Manchester Development

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, Child2021 said:

Southern States Silos Mixed-Use Development (constructionjournal.com)

Silo development is currently on hold.

Can’t say that I’m surprised. Although, it is disappointing. Totally understand. Hopefully economic conditions will warrant a quick start-up again soon!

[I miss RVA]

Folks, just because it's on hold doesn't mean it canceled. Let's see if we can get more information and figure out what's happening.

[Shakman]

5 hours ago, rjp212 said:

Renderings of the 90-unit Swansboro Place. 

Feels like a 60s office building, but it's great to see affordable options and continued growth down Hull Street.  

Geez.  This also looks like a 1980s college dorm.  I'm thrilled to see all of this development but the architecture with some of these developments is horrible.

Edited June 26, 2023 by Shakman

[eandslee]

Found this on RBS regarding the Avery Hall development going before City Council tonight on the consent agenda!

17-story apartment building next to Legend Brewing up for City Council vote

The Richmond City Council meets in regular session Monday at 6 p.m. The full agenda can be found here.

Business on the consent agenda includes a special-use permit request for Avery Hall Investments’ plan for a 17-story, twin-tower apartment building totaling 553 units with off-street parking at 301 W. Sixth St. in Manchester. The 3-acre site is just north of Legend Brewing Co. City planning staff is recommending approval.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/06/26/the-agenda-local-government-briefs-for-6-26-23/

Edited June 26, 2023 by eandslee

[Shakman]

Approve today please!!!

Edited June 26, 2023 by Shakman

[BigBobbyG]

I'm hoping it goes through today as well. Man I know people's safety always comes first but I really hope today's storms don't cause the council meeting to get cancelled. I just want this project approved!

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Shakman said:

Approve today please!!!

AMEN!

[whw53]

Avery Hall is locked in. City Cpuncil just passed as part of consent agenda. Let's go!!

Edited June 26, 2023 by whw53

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, whw53 said:

Avery Hall is locked in. City Cpuncil just passed as part of consent agenda. Let's go!!

 

[RVABizSenseMike]

21 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

 

@RVABizSenseMike- have you guys at RBS heard anything?

It's my understanding that the Silos project is still in the planning process. I would frankly be shocked if that project got scrapped.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

It's my understanding that the Silos project is still in the planning process. I would frankly be shocked if that project got scrapped.

WHEW!! Okay - exhaling some then. Thanks, Mike, for helping ease more than a few worried minds.

[Brent114]

I was afraid to check in yesterday expecting bad news….

I’m glad I checked back.  Super excited about Avery Hall and that the silos may still be a work in progress! 

[rjp212]

Somewhat unique and odd project.   1000 E 4th St is going to be turned into a garage with nightclub and "tourist dwelling units"

[eandslee]

2 hours ago, rjp212 said:

Somewhat unique and odd project.   1000 E 4th St is going to be turned into a garage with nightclub and "tourist dwelling units"

What are “tourist dwelling units?”

[I miss RVA]

21 minutes ago, eandslee said:

What are “tourist dwelling units?”

Hmmm... 

Hopefully "tourist dwelling units" is not just a fancy term for "we rent by the hour". 

[eandslee]

Found this article on Avery Hall’s development and the concessions they made to land on the consent agenda last night.  Also included are some new renderings I don’t remember seeing before:

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/17-story-richmond-riverfront-apartment-complex-unanimously-approved-for-development-in-manchester/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co

[Brent114]

I was just checking out this place the other day.  It is a cool little building in the middle of nowhere (ok, 2-3 blocked from someone I guess).  
 

There’s an old scrap yard that occupies several blocks I’ve there.  It has a very charming early 20th century building on the property that serves as an office I guess?  It could be the most awesome and sexy  barbecue joint in all of Virginia (it is situated on a shady lot that wouldn’t take much landscaping to become a garden paradise). I ate at a barbecue place in Fishtown  (Philly) a few years ago that looked similar to this place  
 

Walking around this part of Manchester I was  dreaming  about being a billionaire and totally blowing all my money developing this part of town.   On my wishlist was lots of artist housing that I’d give away for free in an effort to establish something funky and special.  

 

Oh well, a garage nightclub and artists rentals is a start:) 

This place 

[rjp212]

52 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Hmmm... 

Hopefully "tourist dwelling units" is not just a fancy term for "we rent by the hour". 

