Libbie Mill / Westwood

[georgeglass]

I can't recall what project this is, but I noticed it from 195 the other day and had the time today to go up close. It's just the parking deck going up now, but assuming this is apartments. I didn't see where anyone has posted pics of this yet. If so, forgive me for repeating. Anyway this is on Dabney close to the intersection with W. Clay.

[wrldcoupe4]

Pretty sure this is the Spy Rock project on Dabney. 

[I miss RVA]

17 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Pretty sure this is the Spy Rock project on Dabney. 

They're making good progress on this one! Glad to see it's moving ahead.

[I miss RVA]

Well, gents - even with the current situation with interest rates and the inflation of the past 12-18 months, looks like developers are stilling lining up to put more multi-family residential projects in the pipeline! This time - a 241-unit, 5-story apartment building slated for Jacque Street (near Dabney Road) in Westwood. Mike's reporting didn't indicate a timetable at this time - and no official renderings have been made public. One potential site plan under consideration by the county is in the story. Either way, more density coming to a red-hot area that's seriously beefing up just west of Scott's Addition.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/05/11/another-sizable-project-teed-up-near-topgolf-in-westwood-area-of-henrico/

[I miss RVA]

@RVABizSenseMikehas reporting in today's RBS about Kinsale Capital's upcoming HQ move down the street from their current Westwood headquarters. Unless I'm missing something, there's no "new" construction involved - just a renovation - but it looks really sharp - and it's really nice to see that Kinsale Capital is growing SO quickly.

Who knows, given their current rate of growth, what they might do going forward. Either way, exciting times in Westwood.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/11/07/kinsale-capital-moving-hq-down-the-street-to-former-anthem-campus/

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

@RVABizSenseMikehas reporting in today's RBS about Kinsale Capital's upcoming HQ move down the street from their current Westwood headquarters. Unless I'm missing something, there's no "new" construction involved - just a renovation - but it looks really sharp - and it's really nice to see that Kinsale Capital is growing SO quickly.

Who knows, given their current rate of growth, what they might do going forward. Either way, exciting times in Westwood.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/11/07/kinsale-capital-moving-hq-down-the-street-to-former-anthem-campus/

Yeah, great news and if they continue to grow like they are…could it be possible they move downtown one day?  I’m sure they could fill a sizable mixed use tower! 

[I miss RVA]

37 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Yeah, great news and if they continue to grow like they are…could it be possible they move downtown one day?  I’m sure they could fill a sizable mixed use tower! 

Certainly something to hope for/dream about. Time will tell. I'd be curious to know if they'd even be interested in doing a relo to the central city?

[wrldcoupe4]

Kinsale putting more than their people at the anthem site at Broad and Staples Mill:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/11/10/kinsale-looks-to-transform-corner-of-staples-mill-and-broad-with-massive-development/

“The publicly traded specialty insurance company led by CEO Michael Kehoe, with the help of Marchetti Development, is planning a $450 million redevelopment of the former Anthem Inc. campus at the northeast corner of West Broad Street and Staples Mill Road. 

According to documents filed in Henrico County, they’re looking to build nearly a million square feet of new construction on the 29-acre plot, with plans for 692 apartments, a 147-room hotel, more than 350,000 square feet of new office space and over 32,000 square feet of street-level retail.”

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by wrldcoupe4

[eandslee]

7 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Kinsale putting more than their people at the anthem site at Broad and Staples Mill:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/11/10/kinsale-looks-to-transform-corner-of-staples-mill-and-broad-with-massive-development/

“The publicly traded specialty insurance company led by CEO Michael Kehoe, with the help of Marchetti Development, is planning a $450 million redevelopment of the former Anthem Inc. campus at the northeast corner of West Broad Street and Staples Mill Road. 

According to documents filed in Henrico County, they’re looking to build nearly a million square feet of new construction on the 29-acre plot, with plans for 692 apartments, a 147-room hotel, more than 350,000 square feet of new office space and over 32,000 square feet of street-level retail.”

 

This is the best news to hear following their announced move.  We were all wondering if those parking lots would be filled. Turns out, they were thinking the same as we were!  This is is a huge development!!!

[plain]

And the Staples Mill Pulse Station is right there! Bam!!

[Flood Zone]

I like it!

