Broad Street Revitalization

[Brent]

I was, just a couple of days ago in fact, dreaming of the day when the Marriot opened it

[Brent]

Did I just read that the Hilton's outdoor dining will be along 5th street? If so, its DOA. Why wouldn't it be along 6th with a view of Center Stage, the National, the Marriot, Pie and the many office buildings (Fed courthouse and City Hall included). I hope that there is some outdoor dining along the 6th street side of M&R. The parking lot on 5th and a SunTrust Bank branch wont exactly create any synergy.

[burt]

Did I just read that the Hilton's outdoor dining will be along 5th street? If so, its DOA. Why wouldn't it be along 6th with a view of Center Stage, the National, the Marriot, Pie and the many office buildings (Fed courthouse and City Hall included). I hope that there is some outdoor dining along the 6th street side of M&R. The parking lot on 5th and a SunTrust Bank branch wont exactly create any synergy.

It's because HGI's Great American Grill is off the lobby to the right as you enter the hotel from the driveway. It's about at the apex of the "L" where the walls meet above the descending roadway to the parking garage. Thus, the dining patio accessible from the restaurant is tucked into that corner.

There is a bar with windows overlooking the street and porte corcher tucked into the lobby's 5th and Broad corner.

Plans call for two privately owned restaurants on 6th Street -- a casual style bar (with outdoor and indoor dining) at 6th and Broad. Also, an upscale white linen fine-dining room at the 6th and Grace corner. Tenants have not yet been named.

[calwinston]

Picture of the inside of the closed CNB Tower

Last summer BizSense took a tour of the closed Central National Bank. The stunning Art Deco building is owned by a D.C. developer. Why hasn’t this building been renovated and occupied?

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2010/07/06/they-dont-make-em-like-they-used-to/

http://otway.wordpress.com/2009/08/

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Time to breathe more life back into this forum. Lets see.... since the last time we posted on this forum:

• Richmond introduced RVA on Ice
  
• We've heard absolutely NOTHING from or about Douglas Development
  
• The National has renovated itself and gathered big time performers like Big Sean and Foster the People
  
• Sixth Street Marketplace has sat there bleak and empty.....
  
• Richmond has unveiled First Fridays, which has drawn nearly 20,000 people every month
  
• and the mayor has released a new master plan for the future of culture and art in RVA, called "ArtBusiness Richmond".
  

I really wish Douglas would at least give us some time frames or updates on his "vision". If his original plans achieved success, Broad would have had that Legal Seafood & Ruby Tuesdays by now.....

Like most projects such as ArtBusiness, we've seen the repetitive pattern: come up with the idea, create master plan, then what? If there is one major problem that RVA probably hates to admit, its that whatever they say, doesn't always happen. I just wish people would realize that and quickly start making a move. Honestly, how much more abandoned can that corridor get? But don't get me wrong.... that area has been quite revitalized. Events like RVA on Ice & First Fridays have brought back interest in downtown. But then again, the former comes only once a year, and First Fridays only happen 12 times a year. Sometimes 11 or 10, like last year, when they had to shut down because of the teenage disturbances. What I don't get is how they don't let them do this every night.... I'm pretty sure that art fanatics would enjoy that.... and if RVA can bring national chain stores here, then people will wanna come here ALL THE TIME! And.... I do love Gap & RadioShack.... I'm a computer geek ....

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Oh, and let's not forget that plan for the 8th & 9th Street Office Buildings..... that plan was architecturally contemporary, and how it would have lit up at night, I could only imagine! All of this really could have sparked a renaissance for Broad Street east of Belvidere.... props to VCU, though..... they have brought chain restaurants and foot traffic with Extreme Pizza, SuperCuts, Korger, Dollar Tree, GameStop, Starbucks, Great Wraps, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Qdoba...... I just wish that could have happened a little further down Broad though, you know.... closer to the Marriott and the actual district everyone wants revitalized.

Also this is sorta off topic, but in that Ramz Hall building with the Extreme Pizza, Qdoba and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, didn't 7-Eleven lease a space there? I remember reading Richmond BizSense's weekly "Pipeline" and saw that 7-Eleven leased 1,500 square feet. Here it is:

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2011/12/02/pipeline-commercial-real-estate-round-up-for-12-2-11/

If any of you guys go over there for like a VCU game or something, could you try and see if they completed build-out? It really has nothing to do with anything, but then again, 7-Eleven is a chain, and I know a LOT of people who would travel MILES for a good chili-cheese dog or Slurpee. Another chain equals more foot traffic ;)

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

And.....more on that ArtBusiness Richmond plan..... looks like Richmond Magazine has lost its patience....the article is a few weeks old.... but hopefully you guys haven't already seen it.... once again, my sluggish little mind has come into play here.....

