Richmond off-topic postings

[CitiWalker]

2 hours ago, Hike said:

Thanks Blake, I didn't know this was happening, neat concept and look forward to seeing it. If I understand this correctly, on July 1st it will change to the other image shown, though not 100% sure and what they mean by the augmented reality.

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Two large portraits featuring youth leaders will be unveiled at Richmond’s City Hall during a rally on July 1. It will be the largest art installation on a municipal building in the country that uses augmented reality.

This is great! The youth are our future and this sends a very inspirational message as the city continues to change and move forward.

[I miss RVA]

This is fantastic!! Being that it's hailed as the "largest in the country" of it's type - and given the youth tie-in, here's hoping that it brings the national spotlight to Richmond in a way that will keep the city to some extent in the national consciousness as a great place to live, work, do business and be Any good publicity and attention RVA can garner only helps in recruiting business relocations and the continued influx of residents to the city - driving Richmond forward toward becoming a bigger, better, red-hot go-to destination city in which to work and live. This is great news!

[Downtowner]

Has anyone else lately felt like development has started to kind of taper off in Richmond now? I’ve noticed not as many developments popping up in bizsense articles like before and I’ve also noticed statewide not many companies moving into Virginia. Kinda haves me worried and hate seeing it kinda ho hum lately. With each tower crane coming down and nothing new to replace it is what kinda worries me. I know we have things to look forward to that have not been officially announced such as the costar tower and the souther state silos replacement tower but with those being the only two big ones that I know of nothing else has really popped up lately. 

[wrldcoupe4]

I do not feel this way. There’s a crazy amount of stuff happening. Has there ever been development occurring so broadly all over the city as it is currently?

[I miss RVA]

6 hours ago, Downtowner said:

Has anyone else lately felt like development has started to kind of taper off in Richmond now? I’ve noticed not as many developments popping up in bizsense articles like before and I’ve also noticed statewide not many companies moving into Virginia. Kinda haves me worried and hate seeing it kinda ho hum lately. With each tower crane coming down and nothing new to replace it is what kinda worries me. I know we have things to look forward to that have not been officially announced such as the costar tower and the souther state silos replacement tower but with those being the only two big ones that I know of nothing else has really popped up lately. 

It may 'feel' like everything has slowed - because the announcements aren't coming hot and heavy at the moment. But everything is cyclical. There are still other projects that we've seen on architects' drawing boards that we're hoping will come to fruition. If they do, we will see upwards of 18 or 19 buildings of at least 11-stories tall rise across Richmond in, roughly, the next 3 to 5 years. This includes two that are underway currently - the 12-story apartment building in Scott's & the Opus on Broad Street. If everything we've seen comes to pass in Manchester, there could be as many as FIVE 11-plus story residential buildings built there alone. And all of this is not to mention the large number of 5 to 8 story projects either rising or announced for Scott's Addition & Manchester. Or the row-house infills in various East End neighborhoods. Or all the new construction on the Northside. All the projects in the near West End, the Fan, the Museum District. While one tower (15 stories) has been announced for Monroe Ward, two other parcels were reconfigured in their zoning to jettison parking requirements - just a few blocks away from where the new residential tower will rise. Jackson Ward awaits groundbreaking for a new 12-story apartment building there.

We've had a wave of announced projects in the first half of this year that's unprecedented - and I believe there have been more announced projects in 2021 so far than there were in 2020. The momentum is continuing. And there will be others to come (not just CoStar, the silos, the Social Services building/whole-block redevelopment, etc.).  And with implementation of the Richmond300 Plan - and as we see the smaller area plans being adopted, that will open the door to even more development. Wasn't it just a handful of months ago that the Shockoe Bottom Small Area Plan was being worked on - and suddenly - BANG - two 11-plus story residential buildings have been announced to rise within a couple of blocks of each other on 17th & 18th streets?

Consider what can -- and will - come once the City Center Small Area Plan is solidified. 

Don't worry - given what we already know, cranes will be popping up like mushrooms after a summer thunderstorm all over the city at some point in 2021, 2022, 2023. And this is just for the projects we're aware of!  We've been enjoying the announcement phase, which is super exciting. The hard part is waiting for ground breaking, excavating, and then come the cranes - along with the buildings.

