Chamberlayne / VUU / Northside

[I miss RVA]

20 minutes ago, 123fakestreet said:

Looks like VUU moving fairly quickly with the first step of their 10 year plan. 

https://richmondbizsense.com/2024/02/05/vuu-lands-40m-investment-plans-up-to-200-homes-at-brook-and-overbrook/

Apts and homes to go in along Overbrook. Not a critical area but some nice infill there. Expected to start construction by the end of this year and be done in 2025.

 

This looks promising. One interesting note: the housing would be made available to the general public, including VUU students and alumni. Again, this is very promising.

Four of the parcels are currently zoned for multi-family development (one less hurdle to cross!). No renderings are available at this time; I'll be most interested to see what these will look like. It also appears that the 1930s-era Richmond Community Hospital building will be taken down to make way for the new development.

Very much looking forward to seeing this get underway.

A quick look at particulars, courtesy of Richmond BizSense:

Edited February 5 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

Some density and much-needed income-based housing is on deck for an undeveloped parcels six blocks southeast of Six Points.  Jonathan Spiers has reporting in today's RBS that the non-profit Virginia Supportive Housing is proposing an 83-unit apartment building on a swath of land at 2900 Rady Street and 2733 Fifth Avenue. The land was donated by Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. VSH's request for an SUP (the land is currently zoned for industrial use) was included on the Planning Commission's consent agenda - and will be up for final consideration before City Council on Monday. Construction would begin in the summer of 2026.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2024/02/21/nonprofit-planning-dozens-of-low-income-apartments-near-six-points/

 

[Flood Zone]

Notwithstanding the comment at RBS that this is a blah design, Virginia Supportive Housing serves an important purpose and this is a good thing. 

[RiverYuppy]

More apartments is a good thing.

But where we need affordable housing is in places with good school districts if we ever expect people to break generational poverty. When poorer parents are placed in good school districts with kids under 13, their children's future expected income doubles.  It's a shame that affordable housing seems to mainly be built in the literal worst possible areas for their children.

Edited February 22 by RiverYuppy

[Child2021]

Eco friendly looking development in highland park 

 

[123fakestreet]

The apartments on BPB. They cleared this site probably 3 years ago and it just sat. Maybe 1 year ago they poured the pad then it sat again. Haven't been by in a while but they finally started work, at this point it's nearing completion. And that block looks so much better now. Need to get 2-3 more of these going on BPB 

[I miss RVA]

5 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

Need to get 2-3 more of these going on BPB 

Amen to that! From your keyboard to God's eyes.

Man - taking a stretch of BPB and giving it that cool urban flare of one of the many classic avenues of Baltimore. Agreed, my friend - we need several more blocks of these in that part of town.

Oh - btw - before I forget - great photos - and you know the drill. Work order has already been submitted to the polishing facility and the warehouse for your newest piece of official RVA/UP Silver Hardware. Mazal Tov!

[I miss RVA]

@RVABizSenseMike has reporting in today's RBS that Veritas School is preparing to demolish the old/original Richmond Memorial Hospital building as part of their overall campus expansion plan. The school will use historic tax credits to renovate Laburnum House (next door to the hospital building). Demo work will begin in the next few weeks and continue through the summer.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2024/03/12/veritas-school-to-demolish-old-hospital-as-it-plans-for-future-campus-expansion/

[RiverYuppy]

20 hours ago, 123fakestreet said:

The apartments on BPB. They cleared this site probably 3 years ago and it just sat. Maybe 1 year ago they poured the pad then it sat again. Haven't been by in a while but they finally started work, at this point it's nearing completion. And that block looks so much better now. Need to get 2-3 more of these going on BPB 

About a mile away on the same road is the Church -> Apartments renovation which is coming along well.

I'm really excited to see what happens on BPB after these apartments go up. The guy building the ones in the pictures owns the abandoned theater and the big building on the corner of North Ave and Brookland Park. He plans on moving on to one of those after this project. 

If you take a look at this post on page 3 of this thread, many of the changes you see across BPB are projects he has done and he's only gaining steam. After this development he plans on tackling the two largest buildings on the boulevard. I'm also confident they're going to be great projects, as he's got incentive to provide a value add to the other rentals and commercial places he has in the area.

