Richmond Developments

[Brent114]

Buckle up! Momentum is building

 Could this be the beginning of that 15 floor apartment building floated 1-2 years ago?

At the least a renovation of these three buildings is about to happen. 

Looks like the Carpenter Center (or whatever it’s called these days)    Is getting a sign on the Broad Street side.  These bucket trucks are making out something with marking tape...

 

 

And lastly....

My Pulse stop is looking sweet! 

 

Ive seen a few stations with the glass installed.  There’s a map of Richmond printed on it.  It looks swanky! 

 

 

[benstyree]

Whew maybe I'll finally be vindicated for the possibly-premature scoop on that 300 block of Broad development.

[Brent114]

Let’s hope! 

 

[eandslee]

Can either of you refresh my memory on this clandestine 15-story residential development?  I vaguely remember someone mentioning something about it, but I don't recall much more.

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

^^  I definitely missed the memo on that one

[Richmonopoly]

Yes... Please.  More on this 15-story tower....?  Is this the Grace Street tower across from The Carpenter Center?  

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, Richmonopoly said:

Yes... Please.  More on this 15-story tower....?  Is this the Grace Street tower across from The Carpenter Center?  

So you know about it too!?  I’m not sure there’s much more out there to know.  Perhaps it was just a rumor, but that’s the thing about rumors...there’s always an element of truth.  

[wrldcoupe4]

The 300 block of broad will be a disappointment. Renovation of the existing buildings and combining them into a very bland single facade. No additional height. Nice updates though!

[benstyree]

My intel came from someone I know who at the time worked for Dodson Commercial.  He said the plan was to build a ~15 story residential building on the site of those 3-4 dilapidated buildings.  That's been  couple years ago though, and he's no longer there.  Maybe plans changed?

[eandslee]

28 minutes ago, benstyree said:

My intel came from someone I know who at the time worked for Dodson Commercial.  He said the plan was to build a ~15 story residential building on the site of those 3-4 dilapidated buildings.  That's been  couple years ago though, and he's no longer there.  Maybe plans changed?

That's unfortunate if plans did change.  I thought there was a huge push for density along the Broad St corridor.  A 15-story residential building would fit perfectly within the new density push!  I don't understand how this can go from 15-stories to virtually "nothing to see here folks!"

What a disappointing day so far - we'd better get some good news soon to turn around all this gloom as of late!  Geez!

[Brent114]

It doesn’t feel gloomy at all from my perspective.  

The bike lanes on Franklin are looking great.  The Pulse stations are looking better than I expected.   The Maggie Walker plaza has people lingering in the evenings (and all of the plantings there survived the winter!).  There are building permits in the windows of long vacant properties .  Whole Foods is moving along very quickly.  The Lydl at Staples Mill and Broad opens this weekend.  Monroe Park is looking fabulous (Abner Clay park renovations start soon....a new playground was installed this winter) .  The realignment of route 5 looks amazing.  The civil war museum is glassed in and looks great.  The stretch of Broad through Scott’s Addition has 3-4 big redevelopments under way (and that developer from C’ville is planning some high density housing for the south side of Broad).  Veil is opening a Forest Hill location in a new mixed use development along Forest Hill Ave.  Work on the Forest Hill median is moving forward (and Publix is currently renovating the old Martin’s) .  I walked past a new swanky/hipster restaurant on 2nd Street last night. didn’t know anything g about it... Grace Street downtown has become very lively (never though I’d see that). Visiting the  new ICA is a world class experience (IMO most of tgeeork in this show is weak though).   People are out.  And not just because it’s warm.  People were out all winter too.  Richmond has turned a corner.  It just looks different.  Even better than that, it feels different. 

I want that 15 story building too but the simple renovation of these buildings was unimaginable just a few years ago (and a person getting shot on that block at 3pm on a Sunday didn’t even scare off the investors!). 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Brent114

[Brent114]

Another cool thing is that the big apartment development in Folton Hill is really visible from the I95, Lee and Manchester bridges. I wasn’t expecting that at all.  The developed area of Richmond now extends another mile  east (at least that’s what it looks like). 

 

 

Here’s a windshield shot of said development from Carlisle Street. 

