Lukepf

Link to Crystal Spring Tower Webcam https://www.carilionclinic.org/news/expansion/ Just wanted to chime in and say there is an incredible amount of development happening around Roanoke right now. New hospital tower at Roanoke Memorial, new bus transfer station downtown, redevelopment of old bus transfer station into two new apartment/office buildings, multiple new apartment developments, redevelopment of the old Fire Station #1, new ground up boutique hotel in Crystal Spring, the new Liberty Trust Hotel, Tanglewood Mall redevelopment..... The list could go on forever. Forgot to mention, 260 unit apartment building in the works for South Peak. 1668169502_TheGalleryatSouthPeak-OriginalSubmissionwithMaps_202209141445173986(1).pdf

If we are taking elevation above sea level into account, the Wells Fargo Tower in Roanoke would likely be the tallest in the state at over 1,200ft

Hate to rub salt on the wound with the whole transit center subject...but the new bus transfer station in Roanoke is going to make way for a pretty major mixed use project downtown. The current bus transfer station in Roanoke sits in the middle of downtown, they are moving it a few blocks farther out and a developer is already signed on to redevelop the old transfer station into apartments, office space, commercial space, all in a couple of new roughly 10 story buildings.

Cordish could absolutely pull the old bait and switch as well, but their proposal has remained consistent throughout the process. What always throws a red flag for me is when a proposal scales up late in the game. Also, I have been to both Waterside and their Hampton Power Plant redevelopments and they are both great IMO. Waterside was especially a major improvement downtown Norfolk as it brought life back to a massive building full of potential that basically sat empty for years. However, I did not follow these projects too closely so I am not able to speak on whether or not they delivered exactly what they had proposed.

Upon seeing the recent changes/upgrades to the UrbanOne proposal there is one thing in particular that comes to mind-bait and switch. I feel like this is something that happens in Richmond often with the larger scale projects. I have a feeling that they are bulking up their proposal to make themselves appear as the front runner, but when it comes time to build they will scale back due to "not enough demand", or "economic instability". I hope I am wrong about this, but as I have mentioned before, I have a really hard time getting behind the UrbanOne proposal.

I have been lurking in the background while this has all played out, however it has seemed clear to me all along that the only proposal with a chance is Urban One. Richmond has simply become too poltitcaly motivated to chose any other option. This is very disappointing because the One proposal seemingly has no hype or excitement around it, at least not with anyone that I know or converse with on a regular basis. Most of the other proposals have been big flashy projects in prominent locations with a big name backing it (Bally's for example). Having a big name casino operator come to Richmond would surely drum up hype and excitement. I am afraid that the One proposal will move forward and bring absolutely nothing to the table for Richmond, and that would be far worse in the long run than any problem that anyone has come up with for most of the other proposals.

Wow I haven't thought of it that way! What a great point! Must have been how city council was viewing it.

I've been watching since the beginning, but this is my first time positing in this arena thread. I think it is incredibly tragic that Richmond turned down this proposal. One of the main reasons that I moved away from Richmond to Roanoke is the lack of entertainment in Richmond and the obvious poor leadership and mismanagement at the city government level. Unlike Richmond, Roanoke has an arena (The Berglund Center) that is consistently attracting big name shows, concerts, and performers that often perform in front of nearly sold out crowds. For example, just in the past year I have been to see two EXCELLENT Cirque Du Solei shows, and I have tickets to see Jeff Dunham next month at the Berglund Center. Also, Roanoke is home to an ice hockey team because of the Berglund Center. I think it is very sad that Richmond has now fallen behind even much, much, smaller cities such as Roanoke because of a lack of an arena and good entertainment options. It is also evident that the Berglund Center is a huge source of tax revenue for the city and contributes significantly to the local economy. Also, on another topic, the Roanoke area is also home to a nice modern ballpark which hosts our minor league baseball team.

Also worth noting... The airport had continued passenger growth in 2019 and is trying to get a new direct flight to Houston.

Looks like the major development at Evans Spring is moving forward. Mentions of a wholesale club (Costco?), a grocery store (Trader Joe's or Whole Foods?), 300 new apartments, and a "golf entertainment facility" (TopGolf or DriveShack?!) https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/01/31/wholesale-club-golf-entertainment-facility-planned-for-land-across-from-valley-view-mall/%3foutputType=amp

More great news for Roanoke- Carillon Roanoke Memorial hospital is building a new $300 million tower. Looks like a pretty sizable building, not sure if the design is 100% final yet though.

Was in downtown Roanoke briefly over the weekend and was able to get a couple pictures of the Heronimous building renovation and what I believe is an apartment building rising near where 581 cuts through downtown. I was hoping to get out and see a few more of the large projects currently happening in Roanoke, but just didn't have time this weekend. Also... Roanoke Regional Airport has seen great passenger numbers recently. https://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Roanoke-airport-adding-more-cheaper-summer-flights-to-tourist-destinations-in-Florida-507714231.html

That's a great view, the tower looks so tall from that angle.

https://www.roanoke.com/business/news/roanoke/more-developments-taking-shape-around-the-core-of-downtown-roanoke/article_68756c8e-1960-5145-a1b2-acfa13da5d96.html A great article about all of the new development happening in downtown Roanoke. Mentions the new Mast General Store, which will be a huge draw for downtown, and a possible second location for Black Dog Salvage downtown, which would also be a huge draw.

Just read an article stating that a fight broke out in the MacArthur Nordstrom, which led to a shooting on February 14th. While no one was killed, an incident like this is usually a nail in the coffin for a mall.

I will be moving to the Roanoke/Salem area from Richmond in May, and I will be making frequent trips out there in the meantime. I will try to post pictures/ updates as much as possible.

Was just in Roanoke this past weekend, lots of new apartment developments. The old Heronimous store downtown is being turned into apartments with a new Mast General store location. The new Hampton Inn hotel downtown is open and seems to be doing great. I walked around downtown and the streets were bustling with people and there were very few vacant storefronts. Virginia Tech/ Carillion is expanding its facility just east of downtown.

Near Chesterfield County Airport/ Courthouse, at 288 & Ironbridge

On the theme of airport growth, I recently was on a flight from Denver to RIC that was completely full, with some people having to give up seats. The plane was an Airbus 320, so it was a decent size plane too.