D_C

Not that I think Ukrops is really threatened by them, but the Fresh Market is really going to give Ukrops a run for its money if they start expanding in the area. I thought we actually lost 2 department stores; Thalheimer's and Miller & Rhoads. Didn't Papa John's start in Richmond?

I just love going to these VCU basketball games. It's a blast! VCU defeated Hofstra at the Siegel Center this afternoon.

Does anyone know when the new Lebanese place (the phoenecian) will open. My wife said that she saw them putting the sign up today. I loves me some kibbeh and tabouleh ! Also, good news about the New India on Lakeside. Right near my wife and my workplaces!! I would like to post a little something about Robin Inn. It has been a long while since I have been there but I don't remember it being so bad. I hate to be a critic (mmmm, well maybe a little) but it sucked. Service was good, food was horrible. We probably will not go there again. Maybe it's time for new ownership. It's too bad some kick-ass chef doesn't have a crack at this location.

The city's GIS system is a piece of crap. Little dinky Mathews County has GIS that works better than Richmond's and they have about a tenth of the population. I remember the city's GIS site did this last year about this same time. The system didn't come back up until the day I received my reassessment. (Where it DOUBLED!!) My guess is that the assessor's office has pulled the system off-line until all the reassessment information is entered and updated.

Check back a couple of pages to my post on October 12. I have a local live view and a rendering.

I'll put a pot of coffee on for them.

I didn't go to Carytown as I was home listening to the wonderful sound of automatic weapon's fire, but I did get an update from a few friends that did go. One friend said he saw someone get stabbed with a glass bottle right in front of him. That explains why the police threatened Black Cash with arrest if they didn't stop playing immediately. Another friend said that they observed hundreds of people heading to Carytown on foot, carrying cases of alcohol. The aftermath was nothing short of Mardi Gras according to yet another report. Glass covered the street (Cary) from Dooley to the Boulevard. If this event ever has any hopes of surviving, the RPD, DPW and someone like Downtown Presents or someone, will need to get their asses in gear. From what I gathered, it's a miracle that someone didn't get killed at this thing.

That's pretty sad but I do understand RRHA's position. Richmond City Council has been giving valuable land away for years. The vacant land is worth more than a simple dollar. RRHA should get a cut of the profits in my opinion. It doesn't surprise me that Pantele is whining about RRHA growing a spine and not caving to a developer's strongarm tactics. After all, it's how he got the nickname "Dollar" Bill Pantele; as he has been a part to many great giveaways while sitting on chity council. Now, in closing, I would like to say that if I were a developer, I would definately be interested in this project. Even if I did have to cough up a slice of the pie. I feel that a black developer should take this project and run with it. The area is probably one of the most historically famous black communities in America and should be proudly rebuilt by a black developer. If I were Al Bowers and I were considering a run at the Mayor's office, I believe I would jump on this puppy. He did a pretty good job breathing some new life into the Randolph area, maybe it's time he take on this one.

It wouldn't make sense to me to move the Coliseum for a good while. Anyone been there lately? The millions of dollars in improvements really make a difference. The sound quality inside the place is still a little muddy, but any sound technician worth a crap should have the bugs worked out within 5 minutes or so. The new chairs are extremely comfortable, the members-only concession room is nice, the sky boxes are nice as well. It appears that some sort of baffles have been added to the ceiling to do something with the sound bouncing all over the place. Yes, the place has come a long way since those 1985 Grateful Dead shows. I do like the downtown master plan idea for surrounding the Coliseum with commercial development. Sixth Street Marketplace never really kept people from fleeing the scene after a show. There needs to be some reason to keep people from wanting to kill themselves with exhaust fumes in the parking decks, attempting to leave immediately after a show.

A few weeks ago, the RTD had a building permit for McDonalds and the Insurance company which also contained Rainbow Donuts, to be demolished for a new McDonald's. I was amazed to see how quickly they tore those buildings down. I have frequented Rainbow Donuts for years. His donuts kicked butt!! There was just something about those Bear Claws. Show up at work with a couple of boxes of Rainbow Donuts and you could come in late all week. He will be sorely missed. IMO, it's too bad that the new facility will not be an enlarged Rainbow Donuts instead of a new McDonald's. The service was 100% better that's for sure. Anyone know what's going on at the old Julian's (AAA building) across the street? They, too, had a building permit approved in the RTD about a month ago.

and if they want to stay, I hope they get their crap together and hire new management. I have noticed a difference over the past 10 years of how they have the store arranged. It used to be spacious with plenty of room in the aisles for 2 carts to pass. Now it is a clusterfluck. You can't walk 10 feet without having to manipulate your cart around someone else and their configuration of items is messy as well. Stuff isn't stocked well and items are strewn all over the place giving it the appearance of a Big Lots or Salvage Barn. Overall, I have noticed a big change for the worse with this store. It used to be an enjoyable shopping experience but the last time I went, I just wanted to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible before I blew a gasket.

