Chamberlayne / VUU / Northside

[I miss RVA]

17 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

Something substantial here would be excellent.  The townhomes across from Maggie Walker are going a long way to tie VUU to the Fan.  A visible development here (5 or more floors, please more!) would greatly diminish the visual impact of the I95 bridge making the neighborhoods feel connected for the fist time in 60 years. 
 

I’ll definitely keep this one on my radar.  I’ve been wanting to see something here for 20 or more years. 

And imagine if the north/south PULSE BRT line came down Brook Road - and there would undoubtedly be a VUU Station at Brook Road & School Street. It would be well within walking distance of a new, large residential development here - not more than about two or two-and-a-half blocks away.

A LOT of good things could happen if we could get, as you said, at least five (or more) stories of residential development on this parcel.

 

[Shakman]

17 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

This corner? (southeast corner) Do we know of anything planned for any part of this swath - or - has any paperwork been filed with the city?

Nice Yankees logo.  

[I miss RVA]

22 minutes ago, Shakman said:

Nice Yankees logo.  

I've been a diehard fan since 1973.  My mother (of blessed memory) was a diehard Red Sox fan and she swore that the only reason I became a fan of the Yankees was as an act of rebellion. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by I miss RVA

[123fakestreet]

2 hours ago, Brent114 said:

Something substantial here would be excellent.  The townhomes across from Maggie Walker are going a long way to tie VUU to the Fan.  A visible development here (5 or more floors, please more!) would greatly diminish the visual impact of the I95 bridge making the neighborhoods feel connected for the fist time in 60 years. 
 

I’ll definitely keep this one on my radar.  I’ve been wanting to see something here for 20 or more years. 

Yep, I've wanted to see this flip for a while for this exact reason, will really join Northside to Carver and by extension to the Fan.  The city needs to fix up the bridge over the RR right there as well.

[123fakestreet]

2 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

And imagine if the north/south PULSE BRT line came down Brook Road - and there would undoubtedly be a VUU Station at Brook Road & School Street. It would be well within walking distance of a new, large residential development here - not more than about two or two-and-a-half blocks away.

A LOT of good things could happen if we could get, as you said, at least five (or more) stories of residential development on this parcel.

 

Scott's Addition is largely "filled up" and we've already seen the expansion over the RR tracks and to the Diamond District, and Hermitage corridor.  That's all going to keep creeping as they run out of space and hit the Brook Rd area near VUU. We've already seen the huge apartments go in back there, and the Spectrum and the brand new apartments right next to them, so there's already a few holes in the dam, proof of concept in that area if you will, and pretty soon the dam is going to break.

[RVABizSenseMike]

4 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Cool. Thanks for confirming, @123fakestreet

@RVABizSenseMike -- this parcel might be one you & your team want to keep and eye on for any transactions that happen. That whole area of town is transitioning and this parcel would be a likely candidate to see new development forthcoming.

I've been tracking this, stay tuned... 

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

I've been tracking this, stay tuned... 

Sweet! Thanks, Mike! 

[RiverYuppy]

The townhomes to be developed in South Highland Park/Chestnut Hill are up on Zillow here. (Note the Zillow listing is not placed in the right area)

I'm in Charlotte until May 10th. When I get back I'll try to grab some pictures of how far they have progressed. But having Zillow listings is promising.

[eandslee]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:31 PM, 123fakestreet said:

Crew was surveying the property on the corner of Lombardy and Admiral this afternoon. Take that for what it's worth. Property at VUU right next to I95, it's had a for sale sign in front of it for maybe a little over a year.

Well, this story ended up being a dud:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/04/24/industrial-site-near-vuu-sells-to-cville-firm-for-3m/

[ancientcarpenter]

48 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Well, this story ended up being a dud

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/04/24/industrial-site-near-vuu-sells-to-cville-firm-for-3m/

Stinks bc it's not a shiny new building BUT we are a city at the end of the day and we do not a mix of things, including industrial. If we just become apartments then we will be a playground for the wealthy. We need paint stores, plumber shops, etc. 

[123fakestreet]

1 hour ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Stinks bc it's not a shiny new building BUT we are a city at the end of the day and we do not a mix of things, including industrial. If we just become apartments then we will be a playground for the wealthy. We need paint stores, plumber shops, etc. 

Yeah but this is no longer the appropriate area for it, especially with very high residential demand. The city needs an industrial base, but that base now belongs on southside off 95.

 

I'd be OK with some of the other buildings over there staying light industrial, but this particular property is right on Lombardy and would have done a lot to make that corridor better and connect northside to Carver.

Edited April 24, 2023 by 123fakestreet

[wrldcoupe4]

I'm surprised VUU didn't want to control it since it's the gateway to their campus approaching from the south.

[I miss RVA]

For us development nerds, this really is very disappointing. I get where the developer is coming from - although, given the recent trend of the area transitioning from industrial to mixed-use/residential, I think this parcel actually is a prime location for some well-designed, well-positioned higher-density residential development. The adjacency to the railroad tracks and interstate can be mitigated through creative building design and smart placement, and given the continued blistering 'heat' of RVA's multi-family housing market, I don't think a well-designed and well-positioned building on this site would be at all difficult to fill and to do so in relatively short order.

