Asace88

You simply cannot downplay the significance of a $1.5 billion dollar development. Navy Hill was not the kind of project that just shows up randomly every few months. Navy Hill was a once in a generation type plan. Was the original financing plan questionable? Absolutely. But not giving anything a chance to negotiate or work with all parties involved to negotiate a better solution is childish, petty, stubborn, irresponsible, infuriating, etc. The personal agendas on the opposition side disgust me. What is most disappointing is that we, as Richmonders, all know what happens next. There will be new RFP’s after several years of excruciatingly slow debate. We will eventually (although I’m not even sure we are adept enough to pull it off) redevelop a new arena and “small” area around it. It will be a watered-down, uninspired plan that will leave something to be desired and won’t draw nearly what we would hope. The area will continue to be somewhat of a dead zone in the city and all of the original opposition will come out again and talk about how cities shouldn’t invest in arenas and it’s a waste of funds and resources. Instead of doing something the right way (from a development standpoint) we will accept mediocrity and fall short again. The “I told you so” crowd will puff out their chests and celebrate being masters of the universe. Oh and the school system will still suck. But at least we didn’t let Dominion have a positive light shed on them. And, Celtic, thanks for letting us know you are a political canvasser. All of these interactions make so much more sense now.

Two comments below: For the love of god, shut the f*ck up, please. The people in support of the project were at home with their families living a normal life because no one even knew this was up for discussion . The people that ooppose this kind of stuff are the same ones always standing outside of City Hall eager for them to open the doors so they can rush inside with their neon pink signs saying “NO NAVY HILL! WHAT ABOUT THE SCHOOLS?” FYI, (this goes out to everyone) there is no need to tell everyone to keep things civil. I am well past that point now. Being stubborn and close minded because you don’t like big business doesn’t make you intelligent or progressive. Reva Trammell was quoted in RTD earlier as saying, “I don’t care if they say the queen of England is coming down here to live, it isn’t going to change my mind”. This is the idiotic rhetoric that infuriates me. This is literally a person with authority over the future direction of our city at a pivotal time essentially saying that it doesn’t matter how important or beneficial something can be for the city. As long as the person she has a personal beef with (Mayor Stoney) is in support of this that they will oppose it. The stupidity of her statement is beyond words to me. So the public can’t be trusted to vote on this and our elected officials are childish and petty morons. Sooooo what now...

I wanted to make sure that I waited about a full day to react to this situation since my gut reaction to the council request was going to be much uglier than after giving it some more thought. I also don't post very often so I figured I would make it count. After reading everyone's reactions on the issue over the last 24 hours (and really over the last several months) I believe that what it boils down to are two separate groups. Those groups are: 1) Those who believe Richmond will continue to grow organically without the likes of a project such as Navy Hill and 2) Those who believe a project such as Navy Hill will help boost the city into a new realm of possibility and overall identity. (Let's be clear here and say that no one that participates in a forum, such as UrbanPlanet, wants to see the city fail. We are all here because we care about Richmond and look forward to the future of our city) Guess what? Both groups 1 and 2 are correct. HOWEVER, the point of contention, I believe, is that while both groups are correct, both groups are also viewing the city through different lenses. On one hand, you have those who feel that the city will continue to grow organically. And by all indications, it absolutely will. Over the last decade Richmond's population has grown well above the national average, which is something to be proud of. However, we are still well under the pace of truly emerging metro areas such as Raleigh, Austin, Nashville, etc. And I believe that is where the problem lies between the two groups. Vaceltic and Brent -- I fundamentally disagree with almost every statement you make on this particular topic and that may stem from the fact that I have a developer in my family. So I may tend to see the political and legal side of things on these projects differently than most. HOWEVER, I have read your posts on several other topics and know that you have genuine excitement and positivity towards other developments in Richmond so I am not trying to discredit you. You are both correct that Richmond will continue to grow organically [and at a very healthy pace] regardless of what happens with Navy Hill. You have to remember, though, that less than 15 years ago Richmond was in the top 5 in the county of violent crimes per capita. We were just a city that you passed through to get to DC. Up and coming neighborhoods like Church Hill, Scott's Addition and Brookland Park were nowhere you would want to be after sundown. So to see the kind of growth that we have had over the last five years has been exciting and refreshing. UNFORTUNATELY, because of our somewhat recent history, we as Richmonders celebrate an average new apartment building development like it is the groundbreaking of a new Fortune 500 headquarters. I think that is where the two ideological groups separate. I think that Group 2 falls into the belief that a project such as Navy Hill is a once in a generation type project that can take a city, such as ours, and take us from healthy, organic growth and put us with the likes of some of the hottest markets in the country. Make no mistake, Navy Hill is a city changing project. This opportunity will not come around again. There WILL be new proposals to re-develop the Coliseum. There WILL be new proposals to develop some of the area around Navy Hill. There will NOT be another proposal with the kind of financial backing and political clout such as the current one. And I am well aware that the political and financial ties of some of the members are what rub people the wrong way the most. Unfortunately some of the biggest developments in the country don't happen without those people. Our city will be great no matter what. I love Richmond and I know that all of you do too. That is the reason why everyone is so passionate about this topic. But our city can be quickly elevated into the likes of some of the most attractive and unique cities in the country. We have world class arts, beer, restaurants, outdoor living and culture among other things. We will be fine without Navy Hill. But we can also be elevated to something greater WITH Navy Hill. Again, you aren't right or wrong either way. I, for one, am for the development and will be bummed to see this one slip away. **On a side note, I think our city council is an absolute disgrace. The childish and petty behavior that shines through to the public is embarrassing. It is one thing to have private squabbles and disagreements but some of the personal attacks and vendettas that are held out constantly in public make me ashamed. Intentional defiance and close minded behavior (no matter what side of the aisle you are on) should have you removed from political office.