[eandslee]

Thanks for the good news Brent!  I needed that.  Just felt a little defeated today since the Megasite proposal was withdrawn and now no 15-story residential building (where there really should be one), the CEO of Union Bank is stepping down to focus on his health (hoping his successor puts the pedal to the medal!), and The Locks development is probably still an ugly 12-story cube (okay, I'm having a little fun with that last one)!   Good to hear a "boots on the ground" point of view of the changes that are taking place.  I also believe Richmond has changed and continues to do so (excited about that).  It's just hard to hear some of the failures.  Thanks for helping keep things in perspective!

[wrldcoupe4]

8 hours ago, benstyree said:

My intel came from someone I know who at the time worked for Dodson Commercial.  He said the plan was to build a ~15 story residential building on the site of those 3-4 dilapidated buildings.  That's been  couple years ago though, and he's no longer there.  Maybe plans changed?

From a link on Dodson’s site  the tower is toast.

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/Looplink/TmplEngine/ListingProfilePage.aspx?stid=dodsoncommercialprop&LID=12287205&LL=true&UOMListing=&UOMMoneyCurrency=&RentPer=PM&SRID=0&IP=false

[Brent114]

Well the renovation looks good 

[wrldcoupe4]

I’ve also seen another version very recently that was horribly bland. Hope the bland one is not the actual one. 

[Marcus Squires]

Had a meeting at city hall and the tower crane is rising in Jackson Ward for the apartment development, 

The GA is falling 

The DE building is rising with the vcu tower 

For this new tower is the back wing of the old hospital going to come down I see where the front wing has been preserved with a white roof but the back looks like it has not and is in the footprint for the new tower? 

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

@Brent114 you can see that from Lee/Manchester bridge?? You sure? Good grief it's only 5-6 stories

[Brent114]

Yes you can.  It’s on the edge of the hill so it shows up just above the tree line above Rockets Landing.   

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

I keep forgetting this city is San Francisco-lite sometimes...

Edited May 5, 2018 by RVA-Is-The-Best

[rjp212]

Marketing brochure for Carytown Exchange. Will include a parking garage, possible Publix grocery store and street facing retail.  They’re attempting to mimic the architecture of Carytown so it blends with the neighborhood.  Seems pretty solid to me.

https://regcorpweb.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinityfiles/docs/default-source/default-document-library/carytownexchange-regencycenters.pdf?sfvrsn=e2fee527_2

Edited May 8, 2018 by rjp212

[wrldcoupe4]

It’s going to be a good project. 

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, rjp212 said:

Marketing brochure for Carytown Exchange. Will include a parking garage, possible Publix grocery store and street facing retail.  They’re attempting to mimic the architecture of Carytown so it blends with the neighborhood.  Seems pretty solid to me.

https://regcorpweb.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinityfiles/docs/default-source/default-document-library/carytownexchange-regencycenters.pdf?sfvrsn=e2fee527_2

I’m totally digging the renderings!  This looks like a true urban project!  Love it!

[Brent114]

Meh. Certainly way better than what is there but there’s nothing great about the current built environment of Carytown (feels really small town to me).

 This is a missed opportunity to take it to the next level.   I hate that there is no residential and there is still a drive cut out on Cary Street which is unacceptable.  

It also does absolutely nothing for Elwood which is a travesty. 

It’s really hard to pull off an authentic “Main Street” aesthetic in 2018.  It will look more like Stoney Point than Georgetown. 

[rjp212]

14 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

Meh. Certainly way better than what is there but there’s nothing great about the current built environment of Carytown (feels really small town to me).

 This is a missed opportunity to take it to the next level.   I hate that there is no residential and there is still a drive cut out on Cary Street which is unacceptable.  

It also does absolutely nothing for Elwood which is a travesty. 

It’s really hard to pull off an authentic “Main Street” aesthetic in 2018.  It will look more like Stoney Point than Georgetown. 

There's ground floor retail (Building E) that runs along the bottom of the garage facing Elwood and pedestrian entrances to the Grocery store on that side (page 14).  I agree there's a missed opportunity for a residential component at the complex, however, I'm sure neighbors would complain if there was any substantial height to the project.