Monroe Ward / Oregon Hill

[whw53]

POD dropped on the 9th for the Bank St (architect SMBW) project at 219-225 W Broad. 

[ancientcarpenter]

2 minutes ago, whw53 said:

POD dropped on the 9th for the Bank St (architect SMBW) project at 219-225 W Broad. 

Got link?

[whw53]

https://energov.richmondgov.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService/richmondvaprod#/plan/6fbab69d-452a-4c05-b297-04ce118f5656

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, whw53 said:

https://energov.richmondgov.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService/richmondvaprod#/plan/6fbab69d-452a-4c05-b297-04ce118f5656

Curious if anything has changed - sometimes a PDF of the actual POD (containing project details) is available/downloadable - does that get posted later in the process by the city?

Edited June 12, 2023 by I miss RVA

[wrldcoupe4]

So far, just that the site is about 10k SF and the building is about 90k SF. Seems like the +/- 8 stories is still on track.

[eandslee]

I think I see a crane taking down the tower crane at the pinecrest property.  Funny because I was just saying to myself this morning that there are 3 tower cranes that I can see from the skycam online in the downtown area. Now, we’re going to be down to two. 

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, eandslee said:

I think I see a crane taking down the tower crane at the pinecrest property.  Funny because I was just saying to myself this morning that there are 3 tower cranes that I can see from the skycam online in the downtown area. Now, we’re going to be down to two. 

Which skycam? The TV6 camera?

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

Which skycam? The TV6 camera?

Yes, the Sky Tracker Cam.

https://www.wtvr.com/weather/skytracker-cams

[Shakman]

23 hours ago, eandslee said:

Yes, the Sky Tracker Cam.

https://www.wtvr.com/weather/skytracker-cams

When I saw the "red" on Broad Street, I was thinking why so many break lights.   

[blake_p]

Pinecrest's Parc View at Commonwealth

[I miss RVA]

11 hours ago, blake_p said:

Pinecrest's Parc View at Commonwealth

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!! I might have to add this building to my short list of projects about which I'm UBER excited (in the Richmond Coffee Shop).

Holy moly - Parc View REALLY brings something of a NYC look and feel to that stretch of W. Grace - we needs AT LEAST another 8 or 10 of these along the Grace and Franklin Street corridors - because THIS (and even LARGER versions) is what I have long envisioned would begin to sprout in and fill Monroe Ward.

[wrldcoupe4]

This seems like a cool project for the arts district. 

https://www.vpm.org/news/2023-06-21/vpm-media-corporation-pbs-npr-news-is-moving-to-monroe-ward

[rjp212]

Gorgeous!  And a company move from the County to the City.

[ancientcarpenter]

47 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

This seems like a cool project for the arts district. 

https://www.vpm.org/news/2023-06-21/vpm-media-corporation-pbs-npr-news-is-moving-to-monroe-ward

Quote

The nonprofit’s new site is currently a surface parking lot located along East Broad and Grace streets in the Monroe Ward area, between North 1st and Foushee streets. VPM is currently headquartered in Chesterfield County at 23 Sesame St., which was built in 1964.

“We're thrilled to come into that location in the heart of Richmond and activate what has been a parking lot for decades,” Jayme Swain, president and CEO of VPM Media Corp. and the Virginia Foundation for Public Media, told VPM News last week.

WOW! Beautiful building and a wonderful cause. Love listening to VPM/NPR. What a wonderful asset to RVA. Monroe Ward really got lucky here. 

[I miss RVA]

So while the transmitters, etc., will remain in Bon Air, all of the studios - including WCVE-TV and radio - are coming downtown? REALLLLY COOL!

Man - that harkens back to WAY back when - a time when both WRVA and WRNL had studios downtown. WRVA's studios were in the Hotel Richmond at 9th and Grace from 1933 to 1968, and WRNL was at 323 E. Grace and then the 111 Building at 4th and E. Grace from 1940 to approx 1953-ish (?),

How cool is that!

And while the rendering (below) is NOT final (this according to VPM's website, it gives us a glimpse of the one-story annex that's planned for the E. Grace Street side of the property.

Interesting note: the Broad Street address is the site of the former Charles department store, which burned down in 1987 while being converted into apartments. 

Again, the rendering of the Grace Street side is NOT final - but man, it's pretty. Love the ivy and I hope they go with that.

