Richmond Development News

[540_804]

I didn't see a thread for Richmond development news so I thought I would add one. If somehow there is a thread that I overlooked feel free to send me a private message and I'll promptly have this deleted. :)

Now, on to some developments:

First up: Williams Mullen Center
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/williamsmullenrendering1.jpg

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/richmondtower.jpg

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/WM1.jpg

Virginia Beach developer Armada Hoffler plans to build a 15-story office tower in Richmond to house the Williams Mullen law firm.

Armada plans to break ground in October on the 200,000-square-foot building, which has received preliminary approval from the Richmond City Council.

The law firm has signed on to occupy 150,000 square feet of the building's space, which will be Class A, or top of the line, when it opens in 2010. The building's remaining space is yet to be leased.

Armada plans to spend about $60 million on the office tower, said Danya Bushey, Armada's marketing director.

Link: http://hamptonroads.com/2008/07/armada-hoffler-build-law-office-tower-richmond


Total Floors: 16 + Mechanical Penthouse
2 Story 1st floor for Retail / Lobby
Floors 3-6 parking
Floor 6 partial office
Floors 7-16 Office Space


Construction as of March 17th 2009 c/o Brent from Urban Planet



From this weekend...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/bustedpits/riverrocks039.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/bustedpits/riverrocks042.jpg

[540_804]

Next: MeadWestvaco Headquarters, 10-Story Tower

The parking lot beside the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Richmond has started its transformation into a corporate office for the region's newest Fortune 500 company.

Bulldozers have replaced most of the cars in the lot as work starts on MeadWestvaco Corp.'s headquarters building. The nine-story office overlooking the James River is scheduled to be complete in 2009....

MeadWestvaco plans to move 500 to 600 people into the building initially, though it will accommodate up to about 1,000 employees. The company said it had the equivalent of 879 full-time employees in the Richmond area at the start of the year.

MeadWestvaco will lease the 300,000-square- foot building at 501 S. Fifth St. from Richmond-based NewMarket Corp., which is building it as part of a planned commercial and retail development called Foundry Park. NewMarket is a petroleum additives company with its headquarters adjacent to the site.
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (Sorry link is broken, I'll look for a replacement, but please dont cut the quote)

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/untitledle5.png

Construction as of March c/o Tburban from Urban Planet:

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Picture009.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Picture011.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Picture016.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Picture017.jpg

[540_804]

Proposed: Shockoe Center located in Downtown Richmond (Shockoe)
http://shockoecenter.com/content/images/MainStreet-Station-Aerial.gif
http://shockoecenter.com/content/images/Ballpark-Rendering2.gif

$318 million mixed use project in Shockoe Bottom which would provide a new baseball ballpark.

http://shockoecenter.com/default.aspx




Phase I

Phase I consists of approximately $160 million of private investment, which includes $60 million for the ballpark.

* 192,400 SF - Retail for entertainment,
special events and farmers' market expansion
* 98,000 SF - Office building
* 160 - Hotel rooms to overlook the ballpark
* 109 - Apartments to overlook the ballpark
* 15 - Loft condos to overlook the ballpark
* 280 - Parking spaces
* 540 - Parking deck spaces
* 1 - Ballpark total capacity = 8,500

Phase II
Phase II consists of the two blocks farther north of Broad Street along the west side of Oliver Hill Way between Marshall and Venable Streets. This is an expansion of the original vision to include the entire parcel of private property in that area under common ownership (Loving's). It includes 220 apartments with 10,000 SF of convenience retail on the first level and a parking deck with approximately 950 spaces.

Phase III
This is the major commercial phase of the project between the railroad tracks and I-95. Shockoe Center proposes to build a high-quality office tower, a 185-room hotel and a parking deck to serve them at a cost of approximately $90.5 million. The timing of this phase will be driven by the demand for the office space.

[540_804]

Echo Harbour


Mixed-use community planned on the James River. It was originally proposed as 2 18-story buildings but has been scaled back. Meeting some opposition due to fears that it will block an "historical view" of the river.

http://www.ifdevelopment.com/new-IMAGES/inside-photos/echo.jpg

Still in the design phase so I will update this post with more up-to-date renderings as they come available.

http://chpn.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/img_3163-420x347.jpg
http://chpn.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/img_3166-420x327.jpg
http://chpn.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/img_3165-420x388.jpg


A revised proposal for the Echo Harbour development east of downtown Richmond has been filed with city planners, but the project continues to face opposition for its effect on views of the James River from Libby Hill.

