What's Your Vision for Richmond?

[TBurban]

I could see a light rail system starting in Richmond, making stops at the RIC, Short Pump, Midlo, Mechanicsville, Chesterfield and Manchester, maybe crossing the river once or twice. What do ya think guys?

[source]

Old cornices were made out of terra cotta, (terra cotta is nearly the same thing as brick.)

Modern ones can be made of fiberglass and other lightweight safe products.

[wrldcoupe4]

I could see a light rail system starting in Richmond, making stops at the RIC, Short Pump, Midlo, Mechanicsville, Chesterfield and Manchester, maybe crossing the river once or twice. What do ya think guys?

The Richmond Regional Planning District Commission has done studies on regional light rail and commuter rail. You can find the .pdf here

basically, they envision 1 line going to Short Pump, 1 line to Midlothian via Manchester, 1 line to Ashland, and 1 line to the airport. The goal would be to have Main Street Station become the hub for it.

[TBurban]

Ooh, I like it. Id definately use it. Maybe even let me get a job downtown and lead me to move out of the burbs Do you think it'll happen?

[Cadeho]

I like the plan for commuter rail better than the light rail plan. There need to be more lines like their used to be, not just Broad St. primarily... and the crossroads of Belvidere and Broad throw the center of downtown off to the left (west). And why should it go through Church Hill on Broad and down Government after leaving MSS? Why not just go down Main to Williamsburg, then to the airport.

Esssh I could have done a better plan.

[TBurban]

Heres another one

[Cadeho]

Taller and steeper pitch for the roof...

[TBurban]

Taller and steeper pitch for the roof...

I edited it a little bit. So heres the new one. I would want it to be high residential and office with a mixed use attachment. Where the umbrellas are, a pool on the roof there. Shops at the ground level on that portion, maybe some condos and office space. Anything mixed use.

[wrldcoupe4]

I'd be down with that

[TBurban]

I'd be down with that

Haha, I could see it now! Im good with envisioning; the main part light up, bright, gold, lights on the spire. Shouts coming from the pool. Shops and restaurants below crowded with people eating on a ground level balcony. I could see the facade of the building, those blueish colored windows, much like those of Trader, with that beige color trim for the cornices and corners of the building, with a brick backdrop. With the multiple sided building, keep in mind, where there are those lines running down the front, the building will be looking like a pentagon from the sky. Its not a box! Man, I have big plans for Richmond!

[RALBOI]

Hey Richmond you guys are blowning up!,keep up the good work. I love what your doing in your core city all the projects look great!From Raleigh,NC to Richmond,VA ONE LOVE BABY!!!!!

[JWCJ]

My vision for Richmond is -

Build 4-5 more towers in the city that go over 25 stories. Clean up or distroy all the ghettos and do a clean sweep of them to get criminals, drugs and stollen weapons out of the streets. Make more schools where they're needed and take out ones that aren't in areas. Rebuild the cities population and try making it reach 300,000+ by building more apartment condos downtown, and make homes alittle more cheaper to draw people end, plus make things alot easier for people to get by bring the chains that you see in Henrico in downtown, midtown and manchester. Bring in more restuarants, shopping, and stores. Make more recreation in the city publicised. Clean up the river and make safe parts into beaches and marinas. Make restaurants and shops lined up along the river by browns island. Try to suck up all of Henrico as the city of Richmond or just make in urban also on the east end and west end. Make parts of the city like chinatown and little italy in new york and d.c. to show the citys diversity. Make a center of the city like time square in downtown richmond. Clean up Jeff davis. Bring a theme park into the city and build it in Midtown or Shockoe Bottom on the upper side by highland park. Bring 5star restuarants and shops to the city. Bring a outdoor mall to downtown. Make a advertisment for torism in Richmond, because if Va beach can we can too.

So how y'all like my ideas that would change Richmond 360.

[Cadeho]

A theme park in the city? Well we had one, but Shockoe Bottom or "midtown"?

