Richmond Developments

[tparkerzut]

3 hours ago, Toni said:

Funny, I live in Charlotte and I would give anything for Richmond's connectivity and general city feel.  Uptown Charlotte definitely has some great buildings, but it becomes the worst kind of sprawl with no real street grid once you go half a mile in any direction.  Also, look at Uptown Charlotte from an aerial view, and you'll see that the tall buildings section is about 8 blocks long but only 2-3 blocks wide.  It's pretty much just Tryon Street, so it makes a great skyline, but it still doesn't feel like a real city when you're walking around, which I think downtown Richmond does (not to mention that Richmond has old neighborhoods like the Fan, Jackson Ward, Oregon Hill, etc. just outside of downtown--leave downtown Charlotte and you mostly just get boxy, big, inelegant four-story wood-frame apartment complexes with zero charm).

I too laughed a little bit when I read that CharlotteFive article.  Yeah the Observer tower is a bit old-fashioned and not flashy at all, but at least it doesn't have a flat roof!  But I also see how it won't fit in to Charlotte very well, and it's not obvious why putting the frontage of the building along the interstate while the street access will just be open fields, creating little urban landscape to speak of.

 

I've never been to Charlotte, except the airport a couple times. However I've spent plenty of my time digitally exploring cities thanks to Google to see if I want to visit them. You really have confirmed what I thought Charlotte was like. Obviously I like downtown areas but I like a city that has more than that, and you're right Richmond does. If you venture a mile outside of downtown you are still in a city. Charlotte definitely seems like once you leave the CBD you are in a much more suburban and sprawling area. I think people tend to forget this since the population is so large. Anyways thanks for checking out the Richmond page!

[drayrichmond]

1 hour ago, hikendesign said:

Funny, I've never been to Charlotte either except the airport. Flew through to a conference in Vegas last month.  Went through the American Airlines section of the airport. While it's busy, crowded even, it looks to need renovating badly.  It seems to have grown beyond its capacity and the infrastructure is stressed.  Wondered if Charlotte's airport is going to renovate or expand. Could have just been the wing I was in.  

Just with my experience with American Airlines it was probably just the wing you were in, AA tries to control the whole concourse they're located on and they generally don't invest in anything in terms of comfort or restaurants, they're tickets are cheaper that way (at least compared to the other big airlines, not like jet blue) and they also neglect their terminals to "encourage" people to buy into the AA club where they have bar and food and cushioned seats.

Long story short it was probably just AA being cheap.

[drayrichmond]

6 hours ago, Toni said:

Funny, I live in Charlotte and I would give anything for Richmond's connectivity and general city feel.  Uptown Charlotte definitely has some great buildings, but it becomes the worst kind of sprawl with no real street grid once you go half a mile in any direction.  Also, look at Uptown Charlotte from an aerial view, and you'll see that the tall buildings section is about 8 blocks long but only 2-3 blocks wide.  It's pretty much just Tryon Street, so it makes a great skyline, but it still doesn't feel like a real city when you're walking around, which I think downtown Richmond does (not to mention that Richmond has old neighborhoods like the Fan, Jackson Ward, Oregon Hill, etc. just outside of downtown--leave downtown Charlotte and you mostly just get boxy, big, inelegant four-story wood-frame apartment complexes with zero charm).

I too laughed a little bit when I read that CharlotteFive article.  Yeah the Observer tower is a bit old-fashioned and not flashy at all, but at least it doesn't have a flat roof!  But I also see how it won't fit in to Charlotte very well, and it's not obvious why putting the frontage of the building along the interstate while the street access will just be open fields, creating little urban landscape to speak of.

 

Good hearing from Charlotte on here, I usually keep an eye on the Charlotte page to see what's cooking down there. I'm the resident New Yorker that moved to RVA and I've gotta say your assessment is dead on. I've been to Charlotte and obviously Richmond, and if you asked me which one is more like NYC I'd have to Richmond, just because of the points you laid out, the connectivity and maturity of the urban core is there in the city. Not trying to offend but when I was visiting Charlotte, the towers were great, but the whole place felt like a big corporate campus, hopefully that will change with time.

[Toni]

25 minutes ago, drayrichmond said:

Good hearing from Charlotte on here, I usually keep an eye on the Charlotte page to see what's cooking down there. I'm the resident New Yorker that moved to RVA and I've gotta say your assessment is dead on. I've been to Charlotte and obviously Richmond, and if you asked me which one is more like NYC I'd have to Richmond, just because of the points you laid out, the connectivity and maturity of the urban core is there in the city. Not trying to offend but when I was visiting Charlotte, the towers were great, but the whole place felt like a big corporate campus, hopefully that will change with time.

Haha well to be honest I don't know if I can count as "from Charlotte."  I'm a lifelong Virginian who just moved down to the Queen City for a one-year work gig, so I've been reading the Richmond page here frequently since I miss the city!  Figured I'd sign up and comment since Charlotte came up in conversation.

And I agree with the "corporate campus" description.  But if I can say a good thing about Charlotte, it's that it's aware of that vibe and, for the most part, doesn't want to keep it up.  Sure there's still growth in the sprawling suburbs just like how we have Innsbruck and Short Pump, but in the neighborhoods surrounding Uptown (the CBD), the city is doing a pretty good job with public transit and bike connectivity, and the people are slowly building up some local flavor with non-chain restaurants, breweries, etc.  So overall I'd say Charlotte is moving in the right direction, and the super-fast growth in the urban core doesn't hurt--it will feel like more of a big city real soon.