I’ve tried to stay on the sidelines but this is almost unbearable at this point. Celtic and Brent, I seriously feel like this project could be projected to benefit the city $100 billion a year for the rest of eternity, rid the world of poverty and cure cancer and you would still bash it. There is no way you would ever support this even if everyone involved came out and said it was a good deal for the city. The fact that you say Stoney’s political career rides or dies on this project is ridiculous. He is 38 years old. It’s like you feel like he should be penalized for taking a risk and trying to create something groundbreaking for the city. If it doesn’t work out at least he took a shot at doing something. Developments like this don’t just come along every day. Is it perfect? No. Is everyone involved with it a vane crook looking to stuff their pockets with our money? No. Developers take risks and there need to be incentives for such huge risks to be taken. These people don’t develop things like this out of he kindness of their heart. I won’t lose any sleep if this development never happens but for the love of God I can’t stand the idea of another transformative Richmond project being lost because a bunch of Debbie Downers shout and yell about the schools and the taxpayers and offer no realistic alternatives to the plan.

THIEF! Boo this man! Rabble, rabble, rabble...

Okay. We get it. Corporate greed is the motivation for building this development. Everyone in a position of power is looking to fleece the general public. Developers - bad, taxpayers - good. Let's just keep The Coliseum the way it is and forego this opportunity. There will be tons of other people lining up ready to dish out millions and organically develop this area. (This is sarcasm in case anyone did not catch on earlier)

Brent, don't be condescending. I've tried to stay out of this thread because I'm tired of the same old anti-development arguments but I agree with cb1. This article looks like it was written by an angry teenager for a high school newspaper.

I like your reverse psychology, Brent. We all see what you are getting at now. We know you are the biggest cheerleader of this project that there is. Yes, we should stop wasting time on this ladies and gents...

Negativity strikes again! Dominion actually had a net income of approximately $3 billion last year (which I realize further accentuates your point). $425 million would be a disastrous year for them. Based on the mobile website the proposed arena area project has a targeted build out of approximately 2 years. A project like this wouldn't make sense and wouldn't work if the build schedule was 10 years. This is how these deals always go down. It is politics plain and simple. In order for someone to drastically improve your city it takes a huge amount of capital and if someone is going to invest that kind of money they need to see some sort of reciprocity. Otherwise there would be no point in doing anything like this ever. You think someone would develop a project like this out of the goodness of their heart? The alternative is to say no tax breaks for anyone ever and then you get no development ever. That wouldn't be very good for growth.

Sorry I had a busy week at work but I saw this and figured I would put something together at some point. I used a screen grab from a Creative Dog skyline photo because it was just about the only photo from that angle I could find that would show most of these developments. I added the Locks apartment building (12 stories), Hyatt Place (10 stories behind Vistas on the James), new Dominion building, new General Assembly, new convention center hotel (from today's news) and the new VCU medical tower.

Debbiedowner114, you're really killing my buzz. How about we learn a little more about the project before taking the "this development is stupid" route? The alternative is letting the weeds overtake The Coliseum and getting excited because Garth Brooks or James Taylor comes to town once every six years. I guess we could always bulldoze the building, pave a surface lot and let the area sit unused for the next generation. A little optimism never hurt anyone.

I had a little free time at work today so I figured I would do a new rendering of what the Richmond skyline might look like in the near future. I added the Dominion tower, Locks apartment building and the new Hyatt hotel. I used one of the most recent photos from the Richmond City Watch Facebook page so it is as up to date as possible.