This is why on some of the other threads on this forum, I've been advocating for those who have the capability, equipment and time to photographically chronicle the city now and as she changes. The changes are coming VERY fast. In a way, we'll hardly recognize RVA in 3 to 5 years, there will be so many new buildings standing in neighborhoods where there were either surface lots, warehouses or small buildings.

They're coming. I wouldn't worry at all about a leveling off of the announcements. Now it's time for all the announced projects to be built! 

Oh - and while these are being built - and while the city's population continues to grow robustly and while companies relo to RVA because it's a great place to do business, to work, to live, etc., - watch for more major projects -- completely out of left field -- to be announced. And for us to be marveling at - oh - yet another one!!

Edited June 29, 2021 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

17 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

I do not feel this way. There’s a crazy amount of stuff happening. Has there ever been development occurring so broadly all over the city as it is currently?

No - there hasn't. Not like this. See my response to Downtowner. This is absolutely unprecedented. And it's part of a cycle. Lots of announcements... now it's time to watch these bad boys get built. And more stuff wlll follow. It's far from over.

Edited June 29, 2021 by I miss RVA

[marinog711]

On 6/28/2021 at 9:02 PM, Downtowner said:

Has anyone else lately felt like development has started to kind of taper off in Richmond now? I’ve noticed not as many developments popping up in bizsense articles like before and I’ve also noticed statewide not many companies moving into Virginia. Kinda haves me worried and hate seeing it kinda ho hum lately. With each tower crane coming down and nothing new to replace it is what kinda worries me. I know we have things to look forward to that have not been officially announced such as the costar tower and the souther state silos replacement tower but with those being the only two big ones that I know of nothing else has really popped up lately. 

I don’t know man … did u see that the Sweet Frog yogurt dude is opening a spicy chicken joint?  Or that shady financial guy is getting sentenced?  Big things coming !!!!

[KJHburg]

Richmond has some of the worst drivers in the country so says this survey.  Basically due to a high DUI rate.  (and don't shoot or this case run off the road the messenger) 

The Best and Worst Drivers By City 2021 | QuoteWizard

[Icetera]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Richmond has some of the worst drivers in the country so says this survey.  Basically due to a high DUI rate.  (and don't shoot or this case run off the road the messenger) 

The Best and Worst Drivers By City 2021 | QuoteWizard

Given the oddly high amount of shootings on I-95 around the Tri-Cities this year, both may be valid.

[wrldcoupe4]

https://www.costar.com/article/87377831/richmond-apartment-market-remains-red-hot

Crazy rent growth, absorption, and occupancy right now.

[eandslee]

48 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

https://www.costar.com/article/87377831/richmond-apartment-market-remains-red-hot

Crazy rent growth, absorption, and occupancy right now.

Dang…paywall.  Thanks for the brief synopsis though. 

[Icetera]

24 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Dang…paywall.  Thanks for the brief synopsis though. 

Every new subscriber adds a floor to their new tower!

[I miss RVA]

This should be interesting. Richmond to participate in a national study of urban heat islands and the nations largest heat-mapping effort. Glad to see RVA again in a position to grab some national pub. Taking part in broader studies such as this will go a long way to increasing the city's name recognition - always a good thing from a marketing standpoint in terms of recruitment of companies, jobs and residents. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch/Richmond.com:

https://richmond.com/news/local/richmond-to-participate-in-nations-largest-heat-mapping-effort/article_faccc16e-9dca-5ae9-93e1-eafe71009f55.html

Edited July 11, 2021 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

RVA ranked #50 in the country in the list of best places to live, according to a survey of 3,600 people by U.S. News & World Report magazine. Only one other Virginia locality made the list of the top 150-ranked places to live in the U.S. - Virginia Beach, which came it at #105. So Richmond snagged the top spot in the state, according to this survey. Washington, D.C., came in at #28. 

Glad to see that, yet again, Richmond is getting some really good, solid, national pub - and most importantly, gaining name recognition -- which is CRITICAL from a marketing standpoint when it comes to selling the city as a great place to live, work, do business, play, be, etc., in terms of recruiting companies to relocate to RVA, garnering more jobs, making the city and the metro more attractive for folks to move here. It's HUGE to get a boost like this!

