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Watkins Centre

wrldcoupe4

By wrldcoupe4
in Richmond

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NYCJSW Whistle-Stop

NYCJSW

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When I first heard about this project I was very happy. Having just moved to the area I was under the impression that the Watkins project was going to be like a Fairfax Corner or Legacy Village (Cleveland). Every indication was that it was going to be a high end mixed use project that would really enhance the area. Now I'm reading about Target and Walmart? I've seen the Hull St Best Buy/Movie theater project. Although that area is nice it is hardly what we need in this here. I recently moved to the Tarrington subdivision and felt Richmond really needed a high end mixed use village type business/retail center. They also could use a high end movie theater - like at Fairfax corner (reserve seating/wine etc.) This is the fastest growing segment of the theater market. From everything I've read in this forum it sounds like the Watkins project is nothing to get excited about and will have very little character.

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journiyin Hamlet

journiyin

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When I first heard about this project I was very happy. Having just moved to the area I was under the impression that the Watkins project was going to be like a Fairfax Corner or Legacy Village (Cleveland). Every indication was that it was going to be a high end mixed use project that would really enhance the area. Now I'm reading about Target and Walmart? I've seen the Hull St Best Buy/Movie theater project. Although that area is nice it is hardly what we need in this here. I recently moved to the Tarrington subdivision and felt Richmond really needed a high end mixed use village type business/retail center. They also could use a high end movie theater - like at Fairfax corner (reserve seating/wine etc.) This is the fastest growing segment of the theater market. From everything I've read in this forum it sounds like the Watkins project is nothing to get excited about and will have very little character.
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  • 9 months later...
burt Megalopolis

burt

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From Lou Llovio's inRich column today: Village Bank & Trust Financial Corp will occupy about 30K s/f in a new 80K s/f building that has risen at Watkins Center.

I drove out there last month and a lot of dirt was being shuffled around. Seems to me there are two sizable buildings nearing completion, one of which I think is the one mentioned in Lou's story.

Some retail and entertainment facilities are expected in the fall -- A multi-screen cineplex and a Target.

Watkins Center (sometimes, to me, confusingly described as Westchester Commons) is near the junction of Rt. 288 and US 60 west of Midlothian in Chesterfield County.

Sidebar: I have sometimes made the error of referring to this place as Watkins Landing, a boat-launching site on the James off of Huguenot Trail in Powhatan County.

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ejones Unincorporated Area

ejones

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well it seems target has no plans of closing its location across from CTC. they're almost done remodeling it to look like all their newer stores. complete with a Starbucks* and large red concrete balls out front

*so that'll be a Starbucks at the target, a Starbucks at Ukrops in the same shopping center, a Barnes and Noble at CTC that "proudly serves Starbucks coffee", oh and don't forget the Starbucks in the Towne Plaza shopping center in front of the target and ukrops. coffee addict paradise :w00t:

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journiyin Hamlet

journiyin

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well it seems target has no plans of closing its location across from CTC. they're almost done remodeling it to look like all their newer stores. complete with a Starbucks* and large red concrete balls out front

*so that'll be a Starbucks at the target, a Starbucks at Ukrops in the same shopping center, a Barnes and Noble at CTC that "proudly serves Starbucks coffee", oh and don't forget the Starbucks in the Towne Plaza shopping center in front of the target and ukrops. coffee addict paradise :w00t:

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NYCJSW Whistle-Stop

NYCJSW

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I drove around Watkins Centre today. Target, Dollar Store, Famous Footwear, GNC, Verizon, Dress Barn, Payless Shoes.... :unsure: There is nothing about it that is pedestrian friendly. You basically have to get in your car and drive from one store to the next. So sad that this was not done more like West Broad Village. The movie theater looks nice and is the only real addition to this part of the county. How this project got approved as a high end, pedestrian friendly and multi use project is beyond me.

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NYCJSW Whistle-Stop

NYCJSW

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So the Main St part of Watkins/Westchester is almost all vacant. The way they have the fronts to the building boarded up looks like they know it will not be leased out anytime soon. I just drove through there today and I can't help but say what a missed opportunity. The Main St pedestrian part (which is way too small) will never make it. They built it so far away from the movie theater???? Did it not occur to them that foot traffic would be great to have around the movie theater and the pedestrian part? Shouldn't they have been linked? The theater front could have easily have been by the Books A Million without having the theater parking lot b/w the two.

Plus, the pedestrian part is way too small so that you really won't have people walking around the entire complex. I mean who wants to drive to Westchester, park your car and then drive to the pedestrian section??? I don't know why they didn't configure the parking lot better and have ALL the shops within a pedestrian friendly area? If the stores really wanted parking directly beside them they could have had mutiple entrances. They blew it.

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