The latest plan by USP Echo Harbour attempts to address those concerns by lowering building heights further, and it mixes a hotel and office space along with the condominiums and public riverfront improvements that were already planned.

The revised proposal was submitted this week as the Richmond Planning Commission considers final amendments to the downtown master plan. At a hearing Monday, Director of Community Development Rachel Flynn and many Church Hill residents made it clear that they're unlikely to support Echo Harbour under any circumstances.

George Ross, a principal with USP Echo Harbour, said an architectural rendering from Libby Hill shows that Echo Harbour's average 108-foot-tall eastern building would be about as far from a historically significant bend in the river as a 150-foot-tall residential building approved but not yet developed at Rocketts Landing would be on the bend's other side.

The rendering, by architectural firm Baskervill, does not show Echo Harbour's bigger western building, which would average 141 feet in height. The maximum height in previous proposals was 188 feet.

"When you're talking view and view shed, this is the part that we're focusing on," said Ross, noting that part of the view is currently blocked by the towers of the Lehigh Cement Co.



As proposed, Echo Harbour would include 88 to 102 condos, a hotel with 130 to 158 rooms and a river walk that would connect to the planned Virginia Capital Trail and Canal Walk.

In addition, Echo Harbour would have 27,000 to 118,000 square feet of office space, light retail and parking. Overall, the project would represent an investment of $153 million, according to the developers.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/ECHO22_20090421-222006/261945/

[540_804]

Next is West Broad Village

West Broad Village is a masterfully designed urban living space featuring accents of colonial America. Brick streets lined with maple trees connect charming stately single family attached homes creating a community of people who live, work, shop and recreate within an urban setting they call home.

The Village Master Plan encompasses approximately 115 acres of residential, retail, office, hotel, recreation and environmental preserve. There are seamless transitions from the neighborhoods, to the "Main Street", to the public spaces and even to the adjacent school and park. Collectively, these spaces create a dynamic community framework, a community of neighborhoods where daily life can take place at an effortless pace.

http://www.westbroadvillage.com/community/masterplan/images/siteplan.jpg

The West Broad Village Development plan has been designed to include the following community elements:

* Over 420,000 square feet of retail space
* 600,000 square feet of commercial property
* 884 residential units; including exquisite single family attached homes and apartments
* Signature Retail Occupants: Whole Foods Market, REI, Borders and Old Navy
* "A Loft" Starwood Hotel
* Dining: McCormick and Schmick's, Kona Grill, Gordon Biersch and Mimi's Cafe

Construction Photos:
http://www.richmondbizsense.com/images//westbroadtry.jpg
http://www.downtownshortpump.com/resources/news/westbroadvillageback.png
http://www.downtownshortpump.com/resources/lifestyle/livingatwestbroadvillage.png
http://www.henricocitizen.com/clients/henricocitizen/2-20-2009-5-47-09-PM-3457543.gif
http://www.theflatsatwestbroadvillage.com/images/header_flats_west_broad_village_glen_allen_va.jpg

[540_804]

Quick drive by pictures of West Broad Village

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_mwfXYkOeFMc/SRnYXS3VFWI/AAAAAAAAATQ/R7O8waX9a4c/s512/DSCF1170.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_mwfXYkOeFMc/SRnY22oSu3I/AAAAAAAAAUE/hD-rsDljFHk/s512/DSCF1182.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_mwfXYkOeFMc/SRnZM3t5BcI/AAAAAAAAAUg/rUDjUzt1EuE/s512/DSCF1187.JPG

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/wbv4.jpg

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/wbv3.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/wbv2.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/wbv.jpg

[spencer114]

Here are some photos that i took today of the Williams Mullen building..

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/bustedpits/PA106.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/bustedpits/PA107.jpg

[540_804]

Thanks for the updates and contribution @ spencer114!

I didn't know if a thread like this has been started so I wanted to start one. I'll go back and edit my previous posts to beef them up with a bit more info later.

Feel free to add any new developments that you want in the Richmond area.

I hope to add info about Richmond Center Stage, VCU development and MCV/VCUHealth and Biotech park asap (either tonight but probably in the morning).