Among RVA's chief competitors: Raleigh-Durham came in at #2 nationally. Charlotte was #20. Nashville was #30 

https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/richmond-ranked-50-in-list-of-best-places-to-live-comes-behind-dc-and-ahead-of-virginia-beach/

Survey results and details:

https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live

[eandslee]

17 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Among RVA's chief competitors: Raleigh-Durham came in at #2 nationally. Charlotte was #20. Nashville was #30 

https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/richmond-ranked-50-in-list-of-best-places-to-live-comes-behind-dc-and-ahead-of-virginia-beach/

Survey results and details:

https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live

While, overall, good news for Richmond, our competitors are just in a different league.  Richmond just isn't there yet; however, just to be on the list and in the top third is saying a lot considering that, not too long ago, Richmond wouldn't even find itself on the list at all!  There is much work to do - lots of improvement to be made, but this is a good sign.

Edited July 15, 2021 by eandslee

[I miss RVA]

6 minutes ago, eandslee said:

While, overall, good news for Richmond, our competitors are just in a different league than Richmond.  Richmond just isn't there yet; however, just to be on the list and in the top third is saying a lot considering that, not too long ago, Richmond wouldn't even find itself on the list at all!  There is much work to do - lots of improvement to be made, but this is a good sign.

Most definitely. Yeah - somehow our competitors have really made names for themselves. Hats off to them - they've earned it and put in the work to get there. Of course - as has been discussed in numerous sub-forums here, the N.C. cities - and for that matter Nashville - all have some built-in advantages that RVA doesn't have - and likely never will have. Just by itself, the independent city status alone holds Richmond back in ways those other cities will never have to experience. North Carolina's banking laws have certainly done much for Charlotte over the last three decades - and now Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. Among other things which have been discussed on these boards. In some ways, that RVA is the top ranking Virginia locality says a LOT, all things considered. Here's hoping her trajectory will be only up, up and UP!!

[Richmonopoly]

57 minutes ago, eandslee said:

While, overall, good news for Richmond, our competitors are just in a different league.  Richmond just isn't there yet; however, just to be on the list and in the top third is saying a lot considering that, not too long ago, Richmond wouldn't even find itself on the list at all!  There is much work to do - lots of improvement to be made, but this is a good sign.

Yes.  I’m happy to be in the Top 50, but again, the fact that the area has been arguing about a baseball stadium downtown while practically every NC city has constructed one in 1/3 of the time we’ve been arguing is ridiculous.  
 

Instead of a dynamic, centrally-located transportation system (Amtrak, Greyhound, Megabus, GRTC, RIC) we remain so disjointed compared to others.  Heck, just look at Google maps and see how dismembered our interstate “loop” is compared to our peers is telling.  
 

I love this city over any other in the world!  I apologize if the post seems like a downer.   I want to celebrate us but gosh I wish we were doing better. 

[I miss RVA]

9 hours ago, Richmonopoly said:

Yes.  I’m happy to be in the Top 50, but again, the fact that the area has been arguing about a baseball stadium downtown while practically every NC city has constructed one in 1/3 of the time we’ve been arguing is ridiculous.  
 

Instead of a dynamic, centrally-located transportation system (Amtrak, Greyhound, Megabus, GRTC, RIC) we remain so disjointed compared to others.  Heck, just look at Google maps and see how dismembered our interstate “loop” is compared to our peers is telling.  
 

I love this city over any other in the world!  I apologize if the post seems like a downer.   I want to celebrate us but gosh I wish we were doing better. 

Hard to argue with these points - they are all quite true. Regarding Richmond's "beltway" (such as it is) - to an extent blame the federal government and the state as well. I recall reading where I-295 WAS in the federal government's initial planning for the interstate highway system in the 1950s - but there was no southern leg. I believe the state DID request federal funding for the corresponding southern leg - but it was left off of a major federal transportation funding package that was passed, I believe, in the 1970s. That delay - plus other funding delays at the state level - pushed actual construction into the late 1980s, by which time suburban growth in Chesterfield and to a lesser extent along the originally proposed corridor in western Henrico County from the river to I-64 filled the original proposed corridor with subdivisions and residential development. Thus, a new, more western route, had to be developed, and it was almost impossible because of development in northwestern Henrico to cut the highway back 'eastward' to actually synch up with I-295 at the interchange with I-64.

