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17th Street Market: Construction starts this summer and ends early next year. Change in plans is to no longer bury power lines.

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_56327cdd-d32d-545b-8408-1ae73bc71612.html 

It is kind of frustrating that in Richmond, things like this and train shed take so long to get done...

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Other than a new state visitor center, there's barely a program for the train shed which is appalling at best. To spend 10s of millions of taxpayer dollars with absolutely no concrete plan for the building is wasteful at a minimum.  Another example of the city wanting to control the outcome of a project and having little to nothing to show for it. Why not engage the private sector to market the building to different users and product types to see what kind of demand persists for the location? So incredibly frustrating.

And frankly, if this is going to be the hub of rail for Richmond, can the current headhouse handle the projected demand without the use of the train shed?

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28 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Other than a new state visitor center, there's barely a program for the train shed which is appalling at best. To spend 10s of millions of taxpayer dollars with absolutely no concrete plan for the building is wasteful at a minimum.  Another example of the city wanting to control the outcome of a project and having little to nothing to show for it. Why not engage the private sector to market the building to different users and product types to see what kind of demand persists for the location? So incredibly frustrating.

And frankly, if this is going to be the hub of rail for Richmond, can the current headhouse handle the projected demand without the use of the train shed?

I hope they can just use the head house. Regardless of whether RVA gets high speed rail or not, I would like to see MSS become RVA's primary station. As for what could go inside, I completely agree that the private sector should market the building. What business wouldn't want to be in a multi-model transportation hub?

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1 hour ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Other than a new state visitor center, there's barely a program for the train shed which is appalling at best. To spend 10s of millions of taxpayer dollars with absolutely no concrete plan for the building is wasteful at a minimum.  Another example of the city wanting to control the outcome of a project and having little to nothing to show for it. Why not engage the private sector to market the building to different users and product types to see what kind of demand persists for the location? So incredibly frustrating.

And frankly, if this is going to be the hub of rail for Richmond, can the current headhouse handle the projected demand without the use of the train shed?

The best I have seen is public surveys on what to do with the shed..  I have been wondering the same on increased use for the station as the actually boarding are is rather small, though there is quite a bit of lobby space.

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I remember a year ago filling out a survey about uses for the train shed - it really go me thinking how fun it would be to have an open public space (coordinated with the plaza at 17th street market) with a little stage for music and "stalls" for rotating groups of local restaurant/brewery/retail vendors. As a transportation hub and the site of the va tourist whatever it would be a great place to showcase local artisans and help create a real "public square" vibe in the heart of the city. So many new residents within walking distance in the past few years (2000?), the immediate area is ripe for quality investment (as soon as the ballpark cloud clears)...

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2 hours ago, hikendesign said:

One thing I see in projects like these and I'll include the pulse transportation, I think this administration is trying to use funding while they have it, even if it's not the complete package.  I think I'd rather see some movement toward a better city than no movement at all while we wait for everyone to have their say and then nothing gets done and the funding is gone. 

See, I think that the Pulse is a complete package and I'm baffled that City Council is acting like they need more time to understand it. We've been talking about it for 3+ years and GRTC only had about 5,000 public meetings. It's time to build it! Implementing a more efficient strategy (BRT) for Broad Street that will be the nexus of a larger BRT system that will connect the region is exactly what GRTC should be doing. Do we need to look at ways to improve the overall system? Yes, but we can do both simultaneously. 

It's different from the train shed which apparently has no real plan. They are spending $50M and when they are knee deep into construction, send out a survey about what the public wants to see there. Shouldn't that have happened, oh I don't know, before they started spending $50M to renovate? This isn't directed at you, really more rhetorical. Just frustrated with the missed opportunity.

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22 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Other than a new state visitor center, there's barely a program for the train shed which is appalling at best. To spend 10s of millions of taxpayer dollars with absolutely no concrete plan for the building is wasteful at a minimum.  Another example of the city wanting to control the outcome of a project and having little to nothing to show for it. Why not engage the private sector to market the building to different users and product types to see what kind of demand persists for the location? So incredibly frustrating.

And frankly, if this is going to be the hub of rail for Richmond, can the current headhouse handle the projected demand without the use of the train shed?

If you were a city and given a federal and state grant you would take it and use it, that is exactly what happened with this train shed, the heads of power made the right choice in redoing this icon of Richmond's industrial heritage. Please do more research before complaining on this form.  " with 90 percent of that funding coming through federal and state transportation grants" - Style Weekly   I am a Richmond-er and If the federal and state agencies wish to invest in this capital I do not think is is appalling as you stated but wonderful !  