[g-man430]

Infoman, quit switching usernames. :rant: :cry: :bash: :goodnight

[540_804]

Infoman, quit switching usernames. :rant: :cry: :bash: :goodnight

Wrong thread?

[Cashville]

He is the resident troll, just ignore him.

Glad to see a Richmond thread here, one of my favorite cities to keep up with.

[g-man430]

He is the resident troll, just ignore him.


You're just mad because your museum plaza project isn't getting built. :tongue:

[Cashville]

Im not from Louisville, if you are going to be a troll at least get your cities correct.

[Whosville]

I'll look forward to the VCU posts. That university seems to really be growing lately (or maybe that is just me?). Have they been in a pretty heavy growth period? Do you think that is at all a result of the recent basketball success, or were they on the fast track before that?

[540_804]

I'll look forward to the VCU posts. That university seems to really be growing lately (or maybe that is just me?). Have they been in a pretty heavy growth period? Do you think that is at all a result of the recent basketball success, or were they on the fast track before that?

VCU is known for its fast growth (critics often use the adjective "cancerous" to describe it). The recently-retired university president Dr. Trani really pushed towards growth. Some have criticized his focus on physical growth vs. academic growth. The fast-paced growth of the school predates the basketball success but the basketball has certainly helped gain the school some attention. I would say the basketball success was largely responsible for pushing the school pass its 32,000 student mark, making it the largest school in Virginia.

I'll post VCU development in about 5-10 minutes..im still gathering pics/info...

[540_804]

VCU Development:

First im going to start with development projects that were completed within the last couple of years and then in my next post I will try to show some upcoming/under construction projects.

Ok, first we have the VCU Monroe Park campus expansion. This expanded the campus east over Belvidere Street towards downtown. The expansion included a new Business/Engineering hall, residence hall (primarily targeted towards business and arts majors) with parking and a new home for the world-famous, top-ranked advertising school (AdCenter). The expansion was a $228million project


Snead Hall (Business and East Engineering building)
http://www.egr.vcu.edu/me/images/NewBuilding3.jpg
http://www.bus.vcu.edu/images/img03/home/school1_08.jpg
http://www.bus.vcu.edu/images/img03/home/school2_08.jpg
http://cmaanet.org/files/shared/VCU.jpg
http://www.creative.vcu.edu/images/portfolio/photo/0309_review/080114_003_aj_srgb.jpg

Aerial of Snead Hall:
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/snead.jpg

This is the VCU AdCenter: A revitalized old building with a modern addition
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g304/540BOY/Richmond/vcu1.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g304/540BOY/Richmond/vcu2.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g304/540BOY/Richmond/vcu3.jpg

This is the VCU Cary and Belvidere Residential college...its one block south of the VCU Snead Hall and directly west of the above AdCenter
http://www.housing.vcu.edu/images/img_cnb_reg.jpg

Picture of the full Monroe Park campus expansion east of Belvidere:
In the center is Snead Hall, above and to the right is the new residence hall, parking and dining.
In the foreground you can see part of the old engineering building (which in this picture is under construction as the second phase was being added. It was just completed about 2 months ago).
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/snead2.jpg

I'll try to get more (and better) pictures of them all...

[540_804]

On the medical campus of VCU (probably about 3 miles east of the main campus for those who aren't familiar with the school) development has come in the form of a new $192million critical care hospital building, new school of nursing building, and new $71.5 million molecular medicine research building.

Critical Care Hospital:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=535408056113
(Video..couldn't find good pics but I'll have some in a little while..i have to head out)

School of Nursing Building:
http://www.nursing.vcu.edu/images/img4.jpg
http://www.venturerichmond.com/images/downtown/nursing.jpg

Molecular Medicine Research building:
http://media.timesdispatch.com/timesdispatch/img-story/images/uploads/20090425_vcuu.jpg

Aerial of part of the Medical campus.
The building to the right with the pale blue cladding towards the top is the New Critical Care hospital.
The white/gray building just left of center and the shell/skeleton that is going up to its left (see red crane) is the VCU Molecular Medicine Research building. (Both completed and dedicated in 2009)
The building in the foreground is the VCU Massey Cancer Center which was completed in 2006.
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/mcv.jpg

[540_804]

For reference all of the above VCU projects were completed in 2008 or 2009 (im pretty sure)
Edit: The Nursing school was 2007

[540_804]

Current development projects at VCU:
VCU School of Dentistry (56,000sf) Opening fall 2009
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/vcudent.jpg