It looks as if they will probably raise it one more time but not by too much. Maybe another 30 feet or so. If you look at the most recent pictures that jonfin posted you can see that they anchored the tower crane into the existing steel structure to help with center of gravity. This anchor is placed at the highest possible current floor so they probably can't go much higher anyways. They also have to be mindful of the operator that has to climb the structure every day. They probably don't want to add unnecessary time onto his day if they don't need to. Based on the current position of the crane there is enough room for the last two floors of the elevator shaft to be installed (need to allow room for the concrete boom to extend). However when you factor in that the mechanical penthouse and peak of the building will be well above the top floors it would almost be certain that they will need to raise the crane at least once more. If you watch this OxBlue video of an Atlanta tower complex of a similar height you can see that they raise the cranes multiple times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO03uehnfAw

Not sure if anyone else noticed this yet but it looks like there is a new link for the webcam. If you look at Clayco's website and find the "Webcams" page you will see that it is the same camera but it has a different title now. https://www.workzonecam.com/projects/hourigan/dominionworkplace/workzonecam

Clayco put their Dominion project page back up. It looks like there are a few new renderings. http://www.claycorp.com/p/30248/dominions-new-downtown-office-tower/

I had a sales call in Church Hill this morning so I stopped by Jefferson Park on my way out. You can see Main Street Centre clearly from this view.

I noticed that yesterday as well. I would imagine they will have the 2nd tower crane up this weekend. They waited until a Saturday last time to assemble the first crane. I also noticed yesterday that they were pouring one of the first concrete foundation pilings for the building. You can see from 2:30-8:00 PM yesterday that they inserted one of the rebar skeletons into the ground and were pouring concrete until well after dark. Should start to see a little more action (other than excavation) very soon. On an unrelated note has anyone seen the roof of Main Street Centre? I am sure whatever they put on it is a sub-surface material to adhere a permanent surface to but it actually looks nice from a distance. I was driving in from the airport on 64 and the royal blue color actually gave a lot more character to the skyline. It is a very subtle difference but it gives a nice little pop of color to an otherwise neutral skyline.

Yes it is a combination of several things. I'm in landscape sales and I actually have the plans for this particular project sitting on my desk. While many of these trees are old, they do pose many care and safety issues at this size in high traffic areas. With the plans to do a major renovation there is no better time than now to start with a clean slate. While lots of trees are going to be removed I can promise you that what is going back in will be special. The size and canopies of the existing trees had actually started to take away from the functionality of this park. It made the park feel dark and cut off where the new design will have a very welcoming layout and tons of new (more fitting) trees, shrubs and color to make people want to spend time here. Once this project is done you will see a lot more people utilizing this area as a common space and it will serve as a focal point for downtown.

The good news is that something will be happening here regardless. Fountainhead Properties was quoted in BizSense as saying if Dominion Realty didn't put something there then they would. With the way the city is currently trending I wouldn't be surprised to see Fountainhead hold on to the property and build a "first of it's kind" residential tower. They have an opportunity to redefine the downtown residential market and build something with amenities and retail options superior to anything currently available. This piece of property is way too valuable to not do something substantial. In my mind this is a great opportunity to hit the reset button and create something that may have more impact, whether it be in physical size or demographics, than Locks at 321 ever would have. I think we all had the feeling that 321 was doomed from early on.

Just been waiting in the weeds... Not sure exactly how it will look in reality but I would imagine something like this. James River Plaza is 310' and the new building is 413' at it's peak so it would probably be in this range. I added the Locks at 321 for good measure.

At this point, with the detail in the renderings and the fact that the website was taken down, I would say it is safe to assume that these are likely going to be the final plans or close to it. After digesting the plans there are two ways to look at this project: 1) Tower only- I admit I wanted something 650' and modern as much as anyone. My gut reaction was disappointment in seeing something approximately 500' with a flat top. However, after reviewing all of the images in detail before the site was taken down this project is much different when viewed as a whole. 2) Entire scope of project- When really looking at these plans this building has the potential to be one of the most unique projects in the mid-Atlantic. Dominion stated that they wanted this building to be a "tower of the future". They will certainly achieve that with this. If you pay attention to the amount of green/plaza space combined between the two buildings it is clear that they are looking to create the feeling of a suburban, green campus in an urban setting. The logistics for construction will be incredible to watch. Can you imagine a 6" caliper specimen tree being craned up 200'+ in the air. I've never seen a building feature green spaces halfway up the tower recessed into the structure. While at first glance this project may not seem as sexy and high profile as many of were hoping for, I believe once this is completed (if this is the final version) it will be an awe-inspiring complex. It will, at the very least, be a strong addition to the skyline and the most unique building Richmond has ever seen. A project of this caliper with the amount of green space and modern amenities that we should expect will likely garner awards spanning architecture, construction and landscape industries. If this is what we are getting I will be one of it's biggest supporters.

Ask and ye shall receive. I added the SunTrust building and a possible Dominion building into a photo shot from 95 North just south of the river. Insert other media

Here's one with a little less height to keep every one happy. No exact heights just more of a reference point.

Federal Reserve in front is 393' so I was thinking this would be fairly accurate to represent something around 550-600'. That would be somewhere in the area of 40 floors.