And we don't need an outdoor mall downtown... that is what downtown is for on its own! Those outside malls try to recreate it.

[wrldcoupe4]

Yeah... if they added for street level interaction (i.e. retail, restaurants) it would be what outdoor malls are trying to emulate.

JWCJ... what do you consider midtown to be?

[JWCJ]

You don't know that the area around the Diamond between there and VCU is sometimes called midtown. It would boost that area.

That's the only thing y'all hate about it. Why don't you "billardos" try better. And how about my other ideas, what do you think?

Oh, also theme parks in cities arn't unheard of. Alot of cities have them.

[BGW]

You don't know that the area around the Diamond between there and VCU is sometimes called midtown. It would boost that area.

That's the only thing y'all hate about it. Why don't you "billardos" try better. And how about my other ideas, what do you think?

Oh, also theme parks in cities arn't unheard of. Alot of cities have them.

While Boulevard is included in most interpretations of "Midtown", the area around The Diamond much farther north than what is typically included. Any inclusion of Boulevard into "Midtown" ends by Leigh Street, if not farther south.

Which cities have built urban theme parks in recent years? Some cities have exisiting amusement parks dating from different eras, which is a much different prospect than new construction. Many more cities have since torn down their urban amusement parks.

As for your other ideas, I don't mean to hate, but they're really vague and over-simplified. "Clean up or distroy all the ghettos and do a clean sweep of them to get criminals, drugs and stollen weapons out of the streets" is a great sentiment with which most people agree, but how do you suggest we go about that? The devil is in the details.

[JWCJ]

While Boulevard is included in most interpretations of "Midtown", the area around The Diamond much farther north than what is typically included. Any inclusion of Boulevard into "Midtown" ends by Leigh Street, if not farther south.

Which cities have built urban theme parks in recent years? Some cities have exisiting amusement parks dating from different eras, which is a much different prospect than new construction. Many more cities have since torn down their urban amusement parks.

As for your other ideas, I don't mean to hate, but they're really vague and over-simplified. "Clean up or distroy all the ghettos and do a clean sweep of them to get criminals, drugs and stollen weapons out of the streets" is a great sentiment with which most people agree, but how do you suggest we go about that? The devil is in the details.

Numero Uno - We raise money

2 - use the money and do a sweap of the city, hiting less dangerous communities first, manly the North Side, east and and west end. Then Move down to the south side. A project like this would take years to do if not do right.

3 - Give the people who lived in the ghettos that had to be distroyed extra money, if we spend the money we could use a meals tax or some other tax or donations to give them money.

4 - for people who don't have enough to move, and become homeless. A plan could be set up, putting them on support by the government. Holding money for them. But in order for that to happen they would need to get a job.

5 - On the clean sweap. For ghettos that aren't as bad. Clean sweaps would clean up the communities. Get ride of wanted criminals, drugs and stollen weapons and other objects.

6 - Money for doing the clean sweap would come from donations and possibly a tax.

7 - Try to pass a law that would force the government to force people to go to work, get a job, and if they didn't go to collage get a GAD.

That's how it could be done. Any words from you all?

[BGW]

Numero Uno - We raise money

Again: how? Raise taxes? Cut existing programs? Bake sale?

[JWCJ]

By taxes, or donations, possible people in the city or even the suburbs would get off their butts and donate some money to distroy this stain on the metro area, because now it's spread into the county.Oddly this week I heard more about crime in the suburbs then the city. It's going to flip flop, and if people see that they will donate or volenteer to help out. The public sometimes makes it hard for the city to work, but if we use what the public is doing, it would turn on it's self. Helping everyone in the long run. The cutting existing promblems was already in the other plans. Plus this one.

[TBurban]

Bake sale?

I can make a mean cheesecake!

[burt]

I can make a mean cheesecake!