[I miss RVA]

This really is huge. Something @RVABizSenseMikepointed out is just how much the Westwood/Willow Lawn areas are about to explode with development, what with this proposal in addition to the huge Willow Lawn redevelopment and the Ukrops project on the table. Between these three large-scale projects alone, the Westwood area could see close to 4,000 new residential units added over the next "X" number of years. Plus office space. Plus hotel rooms. Plus commercial space. Plus retail space. And this doesn't even include the additional development in the pipeline for the expanded portion of Libby Mill or the other stand-alone apartment projects in the pipeline for Westwood. All told, the potential urbanization of this former bastion of wide-open, "model" mid-century RVA suburbia is truly breathtaking. It's almost like developing a legitimate "satellite city" or "satellite downtown" on the northwestern border between Richmond and Henrico.  Something akin to what we see around the inner suburbs surrounding Chicago (Evanston, IL, comes to mind).

This is really impressive.

Very much hoping/praying I live long enough to see all of these developments come to fruition and blossom. It could be epic.

Here's another rendering, looking north from Staples Mill & Broad.

[123fakestreet]

Henrico is definitely trying to capitalize on this "Scott's Addition-adjacent" area. Thing is all these developments are still kind of little islands. Need better pedestrian infrastructure to link Willow Lawn to Kinsale to Libbie Mill, down to the other stuff popping up off Westwood and whatever the name of that former UMFS development on Broad is.

[I miss RVA]

15 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

Henrico is definitely trying to capitalize on this "Scott's Addition-adjacent" area. Thing is all these developments are still kind of little islands. Need better pedestrian infrastructure to link Willow Lawn to Kinsale to Libbie Mill, down to the other stuff popping up off Westwood and whatever the name of that former UMFS development on Broad is.

Agreed. A significant upgrade in pedestrian-friendly infrastructure could bring some real cohesiveness to otherwise very disparate developments. I'm not sure how this gets accomplished with the developments still basically little more than pretty renderings and the fact that the primary legacy main arteries - namely W. Broad Street & Staples Mill Road are legacy "stroads" in as much as they were never designed on the Westwood & Willow Lawn sides of the city/county borders to be urban "streets". This is a tough nut to crack, absent high-density development actually fronting the streets in question. No doubt, there are plenty of smart urban planners who can figure this out - and you are 100% spot-on in that it needs to be figured out and baked into the overall plan of redevelopment for this part of the metro.

Not sure how the county will go about tackling this issue, but I agree, it's critical that it comes to pass as this area evolves. Weaving in that level of cohesiveness could make this part of the metro a REALLY vibrant, special place.

[Wahoo 07]

Watching the rebirth of this area is amazing.  Twenty years ago, it was a tired, overlooked area.  I remember going to the Bill's BBQ in Willow Lawn in high school and it being depressing.  Now it may be the hottest (and certainly most interesting from a development standpoint) area in Henrico.  Incredible.

[Brent114]

Indeed.  Even the old Burger King is FINALLY getting its makeover.  I wonder if it is still to become a Panda Express? 

Edited November 10, 2023 by Brent114

[I miss RVA]

9 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

Indeed.  Even the old Burger King is FINALLY getting its makeover.  I wonder if it is still to become a Panda Express? 

Or a maybe even a Sheetz!!! 

[ancientcarpenter]

Wow, reading the original article about the old Anthem building getting a facelift was "meh" at best. Hearing this update is epitome of what we want for city density. This is huge news. So much retail, commercial, and apartments. This will be the first "dense" link between Libbie area and the city/fan/museum district. 

[Flood Zone]

On 11/10/2023 at 5:05 PM, Brent114 said:

ndeed.  Even the old Burger King is FINALLY getting its makeover.  I wonder if it is still to become a Panda Express? 

I believe it's going to be a Popeye's.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Wow, reading the original article about the old Anthem building getting a facelift was "meh" at best. Hearing this update is epitome of what we want for city density. This is huge news. So much retail, commercial, and apartments. This will be the first "dense" link between Libbie area and the city/fan/museum district. 

Spot on. This really is a huge project that will help link up Libbie Mill - AND - Willow Lawn with areas in the city farther east.

[I miss RVA]

On 11/10/2023 at 11:58 AM, I miss RVA said:

This really is huge. Something @RVABizSenseMikepointed out is just how much the Westwood/Willow Lawn areas are about to explode with development, what with this proposal in addition to the huge Willow Lawn redevelopment and the Ukrops project on the table. Between these three large-scale projects alone, the Westwood area could see close to 4,000 new residential units added over the next "X" number of years. Plus office space. Plus hotel rooms. Plus commercial space. Plus retail space. And this doesn't even include the additional development in the pipeline for the expanded portion of Libby Mill or the other stand-alone apartment projects in the pipeline for Westwood. All told, the potential urbanization of this former bastion of wide-open, "model" mid-century RVA suburbia is truly breathtaking. It's almost like developing a legitimate "satellite city" or "satellite downtown" on the northwestern border between Richmond and Henrico.  Something akin to what we see around the inner suburbs surrounding Chicago (Evanston, IL, comes to mind).