Also we're starting to see the entrance of new commercial developers/independent businesses. Slay Burger took a century to open, but their new spot Die By Fry is flying along. 
Photo of their sign is from reddit.

 

Within the last five years BPB has gained BOHO Fitness Studio, Diamond & Dutch dog groomers, Scrap RVA, Hand Thrown ceramic studio, Ruby Scoops, Mrs. Bees Juice Bar, Brookland Park Kitchen, Fuzzy Cactus, Manchu, Unkindness Tattoo, Manchu, Rag & Bone Bike Shop, Brookland Park Flowers, Alma's Art Gallery, Richmond Art Gallery, Hand & Mirror boutique saloon, Smoky Mug, Slay Burger, Ninja Kombucha, and a woodwork studio. 

If we keep that same pace, BPB will be completely transformed in 5 years. However, I think it's going to speed up. We already have a new restaurant and art gallery lined up.

Edited March 12 by RiverYuppy

[123fakestreet]

2 hours ago, RiverYuppy said:

Within the last five years BPB has gained BOHO Fitness Studio, Diamond & Dutch dog groomers, Scrap RVA, Hand Thrown ceramic studio, Ruby Scoops, Mrs. Bees Juice Bar, Brookland Park Kitchen, Fuzzy Cactus, Manchu, Unkindness Tattoo, Manchu, Rag & Bone Bike Shop, Brookland Park Flowers, Alma's Art Gallery, Richmond Art Gallery, Hand & Mirror boutique saloon, Smoky Mug, Slay Burger, Ninja Kombucha, and a woodwork studio. 

If we keep that same pace, BPB will be completely transformed in 5 years. 

BPB was moving along but like everything else we get set back 3-4 years by Covid, maybe with inflation getting under control this is the year everything including BPB starts to pick back up again. I'd love to see another set of apts/townhouses just like these where that terrible car dealership is on Edgewood. Really need a "destination" on BPB, whether that's a good brewery or a popular new restaurant to draw people in, if those things happen I have confidence all the little holes will start to fill in with other things.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, 123fakestreet said:

BPB was moving along but like everything else we get set back 3-4 years by Covid, maybe with inflation getting under control this is the year everything including BPB starts to pick back up again. I'd love to see another set of apts/townhouses just like these where that terrible car dealership is on Edgewood. Really need a "destination" on BPB, whether that's a good brewery or a popular new restaurant to draw people in, if those things happen I have confidence all the little holes will start to fill in with other things.

I'm really hoping that the Fed will follow through on their forecasted prime rate cuts - lowering the interest rate will really help jumpstart a bunch of projects that have been languishing in the pipeline.

Re: those rowhouse/townhouse-style apartments: AMEN!  Would love to see several blocks of those (if there's room for them). What a great transformation and injection of tremendous vitality those would be.

[123fakestreet]

On 1/12/2024 at 9:46 AM, 123fakestreet said:

big news regarding the Gateway at Brook and Lombardy slipped in at the end of the article - they expect demo to begin in the next couple of months immediately followed by 12 months of construction, with completion in 2025. This project is big for that Lombardy corridor but had been silent for years, looks like it's finally moving.

Well, unless they start demo in the next 4 days they have missed this Q1 deadline. Can't say I'm surprised.

[RiverYuppy]

On 3/25/2024 at 10:30 AM, 123fakestreet said:

Well, unless they start demo in the next 4 days they have missed this Q1 deadline. Can't say I'm surprised.

The permit they pulled for the demo sort of indicates that it will start 4/4/24.

Also the auto shop right next to this lot listed for sale just a month ago. The listing reads "VUU buy this as part of this project," so if they're adding that lot it could add some delay.

If you look at it from google street view you can see it would be considered quite the eyesore to be directly abut VUU "Gateway" with "Great road frontage" as the listing says.

[whw53]

Fencing is up at the Tazewell/Dawn project site. 5 story mixed use. Yes I am in the McDonald's drive thru line.

 

[I miss RVA]

5 hours ago, whw53 said:

Fencing is up at the Tazewell/Dawn project site. 5 story mixed use. Yes I am in the McDonald's drive thru line.

 

Ahhh - wow!! That project has been in the hopper for a couple of years now. Glad to see it starting to move forward finally.