There's a famous cheesecake here in New York by the name of Baby Watson. You could fine-tune your version and open up a chain of "Baby Burban Pastry Shops" in the Richmond market.

[burt]

JWCJ, I read recently that Richmond's Neighborhoods in Bloom program has been far more successful than most Richmonders realize. Crime has dropped in most of the neighborhoods and property values have increased while encouraging home ownership.

[JWCJ]

I know, but the city could do alot better. At least distroy Gilpin Court. Which I hope a projects goes throw and they're distroyed.

Also what are you telling me Burt. Everyone knows that they say that on news, but we still have to do something, mostly with the homeless and people living in the ghetto. Also, Jeff davis still needs help, east highland park, gilpin court and even some parts of Church Hill. And even the fan. If you live downtown, you know that it's better then before, but it could be just a little more better.

Now can we get to my other ideas.

That's the thing about Richmond, you only see the bad not the good. Y'all need to look at the good things. Youse acting like I'm the mayor and I'm going to make this happen now. I'm not. this is what I would do if I was the mayor.

I'm not saying all Richmonders are like that, but y'all have to look up not down or even across, and if you talk to the people in Richmond. You would tell that most to half of them see whats on news just for the bad. Not the good, or ponder on the bad. We need to change that here.

[TBurban]

I know, but the city could do alot better. At least distroy Gilpin Court. Which I hope a projects goes throw and they're distroyed.

Also what are you telling me Burt. Everyone knows that they say that on news, but we still have to do something, mostly with the homeless and people living in the ghetto. Also, Jeff davis still needs help, east highland park, gilpin court and even some parts of Church Hill. And even the fan. If you live downtown, you know that it's better then before, but it could be just a little more better.

Now can we get to my other ideas.

That's the thing about Richmond, you only see the bad not the good. Y'all need to look at the good things. Youse acting like I'm the mayor and I'm going to make this happen now. I'm not. this is what I would do if I was the mayor.

I'm not saying all Richmonders are like that, but y'all have to look up not down or even across, and if you talk to the people in Richmond. You would tell that most to half of them see whats on news just for the bad. Not the good, or ponder on the bad. We need to change that here.

The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has planned and is working on revitalizing Jackson Ward and the Gilpin Court Areas. They realize there are many people that are of the poorer class living there, and that is why they plan to renovate homes instead of demolishing and rebuilding. While at the same time as restoring that areas history, they are keeping those families their homes. If they demolish and rebuild more expensive homes, they feared they would lose the population that currently reside there, due to the raise of home expenses. They are doing good things to that area. Their plans inlcude a Math and Science Center, townhomes, apartments, and house renovations. Theyre currently working on that, being that Richmond is in the financial position it is now, give them time. The Ward and Gilpin will pull through to be great neighborhoods for all to enjoy. The city can only do so much for its residents. All Im saying is, don't wake up tomorrow and expect everything to be better overnight.

[TBurban]

Here's the article.

A Newer New Jackson Ward

Jackson Ward has been the focus of multiple land use studies over the past several decades but a new study commissioned by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority may have breathed new life into a possible redevelopment plan for the historic neighborhood.

Among their top recommendations was a plan to redevelop 2nd Street and the Jackson Place neighborhood. Panel member Alex Rose, a developer from Los Angeles, said the redevelopment of 2nd Street would act as a catalyst for the rest of the redevelopment plan.

The ULI panel's recommendation included multiple mixed use, mixed income properties and a pedestrian bridge spanning in the interstate that would physically connect Jackson Place to North Jackson Ward.

In North Jackson Ward, the panel suggested that a magnet school focusing on science and math or the performing arts, not just a community school, might serve as the best vehicle for residential development north of I-95. Besides establishing a new school, the panel said the city should take a serious look at renovating Gilpin Court.

"The Gilpin Court housing projects must and can be transformed to ensure the long-term economic vitality and stability of Richmond's north downtown sector," Rose said.

Im aware this dates back to March, but it shows how serious they are about this.