[Brent114]

I love everything about this so much…especially the part where this  announcement came out of no where! 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Brent114 said:

I love everything about this so much…especially the part where this  announcement came out of no where! 

Same here - particularly, as you said, how the announcement came out of nowhere. It's a real bolt out of the blue - a gift from left field. Definitely didn't see this one coming.

Very eager to see this get underway - having the entirety of VPM downtown in the Arts District is a very big WIN for downtown RVA!

[whw53]

Could be we get this, the Bank St apartment project, and the VCU Arts & Innovation building going up at the same time. Would love to see it. Only negative here is the low density of this project along Grace - a pitiful 1 story.

I would rather see VPM consolidate along Broad and leave the grace St side for dense housing or combine the entire project with housing. This is a huge parcel that this project underuses as proposed. To be honest i think the one story piece is really just to mask the parking deck they are planning (don't see that in the renderings do we?).

Edited June 21, 2023 by whw53

[I miss RVA]

49 minutes ago, whw53 said:

Could be we get this, the Bank St apartment project, and the VCU Arts & Innovation building going up at the same time. Would love to see it. Only negative here is the low density of this project along Grace - a pitiful 1 story. I would rather see VPM consolidate along Broad and leave the grace St side for dense housing or combine the entire project with housing. This is a huge parcel that this project underuses as proposed. 

Definitely not thrilled with a one-story building on Grace in Monroe Ward - even though I do like the design - but I can't argue there (especially given how much I bang the drum for height and density). It is disappointing.

[wrldcoupe4]

They put together a website that has additional renderings and a history on the parking lot. 
 

https://forward.vpm.org

[I miss RVA]

25 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

They put together a website that has additional renderings and a history on the parking lot. 
 

https://forward.vpm.org

Really cool retrospective.  I vaguely remember having read about Cohen's Department Store at some point when looking at the history of Broad Street and downtown retailing -and I absolutely remember the Charles store on that location.

Gotta say, this is a REALLY exciting development. I might be wrong, but I don't think I'm overstating it: this is (to me anyone) one of the most significant developments to come downtown that I can ever remember. Having a prominent media outlet - with all their studios, etc., - not just downtown but ON BROAD STREET - in the Arts District - in the heart of what was once THE PREMIERE retailing district in the entire mid-Atlantic region (and for certain the Commonwealth) is HUGE. This is what you see in other cities (well certainly in cities like New York and Chicago) -- and looking at the additional renderings I'm struck with that same vibe I get when I've walked past local TV studios located on Michigan Avenue here in downtown Chicago. 

Even though the building is physically "small' (relative to other projects I've mentioned like Gateway's proposal for City Center, CoStar, Avery Hall's towers) - this is one I would classify as "big city". A BIG win for downtown RVA and for Broad Street in particular.  Super exciting.

Snagged a couple of the other renderings. I mean - the VIBE of these renderings - the energy. I love this street-level views. Man oh man - I can't wait to see this built!

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

This came out of nowhere and honestly excites me more than the usual multifamily developments, I don't know why. It just looks so nice and the fact that it's a county-to-city relocation is so satisfying. We need more of that please

[ancientcarpenter]

9 hours ago, RVA-Is-The-Best said:

This came out of nowhere and honestly excites me more than the usual multifamily developments, I don't know why. It just looks so nice and the fact that it's a county-to-city relocation is so satisfying. We need more of that please

This is more than just "someone will rent these 4 walls" development. It's exciting to me as well and the best way I can summarize it is that it's a very large and influential nonprofit investing into an area of RVA that has been desperately neglected with a sea of parking lots. This is going to bring not only employees into the building but will also bring in guests and very talented individuals who also have influence in this world - artists, poets, politicians, story tellers, executives, etc. all will be coming in to interview here and discuss issues. This will translate to influence in RVA because these types of organizations love to be involved in their backyard.

Agreed, this is way more than just another development or a company coming to RVA. This has opportunity written all over it - VPM will get its roots into all facets of RVA like first fridays, education, politics, journalism, etc. 

VPM has shaped the way I view the world...and myself! I'm VERY exciting to have them here  

Edited June 22, 2023 by ancientcarpenter

[Flood Zone]

2 hours ago, ancientcarpenter said:

It's exciting to me as well and the best way I can summarize it is that it's a very large and influential nonprofit investing into an area of RVA that has been desperately neglected with a sea of parking lots.