Named in honor of alumnus Dr. W. Baxter Perkinson, the $20 million, 55,000 square foot addition situated on Leigh Street will provide more classrooms, clinics, and laboratories to meet the current and future oral health needs of Virginians. The additional space will allow the school to educate PhD students and generate new knowledge through research in collaboration with VCU's Massey Cancer Center and School of Engineering. The space also permits expanded patient care and increased enrollment in its dental and dental hygiene degree programs.

http://www.advancement.vcu.edu/spotlights/groundbreaking.html

A webcam to view construction: http://www.vcu.edu/ramcam/lyons_controller.html

[540_804]

Next up is the 8th and 9th street office building projects:

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/8th9th.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/8th9th2.jpg
Commonwealth Architects, with Perkins+Will serving as the design architect, is working with the Virginia Department of General Services for the design of a new office building and the rehabilitation of the existing 9th Street Office Building near Richmond's Capitol Square. The preliminary design, developed with input from community representatives, anticipates a Silver LEED Certification. The buildings will feature many sustainable design elements, including green roofing, raised flooring, daylighting and high-tech solar glazing. Also, the new building will re-use many of the historic materials that are currently in the former Murphy Hotel, in which the new building will replace. The 9th Street Building, the former Hotel Richmond, will be rehabilitated following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation with special care being devoted to the significant character-defining features of the building.

http://www.comarchs.com/portfolio/adaptivereuseandinfill/8thand9thofficebuildings.html

[540_804]

Richmond Center Stage (completion in Fall 2009)

http://www.christmanco.com/admin/uploads/project_images/120_913190.jpg
http://www.christmanco.com/admin/uploads/project_images/120_422101.jpg
http://www.christmanco.com/admin/uploads/project_images/120_644452.jpg

This major project in the heart of downtown Richmond involves the redevelopment of a half-city block (the former “Thalhimer’s Block”) and will incorporate the addition of both new community and black box theaters, as well as renovation of the National Register, circa 1928 John Eberson-designed Lowes Atmospheric Theater, now known as the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts. The new and renovated facility serves as home and office for the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera and Richmond Ballet.

The primary scope is the renovation and expansion of the Carpenter Center and its existing 1,850-seat theatre, including exterior street facade restoration with extensive terra cotta restoration, state-of-the-art new electrical and audio, improved catwalk for lighting positions, a new stage house, balcony seating, lobby expansion, doubling of public restrooms, added amenities for handicapped access and a donor’s lounge. The renovation includes a new 200-seat studio theatre, gallery/retail space, a jazz club, rehearsal and dressing rooms, and offices. The project will be a challenge during construction due its adjacency of a new federal courts building and as well as its location in the central hub of downtown Richmond and Capitol Square.
* $58,300,000
* 148,245 s.f.
* Wilson Butler Architects
* September, 2009

http://www.christmanco.com/portfolio.asp?id=120&cat_id=1

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1180/1303263596_6acd451516.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2408645729_b25b5e1b16.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3372/3484355889_6a9648de07.jpg

[Whosville]

Thanks for the VCU info. Cool to see and I like how it looks like there will be a seamless transition between downtown and the university's main campus (we still have to work on that a little bit here in Lexington).

[540_804]

Hotel John Marshall Redevelopment

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2321/2233194055_ce77380a43.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2233194591_85616863e9.jpg

Detailed plans were filed recently with the city for work to convert the vacant 1929 hotel into 238 apartments, with retail space and a banquet hall.

The Residences at Hotel John Marshall, at 101 N. Fifth St., are planned by Dominion Realty Partners and would include 76 efficiency apartments, 111 one-bedroom units and 51 two-bedroom units, according to the documents filed to support applications for construction and demolition permits.

Michael Campbell, a principal of Dominion Realty Partners, would not discuss the project when contacted yesterday, including the renovation's cost and schedule. Dominion also developed the Vistas on the James condominiums, which opened in 2007.

Carthan F. Currin III, the city's director of economic development, praised the development company and estimated the potential investment in the John Marshall at a minimum of $80 million.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/JOHN30_20090529-222605/270781/

http://hoteljohnmarshall.com/

[540_804]

Thanks for the VCU info. Cool to see and I like how it looks like there will be a seamless transition between downtown and the university's main campus (we still have to work on that a little bit here in Lexington).