[Wahoo 07]

http://www.richmond.com/business/local/modern-row-houses-to-go-up-near-museum-district-scott/article_1d39d6dd-2444-565e-80b4-64cf800045b8.html

Small infill project

[eandslee]

Perhaps the Locks at 3Twenty One will be resurrected...that's my hope anyway.  I also look forward to what will happen with the City Center project. Sky's the limit on what next. I just hope it's tall and ambitious!

[wrldcoupe4]

Most of the decent large blocks are downtown currently - James Center, Riverfront Plaza, and soon SunTrust Center. 

[drayrichmond]

1 hour ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Most of the decent large blocks are downtown currently - James Center, Riverfront Plaza, and soon SunTrust Center. 

Soon SunTrust Center?

[wrldcoupe4]

Yes. SunTrust planned to downsize their downtown presence as part of their regional consolidation. I haven't seen anything to indicate otherwise. 

[drayrichmond]

44 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Yes. SunTrust planned to downsize their downtown presence as part of their regional consolidation. I haven't seen anything to indicate otherwise. 

SunTrust has a lease for 75k square feet until 2028 in SunTrust Center, they are consolidating their suburban offices to the Westmark builidng at 11011 W. Broad St.

Edited March 2, 2017 by drayrichmond

[wrldcoupe4]

They currently lease closer to 200,000 sf at 919 E Main Street and will be downsizing substantially downtown to 75,000 sf commencing in January 2018 which coincides with the planned occupancy for Westmark. Around 100,000 sf of what will be former SunTrust space is coming available January 2018. They've been trying to sublease space for a few years downtown and have negotiated early terminations recently on portions of their space to accommodate tenants like LeClair Ryan which relocated from Riverfront Plaza recently.  

Edited March 2, 2017 by wrldcoupe4

[drayrichmond]

Wow, yeah that's going to leave a pretty good sized hole

[wrldcoupe4]

Designs have been released for the new J Sarge culinary institute to be built in Church Hill:

https://chpn.net/2017/03/04/first-look-at-the-new-j-sargent-reynolds-culinary-institute/

 

 

 

[Brent114]

Love it! 

[Blackbird Fly]

I think the design calls for white, but the rendering looks great and I love the cantilevered glass rooms! Will be a statement in Church Hill. 

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Sugar Pad demolition starts Monday

https://chpn.net/2017/03/05/sugar-pad-demolition-starts-monday/

One of the comments helpfully points out that the image used by CHPN is an older site plan rendering, while this apparently is the link to the latest:

http://www.richmondgov.com/PlanningAndDevelopmentReview/documents/PlansRiverfront/2016_1115_Downriver_presentation_KR.pdf

[drayrichmond]

"Big 5" update from RTD:

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/status-update-five-big-projects-in-richmond-and-where-they/article_0b0b502e-4518-5045-bd7c-59399975e294.html

[eandslee]

Like the update. I'm glad that City Center might still be a thing. They, at least, sound positive about it!

[drayrichmond]

20 hours ago, RVA-Is-The-Best said:

Sugar Pad demolition starts Monday

https://chpn.net/2017/03/05/sugar-pad-demolition-starts-monday/

One of the comments helpfully points out that the image used by CHPN is an older site plan rendering, while this apparently is the link to the latest:

http://www.richmondgov.com/PlanningAndDevelopmentReview/documents/PlansRiverfront/2016_1115_Downriver_presentation_KR.pdf

Anybody else reading the comment section on chpn and just laughing uncontrollably?

[Icetera]

1 hour ago, drayrichmond said:

Anybody else reading the comment section on chpn and just laughing uncontrollably?

Wow, that is painful, even for CHPN.

[Wahoo 07]

http://richmondbizsense.com/2017/03/13/church-hill-project-sees-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/

Nice infill project in Church Hill

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Welp the development near Libby Hill has finally passed, 11 stories shorter than as originally proposed. Among the requirements promised by the developer (probably under coercion from the Church Hill NIMBY's  Neighborhood Association is that there would be one parking space per unit.

kill me

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/richmond-city-council-signs-off-on--story-development-at/article_d0aa61d3-5b79-5222-93f9-9780bb613d7a.html

Edited March 14, 2017 by RVA-Is-The-Best

[Marcus Squires]

I agree with the ideal of preserving the view shed. The park is a public asset and if I lived in the area I would want to retain my view shed. There is plenty of room in this city, this rust belt of the city has undergone extensive changes. Maybe it's time for council to look at the area around Belt Boulevard and South Side Plaza? GRTC has announced putting their transfer station for southside at South Side Plaza. GRTC seems to be the only company really investing in this area of the city.  

[RiverYuppy]

I would love to see more development on Hull, but I just don't see much happening that far South until we at least see enough demand to fill up Hull Street in Manchester.  There has been some renovations, but those buildings are not filling up as fast as we might want.

[Marcus Squires]

Well on this end of Hull we have McGuire Woods perhaps they could partner with the community, like Bon Secours in the east end.

Also let's not forget the Hull Street 360 project. 

Edited March 15, 2017 by Marcus Squires