The Future

[journiyin]

Alright now! Let the gas prices climb! We're going to need these by the end of the year!

If they diversify to mopeds (electric) they will be a boon for the local economy...

[wrldcoupe4]

From John Murden of Church Hill People's News, RiverDistrict News, etc etc etc and courtesy of Walter Parks Architects:

A new apartment project proposed on the same block as the McDonald's at 18th and Broad in the Bottom -

A link to a 'before' image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/murden/2124500949

It would have 160+ apartments and over 5k square feet of commercial space. Some details from River District News:

* Parking will be in a courtyard inside the building. The buildings will go to the property line.

* The current plans show cars entering the courtyard through Broad Street. The architect (Walter Parks) seemed receptive to the observation that this would be a traffic disaster, mentioning earlier versions with cars entering/exiting on 18th Street.

* It is the same developer and architect as American Tobacco. They envision a similar development, but new construction instead of redevelopment.

* They need a special use permit as the land is current zoned M-1, which does not allow residential.

* They haven’t applied for any permits yet. They stated that they wanted to get this in front of the community early in the process.

* The highest point of the building would be 20 feet below the top of Jefferson Park. The highest end of the building would be at 18th Street.

* The 3 to 4 story size is seen as a match to the scale of the Sisson building and Cold Storage.

* There would be a pool on the roof.

* They would have liked to have removed or incorporated the McDonald’s, but the corporation/franchisee wouldn’t go for it.

link

This, along with the Sisson project, Cold Storage project, and others will do wonders for this portion of the Bottom!

[Downtowner]

I like that alot. I would love to live in a place like that.

[jbjust]

Density, density, density -- that's what we need in the Bottom to support the restaurants and bars down there and maybe to inject a little more life into the 17th Street Farmers' market. Why can't we do something with that storage shed now?

[journiyin]

Density, density, density -- that's what we need in the Bottom to support the restaurants and bars down there and maybe to inject a little more life into the 17th Street Farmers' market. Why can't we do something with that storage shed now?

Which storage shed?

[majors2410]

This is a great example of what needs to and can be built on the way too many ugly surface parking lots all over downtown.

This kind of development is a great example of new development that fits into the existing city scape.

[jbjust]

Which storage shed?

The train shed under Main Street Station. I've heard everything from grocery store to movie theater, but it's just sitting empty.

[Cadeho]

I wonder what harm McDonald's saw in being incorporated into this? It had been reported that awful parkinglot would be developed. Also don't forget across the street there's another developmenr planned.

[Cadeho]

Echo Harbour should learn from this. It doesn't destroy the view and adds to it.

[wrldcoupe4]

Density, density, density -- that's what we need in the Bottom to support the restaurants and bars down there and maybe to inject a little more life into the 17th Street Farmers' market. Why can't we do something with that storage shed now?

It's slated to become a major transfer site for GRTC... Bus, BRT, etc

[jbjust]

Great. That's what the bottom is missing, more folks waiting on the bus. That really makes you want to stroll down Broad Street.

[wrldcoupe4]

Or... they would be inside the shed in a new Transfer Center... something Richmond doesn't have and the endless stops along Broad are a sorry substitute. This was mentioned either in Style or the RTD a couple weeks ago. Eventually it will likely serve as a light rail center and contribute to the formation of a multimodal transit center at MSS (minus the Greyhound Station).

[ric75]

Or... they would be inside the shed in a new Transfer Center... something Richmond doesn't have and the endless stops along Broad are a sorry substitute. This was mentioned either in Style or the RTD a couple weeks ago. Eventually it will likely serve as a light rail center and contribute to the formation of a multimodal transit center at MSS (minus the Greyhound Station).

Thanks for posting the photo here coupe. I'll echo everyone else in saying that looks really nice and is going to add a lot of density to the Bottom. The bus transfer station is another story. That train shed has a ton of potential and I'd like people to think a bit bigger than just "let's fix Broad Street's problem by moving the transfer station here". A transfer station is a great idea however using the train shed for it is NOT. For one Main Street doesn't have the needed capacity for all these buses. Secondly the Bottom is already neglected by the City in the fact that they don't seem to make any effort to beautify it and now they want to make a move that could be detrimental to its survival. I say they should build a transfer station but do it off of Broad Street in the Bottom just west of Oliver Hill Way on one of those vacant lots either to the North or South, or both. Include some nice landscaping, some public art, and they can turn what have been vacant eyesore for years into something useful and attractive. Save the train shed for some sort of indoor entertainment complex... an indoor skate park, a paintball arena, a soccer/dodgeball field for the sport/social clubs, a pool, a gym, an indoor water park... the options are endless. Young and active people are moving downtown and this would make it an even more attractive place to live.