Yes, VCU is definitely expanding into downtown. VCU is actually credited with cleaning up and reviving downtown and the Broad St. corridor that leads into/runs through downtown. VCU students make up a fairly large portion of the downtown residents which has been great for residential development in the area.

Another VCU project:

VCU School of Medicine- Construction set to begin in 2010

http://richmondcitywatch.com/modules/gallery2/d/123657-2/vcu_new_som_rend3.jpg
http://richmondcitywatch.com/modules/gallery2/d/123653-2/vcu_new_som_rend1.jpg
http://www.fmd.vcu.edu/vcu_new_som.pdf


Hopefully we can get some higher quality renders in the future....

[540_804]

This is a proposal for the Corner of W. Grace Street and Belvidere. Its the corner with the gas station. Diagonal from VCU's Honor's Dorms and the Prestwould Condominiums (Note: this is a private development and not linked to VCU in any way).

Here are the official documents: http://www.richmondgov.com/applications/clerksTracking/getPDF.asp?NO=2008-87-82


From what I understand its supposed to be priced in a way to price-out students...I guess they would prefer it not turn into student housing..but want to keep it more 'upscale'...

Its supposed to be a auto service station/gas station/convenience store/retail with residential above....an interesting combination (never seen condos over a service station)

Some renders:
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Uppys4.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Uppys3.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Uppys2.jpg
Aerial:
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Uppys.jpg

If you look at the aerial above, the center building is, of course, the proposed development. The building in the right lower corner is a mid-rise apartment building (probably around 15 floors, don't know right off). On the left hand side, the lower of the two buildings is Prestwould Condos. Directly above it is VCU Honor's Dorms. The large complex at the top is also VCU upperclassman housing.

I guess one cool thing is that it should help eliminate some of that unnecessary surface lot parking...
I actually think VCU has plans to build garages on some of those lots.

[540_804]

Gilpin Court Redevelopment

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Richmond is trying to transform public housing. The city unveiled a $500 million plan for Gilpin Court in the Jackson Ward area.

The homes in Gilpin Court were built in the 1940's. This is the first time in nearly 70 years the area will see new construction.

Officials with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority believe the community could be a model for the future of public housing. Now, Gilpin Court is plaqued with rundown buildings and high crime rates.

"The Gilpin Court North- Jackson Ward area is an opportunity to create a new mixed income, mixed use areas that will bring additional vitality to downtown," said Anthony Scott, Director of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

http://www.nbc12.com/global/story.asp?s=9789024

For those unfamiliar, Gilpin Court is a public housing project in Richmond's Jackson Ward. Its a prime example of the atrocious consequences of highly centralized poverty as a direct result of the horrible public housing planning of the era.


Current:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2991389575_4be8f8e623.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Gilpin.jpg


I don't really have any renderings for this yet, but they are soon to come...

[StevenW]

Very nice. Alot of cool developments. :yes: Great update! :yes:

[540_804]

Updates of the Williams Mullen Center c/o Tburban @ Urban Planet


just a couple

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/Tommathon/Picture076.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/Tommathon/Picture077.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/Tommathon/Picture080.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/Tommathon/Picture086.jpg


Updates @ MeadWestVaco c/o Turban


http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/Tommathon/Ric070.jpg

here, too!

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt288/Tommathon/Ric073.jpg

[540_804]

Much thanks to whoever stickied this thread!


As anyone in Richmond and others know, there has been a lot of controversy over building a new downtown baseball stadium or refurbishing the existing park, "The Diamond"

Recently a plan has been released detailing the proposed transformation of The Diamond

Highlights of the plan:

- Capacity of 8,500 for baseball (slightly higher for concerts and other events) –
seating for approximately 7,000 plus 1,500 on lawn areas;
- Removal of the Diamond’s existing upper seating bowl and roof, to be replaced
by an open air “Club Level” for 750 to 1,000 fans, with seating, lounge areas and
food service
- Front of Stadium wrapped with a new brick façade construction and approximately
20,000 square feet of new retail space to help the economics of the project and
encourage year-round activity at the facility;
- Extended lower seating bowl – ends turned in toward the foul lines to create more
intimate seating bowl; installation of 5,000 new theater style padded armchair seats
with cupholders and ADA seating areas;
- New Entrance in centerfield, more convenient to parking, with a hotel style airconditioned
ticket lobby, and a walkway circling the playing field;
- Year-round Skateboard Park for community use free of charge on non-game days
– a unique ballpark amenity that will also fill a need of Richmond’s youth;
- Playground Area for children of all ages and abilities, open year-round even on
non-game days, including a Carousel, Electric Bumper Boats, and a full complement
of playground and climbing equipment;

