news. 

Wow, Coupe - you're right. This really IS sad. Why is it that the city can't seem to get out of its own way on things like this?

I'm reminded of what Richmond architect Haigh Jamgochian said in an interview with Style Weekly in 2006 regarding the powers that be rejecting his ideas of futuristic, forward-thinking architecture in RVA:

"...but in the '60s it (the city) was just like today," he says. "I couldn't get anyone to listen and the city was going nowhere."

[wrldcoupe4]

Our only hope was that VCU could make it happen. They’ve saved this city. This will get bungled too. Will they end up in a county or another city altogether? Sorry to seem like a downer but that’s bad news to me.  The city is hopelessly bad at this stuff. But hey! We got outside funding for a park let that won’t be maintained. Yay!!!!!!

[DowntownCoruscant]

Patience, my friends. New ballpark will happen this time.

[Downtowner]

If squirrels leave I doubt mlb who controls minor league baseball will allow henrico or chesterfield to negotiate. It will go to another city and we will be banned from having any team completely. MLB has said they will put a ban on us from having another minor league team here ever again. It’s just the way mlb is now that they own minor league baseball.

[I miss RVA]

16 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Our only hope was that VCU could make it happen. They’ve saved this city.

This will get bungled too. Will they end up in a county or another city altogether?

Sorry to seem like a downer but that’s bad news to me.  The city is hopelessly bad at this stuff. 

1.) Yes they have. Time and again. Yet the RVA citizenry (well, at least the squeaky-wheel NIMBY crowd) kvetches non-stop about how VCU "doesn't pay any taxes" when its announced that the university is going to build a new building, yada yada. The comments section on RBS or the RTD make me think it must be Festivus year round with the non-stop airing of the grievances whenever VCU does something positive for the city. It's astonishing to me, really.

My question here is: WHERE would RVA be over the past 50 or 60 years without VCU?

2.) I fear you are correct, Coupe. The Squirrels will go to another city and that'll be it for minor league baseball in RVA.

3.) Welcome to my world, Coupe - my world of endless frustration and angst and disappointment when it comes to RVA - I world in which I've lived for close to 50 years. It has boggled my mind endlessly as to WHY the city is so hopelessly bad at this stuff - particularly when other -- similar -- cities (and I won't start naming them because that will start another round of blowback of "we don't need to be be like... " have absolutely NO problem AT all not only procuring but keeping sports teams - whether minor or major league. Regardless of sport and league. NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL. There are plenty of "mid-sized" cities that have procured and comfortably held on to sports franchises. And we can't get our act together to keep a damn AA baseball team housed in a proper ballpark.

And I'm sorry - because I know this will likely P.O. some people - but I'm sick and tired of hearing some in this city retort with that ridiculous, tired, time-worn trope of:  "Richmond doesn't need sports teams. We're unique. We have history. We have architecture. We have culture. We have museums. We have the 'ruhvvah'... yada yada..."  To all of them I say - sit down and STFU. You're part of the problem with this city -  you're not part of the solution. This is yet another classic example of the mindset that has held this city back for SO damn long. It is absolutely agonizing to watch. This thing with the Squirrels feels like little more than a slow, painful death.

Much as I'd like to be pollyannish and say that it'll all work out, we'll get a ballpark built, the Squirrels will be saved - or who knows, we'll even upgrade to a AAA franchise... I just see the handwriting on the wall. It's the same handwriting that's been on the wall in this city SO many times before, connected to SO many failures over the years to get anything done.

I feel your pain, Coupe. 

[blopp1234]

Not saying I don’t agree about the city not seeming to care if the squirrels stay or go because it’s bs that people are so against any city money being used for a new stadium. But I don’t think the squirrels will ever leave town, even if they don’t get a new stadium. The squirrels have one of the best average attendance numbers out of minor league teams on all levels, not just AA. They wouldn’t get attendance numbers like they currently have anywhere else in the country that doesn’t already have a minor league team. This isn’t a major league team that would be able to just pack up and move to what would likely be a smaller metro area so I’m. Not worried about them moving, but more than anything this situation makes the city look incompetent (which they are)  and unwilling to get stuff done.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, blopp1234 said:

Not saying I don’t agree about the city not seeming to care if the squirrels stay or go because it’s bs that people are so against any city money being used for a new stadium. But I don’t think the squirrels will ever leave town, even if they don’t get a new stadium. The squirrels have one of the best average attendance numbers out of minor league teams on all levels, not just AA. They wouldn’t get attendance numbers like they currently have anywhere else in the country that doesn’t already have a minor league team. This isn’t a major league team that would be able to just pack up and move to what would likely be a smaller metro area so I’m. Not worried about them moving, but more than anything this situation makes the city look incompetent (which they are)  and unwilling to get stuff done.

It's not the Squirrel's choice nor is it the parent club's. (Giants, right?) ... MLB itself is running the show - and it's all a shell and ball game to them. It's not like it was back in the day when the A-Braves moved the R-Braves to Gwinnett. Totally different animal with MLB driving the bus. The bottom line for them is that they have a set of parameters necessary for a locality to keep a minor league ballclub. A more modern, up-to-date ballpark that meets league specs is one of those parameters. It's not just the fact that we don't yet have a new ballpark built and likely won't have one built and ready for occupancy and play by a given deadline - it's that we're not even far enough along down the road toward making it happen to even give the appearance that we give a damn and actually want a team here badly enough to actually do something to make it happen. As you said - it makes this city look utterly incompetent and unwilling and unable to get anything done. In MLB's eyes - RVA simply doesn't want it badly enough. Which is fine by MLB, because they'll simply find another city that does want it badly enough. It's no skin off their nose whatsoever.

Think about it - did we think the R-Braves would actually ever leave, either? I doubt any of us who were around at that time did. Not until they were gone. And watching the tail lights getting smaller and smaller as they head farther and farther down the road is the wrong time for RVA to suddenly wake up and say - "maybe it's time to do something about this..."