That was my first thought 

[eandslee]

Dang this looks good!  That is all:

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, eandslee said:

Found this article on Avery Hall’s development and the concessions they made to land on the consent agenda last night.  Also included are some new renderings I don’t remember seeing before:

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/17-story-richmond-riverfront-apartment-complex-unanimously-approved-for-development-in-manchester/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co

Good report from WRIC-TV8.

Great nugget from the asks of Avery Hall (and I agree with it - AND - I love the skyline reference):

• Create an aesthetically pleasing design with articulated elevations that raises the bar for design on the growing Manchester skyline. 

I LOVE the whole concept that Manchester is developing its own separate skyline.

So the apartment count is at 553 units - according to the story, that's up from 525. NICE!

Love the new renderings - the "spec" renderings (the second set on the WRIC page). Because of the proprietary way that TV8 is hosting the pictures (a simple right click "save image as" just flat doesn't work), I had to zoom my browser stream to get a good, clean, clear view to screenshot.

That said, gentlemen:

 

And zooming in a little bit more on the view of the complex from the river-facing side:

Edited June 28, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

16 hours ago, eandslee said:

Dang this looks good!  That is all:

Borrowing from the old "Rolaids spells 'relief'" commercials (usually aired during baseball telecasts):  "How does Richmond spell 'sexy'?   "A-V-E-R-Y -- H-A-L-L"

Edited June 28, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

Some SILVER-HARDWARE-worthy reporting by @RVABizSenseMikein today's RBS about both the Avery Hall towers and the Hourigan project. According to Mike's reporting, Avery Hall is looking to break ground on the 17-story, 366-unit, eastern-most tower and four-story parking deck in the first half of next year. AND - Mike dropped some SIGNIFICANT golden nuggets that should be encouraging to all of us - perhaps the biggest being that these towers may very well be only the FIRST Richmond development for Avery Hall.

Referencing remarks by Avery Hall partner Jesse Wark, Mike wrote:

Wark described the Sixth Street project as a great introduction to the Richmond market and said that Avery Hall continues to look for development opportunities in the area. 

“We’re looking all over but there are obviously some parts of town that are more planned for higher density development and that’s what we do – ground up high-density development,” Wark said. 

Unless I'm misreading the tea leaves, I submit that we should NOT be surprised AT ALL if during the course of this decade, Avery Hall announces another large-scale high-density project in Richmond, whether that be downtown, Monroe Ward, elsewhere in Manchester. It sounds to me like Avery Hall is here to stay!

The OTHER golden nuggets from Mike's reporting give us some clarity - and should be encouraging - regarding progress on the Hourigan development. An ordinance for an SUP for the project was introduced at last Monday's City Council meeting. Hourigan had requested - and received - upzoning for the parcel to B-4 in 2021, and if I remember correctly, they received approval and demo permits to take down the Southern States silos. They need the SUP because of the design of the building . From Mike's reporting: they need relief from the inclined plane and parking and circulation restrictions. The SUP will betaken up by the Planning Commission at their next meeting.

So now we know ONE of the delays - and that this part of the process is very much moving forward. ALSO - the economic situation has stretched the timeline of the project. Mike writes:

Williams Mullen’s Preston Lloyd, who’s representing Hourigan, said they don’t have an estimate on when demolition will begin on the site. 

“Like every other project in America, the development timeline for this project has elongated given the challenges in the capital and credit markets, and this project is navigating some of those same challenges,” Lloyd said. 

So now we know the state of play - and to me, it sounds very encouraging, all things considered.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/06/28/550-unit-apartment-towers-next-to-legend-get-city-council-go-ahead/

Edited June 28, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

201 W. Commerce Road is going on the market, according to @RVABizSenseMike's reporting in today's RBS. Normally we worry when a developer who was planning something significant pulls back and puts the property up for sale. HOWEVER - this story has a few interesting twists that go counter to what we tend to fear.  If you recall, Brent Graves -- the developer/owner of the property --  had floated the idea a couple of years ago about building a residential building up to 16 stories with a grocer on the ground floor. Now he's looking to sell (maybe to cash out on the rapidly-rising property values in lower Manchester?) Either way, some interesting takeaways:

The 1-acre parcel on the south half of the block bounded by Commerce, W. 7th Street, Perry and  Porter streets is zoned B-4 - which means no height limit (only the 4:1 setback requirements). According to Mike's reporting Graves wants to find a buyer/developer who will take advantage of the B-4 zoning AND BUILD TALL. Check out this quote - and Graves' idea for part of what cold be developed there:

“A thoughtful design and development plan on this site will provide great views of both the James River as well as of the downtown skyline,” he said. “Ideally a development on this site could have a rooftop bar and/or restaurant on the top floor of the building.”