- Year-round Conference Center overlooking the field, accommodating
approximately 300 people for luncheons, dinners, corporate sales events and
private parties on non-game days, and group outings during games;
- Largest High Definition Video Screen in minor league baseball, plus an old
fashioned Manually Operated Scoreboard to provide summer jobs and ballpark
“character”;
- Winter Ice Skating Park set up each year on the field with chillers to make ice and
permit skating at air temperatures up to 60 degrees. Richmond’s “Rockefeller
Center”;
- 500 person Picnic Deck wrapping around the left field foul pole;
- Approximately 16 Luxury Suites ( exact size, number and locations to be
determined after focus group meetings with potential suite holders);
- New “assemble to order” food service stands (no pre-made and wrapped hot
dogs and hamburgers for Richmond’s fans), new concourse restrooms, first aid,
customer service and security areas;
- Portable Concert Stage and Sound System to make the new ballpark into
Richmond’s premier outdoor concert venue;
- New elevator, new field lighting, new sound system, remodeled pressbox and
administrative offices, clubhouses and service areas;
- Provision for Brooks Robinson Life-Skills Center for at-risk teenagers will be
included (separate development project)
- LEED Certification for sustainability and energy efficiency. Use of demonstration
solar power, wind turbine generation, and recycling of rain water for irrigation will be
included.


A link to the PDF: http://static.mgnetwork.com/rtd/pdfs/20090609_base.pdf

www.OpeningDayPartners.com

[Mobius57]

Good :) Every city should have a good Baseball stadium :)

[spencer114]

Here's an update (albeit very brief) of the new medical school building downtown...

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2009/12/14/vcu-unveils-new-medicine-building/

I M Pei designed it.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/bustedpits/WV/medbuilding.jpg

[540_804]

Haven't updated in a while but I'm back in Richmond so I can be a bit more active now.

New Project:
1,000 car garage downtown

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Richmond/Untitled2-7.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Richmond/Untitled1.jpg

Not bad for a car park. I suppose.



I'll try to get out this weekend (if it doesn't snow) and snap some pics.

[spencer114]

http://www.richmondgrid.com/grid/downtown_UPDATE2010_FINAL2post.pdf


here's the 2010 development update for downtown Richmond...

[hpal3]

http://www.richmondgrid.com/grid/downtown_UPDATE2010_FINAL2post.pdf


here's the 2010 development update for downtown Richmond...

Wow, lots of development in the works for the downtown area. Thanks for the update.

[540_804]

A tough year brought many changes


he recession started with the bursting of the housing bubble -- mostly elsewhere, such as the once white-hot California, Florida and Nevada markets, but still touching the Richmond area as well, as sagging local government tax collections show.

The shock wave from the bubble's bursting rippled through the nation's banks and financial institutions, eventually causing a freeze-up in the nation's wholesale money markets. That freeze took down Henrico County-based insurance and real estate services firm LandAmerica. But the pain didn't stop when it closed its doors. More than a quarter of the employees who transferred to the Florida insurer that took over its main insurance operations lost their jobs in the spring.

One of the world's biggest insurers, Henrico-based Genworth Financial Inc., laid off 400 people as it moved to tighten its belt and boost its capital in response to the credit-market meltdown.

Circuit City Stores, which was once one of the Richmond area's largest employers with 1,900 full-time-equivalent jobs, struggled unsuccessfully with its debt. It closed its last store in March.

Semiconductor giant Qimonda, which had employed 2,500, shut down.

And even as MeadWestvaco worked on its new building, its worldwide cost-cutting program cost 75 headquarters jobs and saw the closing of its Louisa County carton plant with its 171 jobs. Kaiser Aluminum cut back at its Bellwood plant in Chesterfield County, eliminating 56 of about 125 jobs and closing the plant temporarily in July.

But developers also generated more than $1 billion of projects just in the city, with some $630 million worth completed during the year.