There have been surveys for opinion on a possible move to Goochland, but I don't see it happening any time soon. If the time comes for Benedictine to move west, I would hope that the Diocese would use the space to expand St. Benedict grade school (where my kids currently go). In my opinion, St. B parochial could retain the current building at Grove and Belmont for K-5 and have a large middle school in the Benedictine building. The priests that reside at the Abbey location in Goochland would probably have to move back to the building adjacent to the church. The church will never close. The parish continues to grow and there are remodeling projects going on inside the church itself, not to mention the $200k roof that was put on 2 years ago. The church has even started using the old baptism fountain that I have never seen used before. More historic renovation. (My 3 month old was baptised in it a few weeks ago) Personally, I would like to see the school relocate one day, to the Goochland site. It has to be difficult for student-atheletes that have to commute 45 minutes to practice every day after school. I think that basketball is about the only sport still played or practiced at the Sheppard Street site, and with their basketball program finally getting the national attention it deserves, that too, may be short-lived. I would really like to see St. Benedict grade school (also same style construction) and/or St. Gertrude High School use the current facility in some fashion.

Benedictine defeats #1 in the nation Oak Hill Academy! This is huge news for the small local private high school on Sheppard Street. Benedictine nearly defeated them last year and with their win this year, takes the national spotlight. This should become a yearly rivalry that all Cadet fans and alumni will look forward to. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-co...12-16-0269.html Go Cadets! "Come fall in line you men of old B.C......."

HALLELUJA!!!! I feel like going down there and helping them pack! This is the greatest news to hit the northside in decades! For years now, the post office has been routing its large, overweight, speeding tractor-trailer trucks up Brook Road to Brookland Parkway and to the I-95 ramp at Boulevard/Hermitage Road. These monsters wreak havoc on local road surfaces as well as the underground utilities. (2 ancient, large sewer mains run that stretch of Brook Road). These trucks use this route to save a few dollars and a couple of minutes instead of using Chamberlayne Avenue and the I-95 ramp up the road. And it isn't like the city will be missing out on any lost tax revenue. I would be willing to bet that very few employees frequent any of the local businesses. (Not that there are any worth frequenting) The speeding, non-stop large freight truck traffic is also a menace to local residences. Older houses with plaster walls often show the signs of vibrations caused by the overweight trucks bouncing through intersections and hitting the potholes that they have created, not to mention the fact that they are intimidating to children, pedestrians and bicycle riders. Maybe once the U.S. Postal Service has vacated this property, it can be re-added to the tax base, or possibly could offer an expansion opportunity for Virginia Union University. The Chamberlayne Court Addition neighborhood is tucked away between Brook Road, Chamberlayne Avenue, the main post office and Lombardy. These residents have been living in fear of the federal government taking their homes for future expansion plans that were hinted at about once every 5 years. The postal service would hint at a possible expansion plan, but not specific. Then the city assessor's office would unexpectedly drop the assessments of the houses in the adjacent neighborhood, throwing the fear into the homeowners. Years would go by with no contact from the post office until another half-cocked expansion plan came down the pike and the cycle would repeat itself. Now these residents can sleep a little better. All I can say is, "good riddance" to them. I know that sounds harsh, but they have totally ignored local neighborhood associations' concerns over their trucks for decades. They are a constant menace and a poor neighbor. An operation of this magnitude deserves to be somewhere like the area where it is going. It will be closer to I-295 and hopefully they will use that route instead of clogging up I-95/I-64 through town.

He is becoming Richmond's very own Trump. The news article said he would be in town next week to check out his purchase. I wonder if the local poparattzi (spelling?) will be covering the visit.

Here is a link to a story about the Monroe Park master plan that was in the Commonwealth Times http://media.www.commonwealthtimes.com/med...tmlemailedition I wonder if the feeding programs will relocate somewhere else.

There is one on Midlothian Turnpike as well, not far from Powhite Parkway.

O.K., here's my take on Red Robin. I was told to take the kids and after I walked in the door, I could see why. Red Robin is a lot like a cross between a chuck-e-cheese and a restaraunt. It is definately aimed towards kids. Balloons are in abundant supply and the waitstaff is very attentive towards the kiddies. The onion ring tower was quite impressive. Other food was nothing extraordinary but the kids were entertained enough by the surroundings to allow my wife and I to have an actual dinner out together with the kids without having to chase one all over the place.

Cadeho, I know how you love the view from Libby Hill Park. Did you read the Crupi report by chance? The report defends your position about preserving the view from that park.

Whenever I have ridden the train into N.Y., I always walk and ride the subway with a day pass. The trains always make walking easier.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Wow. I can barely remember my 19th birthday at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I was stuck in the field with my artillery unit in the freezing cold and snow. Congrats and many, many more!

It falls under the anti-trust legislation. Owning 2 television stations in the same market area is considered a duopoly and is illegal. I do believe that Clear Channel had some problems with owning too many radio stations in this market area at one time. I am not exactly sure what they did to overcome that. BTW, yes, I was just kidding about that "damned Bush economy" on the other post. Anyone driving down the highway need only look into other vehicles and see all the gadgets and gizmos that kids have in the back seats. "A television on every headrest" is today's "A chicken in every pot".

It's because of that damned George Bush economy.

I was told that the city was in the process of getting on board with a new host for their GIS site. It should be a lot faster once the changeover is done.

first market stadium proposal take a look.