As for how and why it was never designed to synch up with I-295 with a cut-over and bridge crossing the James at that point, is beyond my pay grade. I should research it just for my own edification.

Edited July 15, 2021 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

Wow!  Is this the best RichmondBizSense has?  It just might be a very slow week this week folks!  

[Brent114]

Summer is always slow.

 

[I miss RVA]

20 hours ago, Brent114 said:

Summer is always slow.

 

This is true. Plus - there has been SUCH an unprecedented and intense flurry of announcements beginning in the back half of last year and then REALLY ramping up in the first half of this year, it makes sense that the announcement phase of the development cycle might slow down now and take a pause. I'm eager now to get these projects underway and get these buildings sprouting out of the ground. I'm sure activity on the announcement side will, indeed, pick back up - but now my hopes are that actual construction will crank up and get rolling at the same pace the announcements came rolling out. LOTS of projects are out there for which not the first shovel of dirt has yet to be turned - I'm eager to see ground breaking after  ground breaking after ground breaking start to crank up late this summer & into the fall. I always worry when project starts get pushed WAY out from announcement dates - because we all know it only takes one economic downturn to totally derail a train-load of amazing projects that can transform the city.

I'm reminded of a line from a great song that Elvis sang in the early 1970s - "A little less conversation, a little more action, please..."

[RiverYuppy]

Is it me or does development news feel slow when Richmond BizSense highlighted story of the day is an eye glass store going in Short Pump mall? 

On a related note though, I really wish we had a shopping district in the city where stores like Warby Parker could go instead of Short Pump. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by RiverYuppy

[eandslee]

3 hours ago, RiverYuppy said:

Is it me or does development news feel slow when Richmond BizSense highlighted story of the day is an eye glass store going in Short Pump mall? 

On a related note though, I really wish we had a shopping district in the city where stores like Warby Parker could go instead of Short Pump. 

It’s been really slow. This is something I am not used to.  Wish development news would pick up soon. Someone said that summers are slow for development news, but I don’t remember that…could be just selective memory though. 

[wrldcoupe4]

Deep August - prime summer slowdown for everything. Lots going on.

[I miss RVA]

I'm going to respectfully play Devil's Advocate and take the other side of the coin. I would FAR rather actual development activity that's already been announced ramp up significantly than for development news to ramp up at this point. There are SO many projects that have been made public, but many have not yet broken ground.  I keep mentioning Rivers Edge II in Manchester. That was announced quite some time ago - a lot of time has passed and yet while most of the site has been cleared, not one shovel of dirt has been turned just yet. Twin 11-story residential buildings planned - let's get this built!

The 12-story residential building at 2nd & Marshall - we may still be in that length of time between announcement and actual groundbreaking that it's "reasonable" that no activity has happened yet. Somewhere in my mind, however, it feels like that clock is ticking and some dirt needs to be turned. I'd really like to see some activity get underway on this one.

At some point in the future, until construction gets underway, I know I'll have the exact same feeling about the residential buildings slated to rise at 17th & Franklin (12 stories) and 18th and Main (11 stories). And HOW LONG has it been since the original PortRVA II - 512 Hull Street 11-story building project was made public - and now that property has changed hands (if I remember correctly - if not, please correct me) - and...is that building even still in the works?

As Coupe said, the dog-days of August are slow for everything. I believe there was a flurry of announcements in Q4 last year. I'm sure we'll see the same this year.

I don't mind the slowdown in the news right now. But I want to see construction activity ramp up. My biggest concern when extremely long periods of time elapse between announcement and groundbreaking is that something will go wrong to derail the project. Major national economic downturn... developer has difficulty securing financing... something .. which causes the project to be either scaled back or scrapped altogether... or the property gets sold to a different developer who goes in a completely different direction with the property. 

I've said this on here before - Elvis sang a great song in 1970-ish that expresses exactly how I feel about it. "A little less conversation, a little more action please!"

I love the all the project announcements. But I love the cranes and rising buildings even more.

Edited August 20, 2021 by I miss RVA