[journiyin]

Thanks for posting the photo here coupe. I'll echo everyone else in saying that looks really nice and is going to add a lot of density to the Bottom. The bus transfer station is another story. That train shed has a ton of potential and I'd like people to think a bit bigger than just "let's fix Broad Street's problem by moving the transfer station here". A transfer station is a great idea however using the train shed for it is NOT. For one Main Street doesn't have the needed capacity for all these buses. Secondly the Bottom is already neglected by the City in the fact that they don't seem to make any effort to beautify it and now they want to make a move that could be detrimental to its survival. I say they should build a transfer station but do it off of Broad Street in the Bottom just west of Oliver Hill Way on one of those vacant lots either to the North or South, or both. Include some nice landscaping, some public art, and they can turn what have been vacant eyesore for years into something useful and attractive. Save the train shed for some sort of indoor entertainment complex... an indoor skate park, a paintball arena, a soccer/dodgeball field for the sport/social clubs, a pool, a gym, an indoor water park... the options are endless. Young and active people are moving downtown and this would make it an even more attractive place to live.

Seconded!

Ok, next election I am in. Just let me sort out what district I am in - then I will run on a platform of ECONOMIC and DESIGN change!!!

[Henry]

Nice post ric75

[wrldcoupe4]

Proposed:

Main Street in Shockoe Bottom between 20th and 21st:

From Johannas Design Group: http://johannasdesign.com/downtown1.htm

Looks like this has been redesigned:

http://www.johannasdesign.com/downtown1.htm

[TBurban]

Looks like this has been redesigned:

http://www.johannasdesign.com/downtown1.htm

Is there any news on if this is the final design or when this project will break ground?

From John Murden of Church Hill People's News, RiverDistrict News, etc etc etc and courtesy of Walter Parks Architects:

A new apartment project proposed on the same block as the McDonald's at 18th and Broad in the Bottom -

A link to a 'before' image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/murden/2124500949

It would have 160+ apartments and over 5k square feet of commercial space. Some details from River District News:

* Parking will be in a courtyard inside the building. The buildings will go to the property line.

* The current plans show cars entering the courtyard through Broad Street. The architect (Walter Parks) seemed receptive to the observation that this would be a traffic disaster, mentioning earlier versions with cars entering/exiting on 18th Street.

* It is the same developer and architect as American Tobacco. They envision a similar development, but new construction instead of redevelopment.

* They need a special use permit as the land is current zoned M-1, which does not allow residential.

* They haven’t applied for any permits yet. They stated that they wanted to get this in front of the community early in the process.

* The highest point of the building would be 20 feet below the top of Jefferson Park. The highest end of the building would be at 18th Street.

* The 3 to 4 story size is seen as a match to the scale of the Sisson building and Cold Storage.

* There would be a pool on the roof.

* They would have liked to have removed or incorporated the McDonald’s, but the corporation/franchisee wouldn’t go for it.

link

This, along with the Sisson project, Cold Storage project, and others will do wonders for this portion of the Bottom!

whatever happened to this?

[jbjust]

Looks like this has been redesigned:

http://www.johannasdesign.com/downtown1.htm

Ugh. That thing is going to look dated five minutes after they finish it. Why can't we have some nice timeless yet contemporary designs rather that something that looks vaguely like it belongs in an Arizona retirement community.

[wrldcoupe4]

Haha my favorite part of this project is the old Firehouse...

[Brent]

The cool thing about this project is that it will make Shockoe look like it was really happening in the 90's! Don't think of it as outdated, think of it as a chance to rewrite recent history!

[Shakman]

I actually do not mind the design. It gives The Bottom something architecturally different.

[burt]

I find the design quite stylish and compatible with the neighborhood.

I don't see the "little man" cliimbing up the wall in this version.

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Tommy, Seems to me I noticed last July some kind of renovation or construction going on at a building near or behind McDonalds on East Broad at about 18th. I doin't think it was part of the Cold Storage project. Could it have been what you have posted in this thread?

[TBurban]

I find the design quite stylish and compatible with the neighborhood.

I don't see the "little man" cliimbing up the wall in this version.

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Tommy, Seems to me I noticed last July some kind of renovation or construction going on at a building near or behind McDonalds on East Broad at about 18th. I doin't think it was part of the Cold Storage project. Could it have been what you have posted in this thread?

I know the Sisson Building, a block over was under renovation at that time, and the hardware store next to Sisson was also under renovation, but nothing behind the McDonalds. There was an area blocked off in the parking lot the other day, but it looked like it was just for surface repairs.

[burt]

Looks like this has been redesigned:

http://www.johannasdesign.com/downtown1.htm

Is the building that was next to the old fire station (corner of 21st and Main) to be demolished in the new proposal, or is it just set-back and out of sight?

[Cadeho]

It looks like it would be demolished... not a big loss.