Besides MeadWestvaco's headquarters, there was the $110 million conversion of the former Miller & Rhoads department store building into a Hilton Garden Inn hotel and a 133-unit condominium complex. There were $110 million worth of new facilities at Virginia Commonwealth University's MCV campus, including the eight-story, $71.2 million Molecular Medicine Research building on the site of the former nursing education building

The $75 million CenterStage performing-arts center, backed by some of the area's most influential business leaders as a way to generate downtown convention business as well as improve the area's quality of life, opened its doors.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/O-ECON28_20100226-225602/327207/

[540_804]

Development continues despite the downturn

Determined development despite the downturn The Richmond area has plenty of open office space, empty storefronts and vacant industrial buildings, courtesy of the recession.

Construction has slowed to allow inventory levels to catch up.

But the spigot isn't turned off, as evidenced by $630 million worth of projects that were finished last year in downtown Richmond.

What's more, new projects are proceeding -- from a $5 million renovation of Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Pharmacy building to a multidecade plan to transform the Innsbrook Corporate Center in western Henrico County.

.................................


In downtown Richmond, renovation began this month on three floors in VCU's School of Pharmacy's building at 410 N. 12th St.

Student space will be expanded and classroom and administrative offices will be redone to make the building more efficient.

"The school is busting out all over," said Cynthia McMullen, the pharmacy school's spokeswoman. The building was constructed in 1985.

The renovation is the smallest of VCU's projects going up or in the design phase. The largest is a $158.6 million tower for the School of Medicine. Demolition beings this spring to make way for an 11-floor building, which is scheduled for completion in spring 2013.

Construction on two five-level parking decks on West Grace Street just east of Belvidere, a $15 million project, is scheduled to start this summer and open next summer, said VCU associate Vice President Brian Ohlinger.

A $10 million renovation of the Massey Cancer Center is set to begin this fall. And work on a $40 million dormitory and parking deck on West Grace and Shafer streets is supposed to start this fall for completion in 2012.

A $60 million Williams Mullen building, located over the Richmond Metropolitan Authority parking garage on 10th Street, is supposed to open this spring. Accounting firm Ernst and Young expects to move at the same time into renovated space in the Edgeworth Tobacco building in Tobacco Row.

Last year's finished projects downtown included $110 million worth of new facilities at VCU Health System, a $110 million conversion of the former Miller & Rhoads department store into a Hilton Garden Inn hotel and condominium project, and a $100 million-plus MeadWestvaco headquarters building near the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/O-COMM28_20100226-230201/327210/

[spencer114]

http://www.rickmather.com/project/clients/virginia_museum_of_fine_arts#/project/clients/virginia_museum_of_fine_arts

VMFA expansion will be wrapping up shortly too. The museum will reopen May 1, 2010

[spencer114]

Canal Walk development...

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2010/02/24/developers-cling-to-reynolds-site/

There are many big scale apartment buildings under construction in downtown currently. Before these apartments were factored in there were already around 1,200 new units under construction in the immediate downtown area (from Belvidere to 25th and I-95 to the river are the boundaries).

[TruthSeeker]

^^ good to see that the canal walk is finally waking up.

[540_804]

More VCU related news:

General Academic building - a $44 million, 102,000 square foot classroom building on Floyd Avenue across from the Student Commons that will house the School of Social Work and the Department of English

The building design, shaped to reflect VCU's academic mission and interactive teaching format, combines formal and informal collaborative spaces with large classrooms, many with occupancies in the hundreds. To provide an opportunity for physical and intellectual freedom, classrooms have about 20 percent more square footage per student than required, giving instructors room to move around and interact with students.

Located at a crossroads of city and campus activity, the building creates connections between interior and exterior spaces. A large courtyard allows indoor interactions to spill outside on warm days. Vegetated green roofs provide garden views from inside and help regulate indoor temperature and manage storm water. The building facade incorporates red brick masonry, cast stone, and metal detailing to tie in to Richmond's historic, vernacular architecture. The design integrates different levels of building scale to transition elegantly from the city's small-scale residential neighborhoods to the larger scale of VCU campus buildings.


http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Richmond/VCUFloyd.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Richmond/VCUFloyd2.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq206/Jay_540/Richmond/VCUFloyd3.jpg



Unfortunately, it looks like quite a few really nice buildings will have to come down to make room for this one. Unfortunately, there just isn't anywhere else for VCU to put this building (unless they decide to go more vertical).

[spencer114]

I think that only two buildings will have to come down for this. 3/4 of the lot is currently surface parking.