CitiWalker

How tall is the hotel supposed to be?

Images from across the riva…

I don't mind tipping either.....if.... the service is good service. In fact, I would usually tip quite handsomely. The issue I have is when automatic gratuities are placed on my bill. I just feel like it is another way that employers use to cut how much they have to pay out to employees by passing the buck to the consumer. Also, I am a person that will not pay my hard-earned money for bad service, and I will not be shamed into paying just to pay. As I said I believe in tipping. It used to be that the people who were good at providing great service could expect good tips. Now not so much. Seems like everyone is going to be rewarded either way. I know people count on tips for a living and that is why I do tip big time when the service is GOOD. By the way....I hate self-checkout. I refuse to use them. That is a whole other topic.

Looks like the main building is about to peak above ground very soon. I can see having the first floor complete in a couple of week or at most by the end of January.

This along with the Costar development is really going to kick it up a couple of notches on the riverfront. I love the design. The only thing is it would have been nice to have some sort of well-designed covering over the seating space. But hey, I will take this every day of the week.

I friend sent me pictures from the Costar building.

Two cranes in the sky this morning.

Hey what do you say we start our own Save The Monroe Tower campaign...lol. We can all give our version of its supposed historical value and relevance to our skyline. I for one agree that the outside of the building is more about aesthetics than anything. Remember how old and outdated the Bank of America Building looked before they painted it white? Same ole blah brownish concrete looks up until that point. Here is a side thought. Has anyone ever thought about what the coliseum could possibly look like if it were re-skinned with modern materials. To me the spaceship like shape was really unique and provided a sort of landmark architecturally for the city. Sure, the brown color played out and made it look dated, but it was still functional. Imagine if it had a more up to date skin like what they did to city hall. Yeah, I know the coliseum is old, but it has good bones on it. I am not an architect but if I were, wouldn't it me more of a challenge to take something that is existing and incorporate modern design and materials with older materials and design elements to make something exciting and new that has history and stories to go along with the structure. As person who as a child grew up with not a lot of anything, I always was taught how to make something out of nothing, which meant using your imagination and ingenuity. To create something useful.

Either way... everything cost money no matter what direction the state chooses. Just playing devil's advocate about the logistics of tearing it down. Could be costly and time consuming. Hopefully a developer ( if sold) can find a cost-effective way to implement some type of adaptive re-use.

I have to say I love to have green space.. Who says a park has to be supper crowded to have any value. Sometimes people wan to just have to have a peaceful stroll or sit down and relax. One thing I like about Richmond is we do have open space. That s important. There is a need to have a balance of green space and increased density. No need to fill up every nook and cranny to achieve that. For starters, it would be good to simply maximize getting rid of all of the surface parking downtown. I also am big on adaptive reuse when possible. Apparently the state backed out on building a new building to replace the Monroe Tower. I am kind of happy about not tearing down the tallest building we have in the city. Anyway....the way it is situated feet from the highway how would that work in terms of tearing it down,. I can't see implosion. It would take weeks to clean up the debris. Also it would take years to break it down bit by bit. I would rather see green space over surface parking lots or buildings that are sitting and serving no purpose. I like the fact of having little oasis in the middle of dense structures. It is important for cities to reinvent themselves without relying on old concepts rather adapting new patterns that help the environment, promote density, and create functionality. It involves and different way of thinking. Cities evolve so it makes sense to be evolutionary in our concepts of what a city should look, feel, and function like.

I often wonder how many people who love to bash the City of Richmond actually live in the city.

Costar has a lot of companies under it's umbrella so it would be impossible to put a logo up for each one. I think this is the best concept. However, I could see the Led sign on the newer campus as bigger and bolder.

That is Carver. Right across from Maggie Walker HS and on the other side of the bridge from the newly acquired property. You can throw a rock from carver to the property by VUU if you have a good enough arm...lol

The new owners don't want to make it residential because they claim nobody wants to live near a highway or railway.....I say what? Rockets Landing. You bought a piece of property in an urban area. Come on!. You can do better than that. Get the picture!