To each their own, I suppose. It's a shame, though - the Lombardy Street corridor could really use a good residential development on this site to link developments to the north and to the south.

As Chef Ramsay often says - "what a shame".

Edited April 24, 2023 by I miss RVA

[123fakestreet]

7 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

I'm surprised VUU didn't want to control it since it's the gateway to their campus approaching from the south.

I don't think VUU has any money or ability to do hardly anything. I'll be shocked if the 1 lone Gateway building they've been hyping breaks ground in the next 10 years.

[I miss RVA]

31 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

I don't think VUU has any money or ability to do hardly anything. I'll be shocked if the 1 lone Gateway building they've been hyping breaks ground in the next 10 years.

Wow - really? The university is that cash strapped? How are their enrollment levels?

[123fakestreet]

40 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Wow - really? The university is that cash strapped? How are their enrollment levels?

According to USNews it's enrollment is under 1200.

[I miss RVA]

Oy vey... that's not good...

[RiverYuppy]

VUU really needs a strategic transformation. They rely way too heavily on their divinity school. VSU is an HBCU in the region that offers many traditional in-demand degrees like computer science. Union Seminary is just a few blocks up Brook Road and offers a great Masters of Divinity already.  Union Seminary is entirely focused on that, so it makes a compelling option for someone interested in that route.

Right now rather than really trying to broaden their undergraduate offerings to include more in-demand degrees, they're trying to be a go to for black pastors to get an MBA. Certainly a bold bet that I'm not so sure will work out.

 

[123fakestreet]

1 hour ago, RiverYuppy said:

VUU really needs a strategic transformation. They rely way too heavily on their divinity school. VSU is an HBCU in the region that offers many traditional in-demand degrees like computer science. Union Seminary is just a few blocks up Brook Road and offers a great Masters of Divinity already.  Union Seminary is entirely focused on that, so it makes a compelling option for someone interested in that route.

Right now rather than really trying to broaden their undergraduate offerings to include more in-demand degrees, they're trying to be a go to for black pastors to get an MBA. Certainly a bold bet that I'm not so sure will work out.

 

VUU is in a tough spot. HBCU's in general have seen big time decline in interest as very very few non-black people would even consider attending, black Americans only make up 12% of the population and shrinking, and black people are accepted and feel more comfortable at traditional universities, with minority scholarships available on top of that.  There's just not as much of a reason for HBCUs to exist anymore as there once was.  For VUU, they are also right near VSU, Howard, and Hampton which if someone is considering an HBCU are much more appealing options.  Even if a black person wants to go to school in Richmond VCU is a pretty diverse school.  I don't know much about the inner workings of VUU but I also hear it's just poorly run with people who's egos are more important than the school.

Edited April 25, 2023 by 123fakestreet

[CitiWalker]

17 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

According to USNews it's enrollment is under 1200.

Most Likely the Undergrad numbers 

[CitiWalker]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:41 PM, I miss RVA said:

This corner? (southeast corner) Do we know of anything planned for any part of this swath - or - has any paperwork been filed with the city?

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!

[I miss RVA]

4 minutes ago, CitiWalker said:

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!

The second photo - is that in Carver? Just up Lombardy from the Opus?

[CitiWalker]

16 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

The second photo - is that in Carver? Just up Lombardy from the Opus?

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

Edited April 26, 2023 by CitiWalker

[I miss RVA]

45 minutes ago, CitiWalker said:

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 is you have a good enough arm...lol

Wow... and yeah, you nailed it. Look at the pix... I guess "no one" wants to live by a highway or railway. Loving all the dense development in Rocketts and in Carver. Hoping we'll see much more in Carver in the coming years. 

Call me nuts - but it looks like an actual city!

Edited April 25, 2023 by I miss RVA

[WyldKat99]

6 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

VUU is in a tough spot. HBCU's in general have seen big time decline in interest as very very few non-black people would even consider attending, black Americans only make up 12% of the population and shrinking, and black people are accepted and feel more comfortable at traditional universities, with minority scholarships available on top of that.  There's just not as much of a reason for HBCUs to exist anymore as there once was.  For VUU, they are also right near VSU, Howard, and Hampton which if someone is considering an HBCU are much more appealing options.  Even if a black person wants to go to school in Richmond VCU is a pretty diverse school.  I don't know much about the inner workings of VUU but I also hear it's just poorly run with people who's egos are more important than the school.

I'm not quite sure the source of this information...but as HBCU grad of VSU, I TOTALLY disagree with the notion that "There's just not as much of a reason for HBCUs to exist anymore as they once were" is completely nuts. In fact, HBCUs have grown exponentially over the past several years...in my opinion, due to the climate of today's society. Seems comfort plus education is more important than ever. And just to set the record straight, theres plenty of schools with egos that give the school bad names (the list is long).  #VSUTrojans #VUUPanthers️️

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/applications-to-hbcus-rise-dramatically-as-nationwide-college-enrollment-falls