[540_804]

Also this is sorta off topic, but in that Ramz Hall building with the Extreme Pizza, Qdoba and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, didn't 7-Eleven lease a space there? I remember reading Richmond BizSense's weekly "Pipeline" and saw that 7-Eleven leased 1,500 square feet. Here it is:

http://www.richmondb...up-for-12-2-11/

If any of you guys go over there for like a VCU game or something, could you try and see if they completed build-out? It really has nothing to do with anything, but then again, 7-Eleven is a chain, and I know a LOT of people who would travel MILES for a good chili-cheese dog or Slurpee. Another chain equals more foot traffic ;)

The only vacant store-front in Ramz Hall is the spot formerly occupied by Game Stop which closed some weeks (perhaps even months) ago. If that is the spot where 7-Eleven is going then I don't believe it has been 'up-fitted' yet. It appears the 7-Eleven franchisee for the area is in expansion mode; remember they just opened the store on Main + Madison in 2011. This new store would bring the total to 5 on campus (Main&Madison, Grace&Harrison, Main&Harrison, the one on Belvidere, and the newest one in Ramz). I actually have mixed feelings about this one. It's close enough to Grace and Harrison to be a bit unnecessary and I'd hate to see them drive a local market (Goshen Market) away,

• We've heard absolutely NOTHING from or about Douglas Development
  

I really wish Douglas would at least give us some time frames or updates on his "vision". If his original plans achieved success, Broad would have had that Legal Seafood & Ruby Tuesdays by now.....

Not really much in the way of hammer-to-nail or shovel-to-dirt development but Douglas did recently hang new banners in the windows of their Broad & Second Street empty store fronts. They're fairly large and have a black-and-white photo of the property they're in with big blue lettering that reads "RE:discovering Richmond". Not much, but something is better than nothing I suppose and it at least shows that they haven't completely forgotten about their Richmond properties.

[Icetera]

Time to breathe more life back into this forum. Lets see.... since the last time we posted on this forum:

• Richmond introduced RVA on Ice
  
• We've heard absolutely NOTHING from or about Douglas Development
  
• The National has renovated itself and gathered big time performers like Big Sean and Foster the People
  
• Sixth Street Marketplace has sat there bleak and empty.....
  
• Richmond has unveiled First Fridays, which has drawn nearly 20,000 people every month
  
• and the mayor has released a new master plan for the future of culture and art in RVA, called "ArtBusiness Richmond".
  

I really wish Douglas would at least give us some time frames or updates on his "vision". If his original plans achieved success, Broad would have had that Legal Seafood & Ruby Tuesdays by now.....

Like most projects such as ArtBusiness, we've seen the repetitive pattern: come up with the idea, create master plan, then what? If there is one major problem that RVA probably hates to admit, its that whatever they say, doesn't always happen. I just wish people would realize that and quickly start making a move. Honestly, how much more abandoned can that corridor get? But don't get me wrong.... that area has been quite revitalized. Events like RVA on Ice & First Fridays have brought back interest in downtown. But then again, the former comes only once a year, and First Fridays only happen 12 times a year. Sometimes 11 or 10, like last year, when they had to shut down because of the teenage disturbances. What I don't get is how they don't let them do this every night.... I'm pretty sure that art fanatics would enjoy that.... and if RVA can bring national chain stores here, then people will wanna come here ALL THE TIME! And.... I do love Gap & RadioShack.... I'm a computer geek ....

I would appreciate a Radio Shack but then again Willow Lawn is still more convenient for me in the Museum District. As far as Douglas' developments, there was news a month or two about a potential new owner for the Interbake Foods building for apartment conversion as Douglas is not in good shape.

[540_804]

Yeah Interbake was sold to Rebkee (based in Midlothian) for $6.3 million.

I haven't heard much about what kind of financial shape Douglas is in but they have sold two large properties (Interbake and 111 S. Sixth St.) for losses in 2011. Maybe a plan to slowly exit the Richmond market or free up cash for other projects.

They are still fairly active in the DC market, though. They recently sold a large assemblage of land there to the Association of American Medical Colleges for over $57 million so one would guess they still have cash to spend.

Here's a link to a blog (DCmud) that lists all the articles tagged with "Douglas Development" that gives a little idea of what the company is doing in DC currently: http://dcmud.blogspot.com/search/label/Douglas%20Development

To be completely honest, though, I wouldn't mind if Douglas exited the Richmond market and sold his properties to local developers; I think we might see more work done then.

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

The only vacant store-front in Ramz Hall is the spot formerly occupied by Game Stop which closed some weeks (perhaps even months) ago. If that is the spot where 7-Eleven is going then I don't believe it has been 'up-fitted' yet. It appears the 7-Eleven franchisee for the area is in expansion mode; remember they just opened the store on Main + Madison in 2011. This new store would bring the total to 5 on campus (Main&Madison, Grace&Harrison, Main&Harrison, the one on Belvidere, and the newest one in Ramz). I actually have mixed feelings about this one. It's close enough to Grace and Harrison to be a bit unnecessary and I'd hate to see them drive a local market (Goshen Market) away,

Not really much in the way of hammer-to-nail or shovel-to-dirt development but Douglas did recently hang new banners in the windows of their Broad & Second Street empty store fronts. They're fairly large and have a black-and-white photo of the property they're in with big blue lettering that reads "RE:discovering Richmond". Not much, but something is better than nothing I suppose and it at least shows that they haven't completely forgotten about their Richmond properties.

.......and more on that 7-Eleven. You were right. It turns out this truly is going to be VCU 7-Eleven number five. I think it is a little saturated to only be like a mile from each other, but if it's leasing vacant spaces and earning profit for 7-Eleven, then it's a win-win for all of us Here is the Fan of the Fan's short take on it: http://fanofthefan.com/2011/12/another-7-11-coming-to-vcu/

[calwinston]

Hopefully with a new broker, the Old Central National Bank tower will have some new life breathed into it.

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2012/05/10/a-239862-square-foot-challenge/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_National_Bank_(Richmond,_Virginia)