This is really impressive.

Very much hoping/praying I live long enough to see all of these developments come to fruition and blossom. It could be epic.

Here's another rendering, looking north from Staples Mill & Broad.

UPDATE:

@RVABizSenseMikehas reporting in today's RBS that the Henrico County Board of Supervisors yesterday approved the huge Kinsale mixed-use redevelopment, planned for the northeast corner of Staples Mill and Broad. Approval of the Kinsale project comes on the heels of the BOS's approval in November of the even more massive Willow Lawn redevelopment. The county last March also approved the Ukrop-family's proposed Westmoreland Commons redevelopment. All three projects will bring a huge injection of residential units, plus commercial space, office buildings and hotels and, combined with the burgeoning Libbie Mill area, promises to completely revolutionize this part of the near West End.

A great nugget from Mike's reporting:

In total, Kinsale Center, Westmoreland Crossing and the new Willow Lawn could add nearly 3,900 new housing units and over 1 million square feet of commercial space to the area.

I'm thrilled to see the county green-lighting these fantastic developments - and I can't wait to see them get underway.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/12/13/massive-kinsale-center-project-okd-by-henrico-board/

Edited December 13, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

Whelllllllllllllllllllllllp, folks - things are REALLY starting to pop again in Westwood!

@RVABizSenseMikehas reporting in today's RBS that a mystery developer is looking to build a 340-unit apartment building at 4400 W. Broad on the site where a similar 340-unit development was scuttled earlier this year due to a dispute over how sewer and water easements would be handled. The property straddles the Richmond-Henrico County line. According to Mike's reporting, the property is under contract for sale to the new developer. Current owner Mark Motley of Motley Asset Disposition Group said that while easements are still being worked out, the design of the new building has garnered approval from the county.

WOWZERS - is this ever good news - and folks, it's giving me hope that this is part of a trend  where projects that were abandoned and property put up for sale finds new buyers/developers who are ready to chug ahead. We've seen it in Manchester with the Avery Hall purchase of the former River's Edge II site. I keep hoping and praying we'll see this come to pass at 2nd and E. Marshall and that we'll finally at some point see a full resurrection of the Project Formerly Known As the Admiral rise there.

Either way - THIS development just adds to what was reported yesterday and is another addition to the synergy that's coming together in the Westwood, Willow Lawn, West Broad Street area. (See below)

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/12/14/broad-st-site-is-again-eyed-for-340-apartments/

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Flood Zone]

23 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

a mystery developer is looking to build a 340-unit apartment building at 4400 W. Broad on the site where a similar 340-unit development was scuttled earlier this year due to a dispute over how sewer and water easements would be handled. The property straddles the Richmond-Henrico County line. According to Mike's reporting, the property is under contract for sale to the new developer. Current owner Mark Motley of Motley Asset Disposition Group said that while easements are still being worked out, the design of the new building has garnered approval from the county.

Were there any plans publicly released for the prior, scuttled project? It's not a huge site, so I'm wondering how tall it would be to get to 340 apartments.

(One thing I don't necessarily like about that site is it's rather balkanized. Connectivity other than via Broad is limited or non-existent.)

[I miss RVA]

14 minutes ago, Flood Zone said:

Were there any plans publicly released for the prior, scuttled project? It's not a huge site, so I'm wondering how tall it would be to get to 340 apartments.

(One thing I don't necessarily like about that site is it's rather balkanized. Connectivity other than via Broad is limited or non-existent.)

Yes - plans were made public. The buildings were slated to be four and five stories and, if memory serves, one was supposed to be "L" shaped or something like that.

Below are the renderings for the old project that we have on file:

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by I miss RVA

[plain]

On 12/14/2023 at 10:09 AM, Flood Zone said:

...(One thing I don't necessarily like about that site is it's rather balkanized. Connectivity other than via Broad is limited or non-existent.)

This is why the county really needs to work with the city on this. Or, if they really want to cry about the utility situation, the county could tell the developers they have to build the development set back from Broad, build a road to connect the development to Jacque St (good luck with that), and leave the sliver of land inside the city limits blank.

 

Meanwhile, that small sliver could lead to something that will be slim with a little more height. This is basically how my mind is working tonight folks lmaooo