This makes me see Graves as the polar opposite of the former owner of the property on which Foushee Mews in Monroe Ward is now rising. Recall that owner would sell only to a developer who would build "historic" and "small". Graves appears to be looking specifically for a developer who will build big, bold and tall. THAT's huge in my mind.

Graves also pointed to the issue of why there's still no grocer in Manchester, despite the district's explosive growth. As we have discussed here on our forum, it boils down to one thing: critical mass of people.

“Basically the feedback I’ve gotten is Manchester needs to hit a critical mass of population. Until that happens, grocers are a little gun-shy,” he said. “I think there’s some interest. Maybe I’m too optimistic, but I think it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”

Hopefully if this property sells (even as just an armchair observer, something tells me it probably will fairly quickly) I hope and pray we DO get a developer who will shoot for the moon and reach for the stars with an epic, tall, robust development - and that we don't get just another five-to-eight story apartment building. This parcel is in a prominent location in Manchester - we need height, density and - perhaps - a grocer (or other businesses). 

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/07/05/manchester-site-once-eyed-for-a-grocery-store-goes-back-on-the-market/

Edited July 5, 2023 by I miss RVA

[ancientcarpenter]

26 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

201 W. Commerce Road is going on the market, according to @RVABizSenseMike's reporting in today's RBS. Normally we worry when a developer who was planning something significant pulls back and puts the property up for sale. HOWEVER - this story has a few interesting twists that go counter to what we tend to fear.  If you recall, Brent Graves -- the developer/owner of the property --  had floated the idea a couple of years ago about building a residential building up to 16 stories with a grocer on the ground floor. Now he's looking to sell (maybe to cash out on the rapidly-rising property values in lower Manchester?) Either way, some interesting takeaways:

The 1-acre parcel on the south half of the block bounded by Commerce, W. 7th Street, Perry and  Porter streets is zoned B-4 - which means no height limit (only the 4:1 setback requirements). According to Mike's reporting Graves wants to find a buyer/developer who will take advantage of the B-4 zoning AND BUILD TALL. Check out this quote - and Graves' idea for part of what cold be developed there:

“A thoughtful design and development plan on this site will provide great views of both the James River as well as of the downtown skyline,” he said. “Ideally a development on this site could have a rooftop bar and/or restaurant on the top floor of the building.”

This makes me see Graves as the polar opposite of the former owner of the property on which Foushee Mews in Monroe Ward is now rising. Recall that owner would sell only to a developer who would build "historic" and "small". Graves appears to be looking specifically for a developer who will build big, bold and tall. THAT's huge in my mind.

Graves also pointed to the issue of why there's still no grocer in Manchester, despite the district's explosive growth. As we have discussed here on our forum, it boils down to one thing: critical mass of people.

“Basically the feedback I’ve gotten is Manchester needs to hit a critical mass of population. Until that happens, grocers are a little gun-shy,” he said. “I think there’s some interest. Maybe I’m too optimistic, but I think it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”

Hopefully if this property sells (even as just an armchair observer, something tells me it probably will fairly quickly) I hope and pray we DO get a developer who will shoot for the moon and reach for the stars with an epic, tall, robust development - and that we don't get just another five-to-eight story apartment building. This parcel is in a prominent location in Manchester - we need height, density and - perhaps - a grocer (or other businesses). 

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/07/05/manchester-site-once-eyed-for-a-grocery-store-goes-back-on-the-market/

Thalhimer be like "sorry, best I can do is a strip mall..."

 

All jokes aside, I really like that this developer seems to be holding out for someone with the same mindset. You don't see this much. I guess it's also a way of saying "show up with deep pockets for this land or don't bother me." Love it.

[I miss RVA]

13 minutes ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Thalhimer be like "sorry, best I can do is a strip mall..."

 

All jokes aside, I really like that this developer seems to be holding out for someone with the same mindset. You don't see this much. I guess it's also a way of saying "show up with deep pockets for this land or don't bother me." Love it.

!!!