It's significant. The Sesame Street location is an absolute magnet for families with young children - so many Science Matters or young reader events where kids can "meet" Big Bird, Daniel Tiger, Clifford, and Curious George (the coolest, IMHO), among others.  Now imagine some of those families eating at restaurants near this new headquarters or, dare I say,, riding the Pulse. 

[I miss RVA]

21 minutes ago, Flood Zone said:

It's significant. The Sesame Street location is an absolute magnet for families with young children - so many Science Matters or young reader events where kids can "meet" Big Bird, Daniel Tiger, Clifford, and Curious George (the coolest, IMHO), among others.  Now imagine some of those families eating at restaurants near this new headquarters or, dare I say,, riding the Pulse. 

Responding, @Flood Zoneto you, @RVA-Is-The-Bestand @ancientcarpenter collectively:

 on all points!!!

This coming out of left field like it did REALLY is encouraging and exciting. And having a MAJOR -- and let's not whitewash VPM just because they aren't channels 6, 8 or 12 -- they are MAJOR -- media outlet planting their roots in downtown Richmond is exceptionally big. In thinking about it this morning, I think this is not just the most significant development to set foot in downtown RVA that I can remember (and that's including CoStar - which is --by far -- the biggest, perhaps to the point of being even bigger than when the James Center was built) -- it (VPM) is and will be the most consequential - for all of the the reasons you all laid out.

@Flood Zone-- you're spot on about 23 Sesame Street being a HUGE draw for fams with kids. I'm turning 61 (ugh...) in just over three months (UGH!!) - and I CLEARLY remember going to the WCVE studios on more than one occasion when I was little - both with my family - and on a school field trip - and the excitement of going to 23 Sesame Street was palpable. This is going to inject a kind of vitality that downtown Richmond has likely never EVER had before (for one thing, there's NEVER been television studios headquartered downtown -- radio stations (WRVA and WRNL two generations ago, yes, but TV, no). With the exception of Channel 6 always having been on Broad Street on the border of the Museum District and Scott's Addition since their inception - TV stations were ALWAYS over on Southside. WRIC started out as WXEX-TV and their studios were in Petersburg (I'm old enough to remember both the original call sign and the Petersburg studios) and WWBT has always been at the current Midlothian Turnpike location, which when they signed on in 1955 was still part of Chesterfield.

And while not on the Southside, Channel 35 has always been in Westwood.

Personal note: Channel 6 aired an afternoon kids show - "Dandy Beagle and Sooper Dog" from 1956 to 1968, during the golden days of locally-produced TV programming. I was on the show in 1967 - it was a gift from my parents for my fifth birthday. As I recall, one of the games that randomly selected kids got to play was something called "pop darts" where there were balloons (containing small notes designating what prizes were won) on a board, and the kids selected to play had to throw the dart at the board. If the aim and throw was good enough, the dart would pop the balloon and the note would be read, revealing the prize.

I failed. MISERABLY. And OF COURSE - being a typical wimpy, punk-A, spoiled five-year-old, it was "WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..." tears, sulking, stomping my feet, etc., as I was sent back to sit in the show's version of the "peanut gallery" (borrowing from Howdy Doody). Mind you, what I didn't realize at the time was that, since it was my birthday, there was going to be cake and balloons and the whole gallery singing "happy birthday". Welllllllllll - rather than sitting in utter ignominy and shame from having rolled up a giant "F" on the pop-darts game, I slipped away and wandered off and started exploring the studio. (Yes - I was a techno-nerd even back then) - and all of the studio equipment absolutely FASCINATED me!! So come time for them to bring out the cake (at the end of the show) and sing "happy birthday" - I was nowhere to be found - and my parents and show staff had to go looking for me. One of the staffers found me in one of the empty control rooms gawking at and trying to fiddle with some of the equipment. To this day I have maintained that my exploration of Channel 6's studio equipment was FAR more entertaining and fun for me than actually being on TV.  The impact was probably more important in other ways because I actually ended up working for WTVR on the radio side in the early 90s.

Anyway... circling back to VPM bringing their whole shebang downtown... for all of the reasons stated above (including my story about when I was on TV as a kid), this is really big.