eandslee

I’m not sure what I was expecting, not sure I was expecting this. Seems REALLY small and I can’t believe we are UPGRADING to this design (is it really an upgrade?). I don’t know….I just hope the design and the amenities are so ahead of its time because that’s the one part I worry about. We’re not doing this again for another 40+ years folks, so the designers better not have left a stone unturned! As for the 2-tier design, I would have liked to have seen more than a couple rows of seats on the top level. That part is just not doing it for me.

The RTD is reporting this morning that the design for the new baseball stadium is complete; however, there are no details yet. The report does indicate that groundbreaking should occur in April. Hoping a rendering is released soon. Also hoping that the stadium is worthy of Triple A baseball in case Richmond lands one again. Here’s the article with scant details: https://richmond.com/news/local/business/development/ballpark-richmond-flying-squirrels/article_a0462816-e97e-11ee-a450-bb387d6b4fd7.html?utm_source=richmond.com&utm_campaign=news-alerts&utm_medium=cio&lctg=a2f10707a7b001f8980e&tn_email_eh1=acfd08b7f15a313bf9a8ebc9e2da5b3a02d02bf26e81027cdb1584cec0a3477c

My bad (I was going off of memory), but I had read about the mortgage interest rate, not the prime interest rate, went up from 7.50% to 7.59% last month, which still isn’t good. Just seems things are moving in the opposite direction than we want…or maybe I’m just having a pessimistic moment today. My hope is that things get better (no doubt…especially in an election year), but the small rise in mortgage interest rates show that things are not likely to get better in the short term. I guess we’ll just have to continue to wait. Sigh… https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/money/mortgage-interest-rates-today-02-19-2024

I think the next big thing to look out for (at least I’m looking out for it) is a rendering showing the design of the new baseball stadium in the Diamond District. Ground should break between April and June, so there has to be a rendering coming out soon. I don’t know about seeing any interest rate cuts from the Fed anytime real soon. Sure, it’s talked about, but so far, no downward movement. In fact, I read an article the other day saying that the rates actually went up between Feb and now (ever so slightly). So, unless something drastically changes, I think any Fed rate cuts this year might be just a pipe dream…unfortunately.

Yes - I friend of mine who works at RIC snapped some photos (below). Don’t get your hopes up too high - this was a German Air Force aircraft which was here to just conduct some tech training. Still, it’s a sight you don’t see often at RIC:

Not 100% sure what this means, but I THINK it means that JetBlue is boosting its frequency on the BOS-RIC to 4x daily. Someone please verify what I’m reading is indeed what I think it is:

Outstanding photos! Way cool! Love the progress they’ve made as well as the perspective - you don’t get this view on the webcam! Thanks soooo much for taking and posting these!

Can’t open it to read it but would love to read the details of this article: https://richmond.com/news/local/business/real-estate/vcu-building-construction-residence-gladding-johnson-scherer/article_7fdb4a2e-e52e-11ee-867f-93a6c21417d7.html

I don’t know what the timeline is now, but about 6 months ago they said that we could see some moment in this within 2 years or so. @flack4ric could probably provide a better, more updated answer.

A cool little map tour of Downtown Richmond sponsored by Venture Richmond. Just something to mess around with since development is kind of slow right now. Enjoy! https://venturerichmond.com/live-downtown/virtual-tour/

I just liked to read all the love folks have for the airport…despite some of its flaws. No airport is perfect, but it certainly is nice to see people openly express how great the airport is. Hope this entices others who don’t currently use the airport, to start using it! Hopefully, even with its growth, the airport will remain the highlight of travelers’ trips! To keep the travelers coming, we need international flights (like…yesterday!), more nonstop domestic destinations, more frequency on popular routes, some better food options, the ability to go from one concourse to another without having to go thru TSA, maybe some lounges (at least A lounge), and TSA serving passengers later than 8:00pm. Always room for improvement. I hope RIC is up to the task!

Cool thread about RIC on Reddit:

Got the airport’s news letter yesterday in my email inbox and saw this story providing the latest news on the new FIS status. I would have thought international routes would have already been negotiated at this point, but here we are. Hoping there is an announcement very soon! Also, the latest routes map below:

Yeah that 207 figure seemed ridiculously low for one of the fastest growing counties with respect to home building and business relocations, etc. Glad John Vitoulkas came out to refute the data. I’d like to see what updated numbers they come back with, but if Vitoulkas’s claim is true that Henrico gained 5,100 new residents (combined with Chesterfield’s growth at 5,500 in the past year), that almost 11,000 new residents just in those two counties alone in just 12 months! With theses additional people in the metro area, I think of the additional demand for flights at RIC, additional traffic on the roads, etc. which will further validate the need for the Pulse and its expansion into Henrico and Chesterfield! Hope this growth continues (even accelerate). If it does, we’ll continue to see more construction projects in the area - the kind we like to see get built from us on this forum!

Nice shot! I think it’s called The Ace! Already 2 floors in - awesome! Soda Flats also looking really good. I like the presence it makes along Broad St! Thanks for taking and posting these!

It’s so good to see this on social media! Spring Break travel is the likely reason, but that just means that March passenger numbers should be very good!

Surprised no one has posted about this: Henrico knows what’s going on and how to get more businesses to set up shop in their county. We’ve had discussions around the BPOL taxes in Richmond City before and how their tax rates are keeping businesses away. Henrico just raised the bar to beat out the other localities on BPOL taxes. Henrico is now the most attractive locality in the Richmond region now tax-wise, over Chesterfield and certainly over the City of Richmond. If you want to attract businesses to your area, lower the tax rate. The number of businesses you’ll attract paying less taxes will bring in more revenue than only having a few businesses paying more taxes. Proof this works - look no further than Henrico! https://richmondbizsense.com/2024/03/13/1-4b-henrico-budget-plan-would-double-business-license-tax-exemption/

Agree with the above 100%!

In other, but similar ranking news, unfortunately, Richmond ranks only the 18th best city in the South according to Southern Living. Of course, all the “usual suspect” cities ranked much higher than Richmond. We even got beat out by freaking Birmingham, AL of all places!! Really? Also, what’s so special about Charleston, SC?! I’ve been there numerous times and it’s just another sleepy southern town, so what’s the big deal? Someone must be paying Southern Living off. Anyway, see for yourselves: https://www.southernliving.com/cities-2024-8422755?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Manchester Alliance Meeting: For those who can go in person or watch a streaming of the meeting on Pie night (3-14), this Thursday evening! Here’s the agenda and a link to watch (scroll to the bottom): https://southrichmondnews.com/2024/03/11/manchester-alliance-meets-thursday-at-cafe-zeta/

Looks good - love to see construction movement! This one is going to look great driving up and down I-195! Thanks for posting the pics!

How about this being a perfect spot for a tall monument to something Richmond is known for? Not sure what, but a monument that is signature.

No worries my friend. We were thinking the same thing at the same time!

And at 300 rooms, that’s more sizable than any hotel that’s been formally proposed in Richmond as of late (outside of the City Center proposals, which are going nowhere right now). So, this is significant! Surprised no one has posted the renderings yet, so here ya go:

For those who can attend: https://www.facebook.com/100064616443023/posts/pfbid02z4PCnRDDDX7joqLQBaBc9aN5JZVBctzFTo6oRowLDtjgcoMxCR4V7r8fEdPH5LYnl/?mibextid=cr9u03