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Do more research? Please. I'm hardly uninformed on this topic. Ask some of the long term participants of this forum. I'm one of the biggest proponents of Richmond but it doesn't mean I can't take issue with the execution of a particular project. Fact is, the city was gifted millions of dollars and has not acted effectively on a way that provides a reasonable return on that investment to the community this project will serve. As a fellow Richmonder, we should hold those handling this project accountable for its outcome. So far, I have heard that we will have a visitors center and food cart court.   That's a PITIFUL use of this amazing space. Simple question: how and to whom is this space being marketed? Is there a brochure going to prospective occupiers whose use, jobs, and tax revenue would benefit the citizens of Richmond? Has he city engaged the real estate community that works with 90% of occupiers in the market? Should we be content with the lack of a viable strategy despite being gifted the funds? How will he lack of a plan going in affect base building infrastructure and how will that affect a subsequent future occupier? Being frustrated and asking questions that should be asked is not being uninformed.  

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For me, it's okay to have some disagreements from time to time - it's human nature. This message board is very unique because all of us here have something in common - we all love Richmond and want it to grow and prosper economically.  Sometimes we get frustrated when leadership doesn't do things the way we think it should be done (happens all the time. Nothing can be more frustrating sometimes than Richmond politics).  Therefore, I fault no one for the previous comments made and actually believe it to be healthy (as long as it doesn't get personal). We disagree all the time - heights of buildings, the kinds of developments that should be built, etc.  So it's okay to disagree and I welcome all to continue discussing. Both of you guys have made some valid points and I encourage both of you to continue to post here. Remember that we all want the same thing and Richmond will frustrate you at times, so this sort of thing is to be expected.  Please stick around!  Everyone here adds value to what we are doing and that's what's so great about this forum - I learn a lot from everyone's points of view, backgrounds, and experiences.  Again, continue to post and thanks for making this forum great!

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2 hours ago, RiverYuppy said:

Are there any large permanent residency developments going up?  I see a lot of talk about large office buildings and apartments, but I would love to see another tower of condos.

 

Well there is the south canal residential towers, but I have yet to see a rendering or any specifics on the project. It was announced that there would be two towers at about 15-16 story range, but since then it's been crickets. Does anyone have anything further information on this...or anything else to add?

Also, there is the Pear St condo tower at the end of Tobacco Row in the bottom. 

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Does anyone have (or can point me to) renderings of what will replace the brown metal reynolds north building that still remains?  It is the building that sits atop of the canal - where you have to go under the tunnel (creepy) and up the steps then out on to the street to continue the 'canal walk'.  I was down there last week on a family bike ride through the flood wall and the tower parking lot alongside this building and was surprised it still stands...it will be nice to have a better connected canal...and I really support the idea of tunneling through to the slip under the highway at the cobblestone in the same area...that would be a fantastic connections!

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1 minute ago, meegwell said:

Does anyone have (or can point me to) renderings of what will replace the brown metal reynolds north building that still remains?  It is the building that sits atop of the canal - where you have to go under the tunnel (creepy) and up the steps then out on to the street to continue the 'canal walk'.  I was down there last week on a family bike ride through the flood wall and the tower parking lot alongside this building and was surprised it still stands...it will be nice to have a better connected canal...and I really support the idea of tunneling through to the slip under the highway at the cobblestone in the same area...that would be a fantastic connections!

I like that idea or as Burt's idea that he used to throw around is to have a lock system to move the canal boats from one side of the canal to the other.  I think THAT would be cool.  I'm not sure what is supposed to go in place of the brown building...has anything been announced?  I don't remember....

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3 hours ago, Richmonopoly said:

Add on the 8 story apartment building in Shockoe on 19th Street.  (I thought it was going to front Main Street, but I guess not.  Any inside information?

The main tower fronts 19th St. while there will be retail frontage and 1-2 stores of residential fronting Main St. to fit in with the existing shops.

 

Sadly, no Condo high-rises I can think of at this time other than the potential Pear St. mentioned above.  At least we are seeing a lot of activity in new mid-to-high-rise apartments.

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43 minutes ago, eandslee said:

I like that idea or as Burt's idea that he used to throw around is to have a lock system to move the canal boats from one side of the canal to the other.  I think THAT would be cool.  I'm not sure what is supposed to go in place of the brown building...has anything been announced?  I don't remember....

I believe the old lock system (or at least the skeleton of it) sits aside the steps going up to 12th the street from the under-building tunnel.  Not that it could be salvaged since I assume the canal was re-routed to where it is now but it's a cool structure to check out.

 

As far as that building goes, I thought I saw a rending back when the reynolds north projects were announced that did something there...they have torn a big hole in the side of it at the south-west corner just past the flood wall gate.  Its such an ugly building (imo) and really does a fine job of messing up the flow of the canal walk.  The brown ribbed metal...you see it all over the city - the coliseum, the plaza building..  

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If someone could build a tall residential building there with 1st floor retail and have the canal flow through an all-glass atrium (make it a stop for tourists on the canal boats), I think that idea would be super cool!  You'd have to connect the two canals together at that point.  Another idea - What if you could have the lock system between canals inside the atrium of said building.  Oh yes!  

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