Capitol / Financial District / Shockoe Slip

[Hike]

19 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

I appreciate the beefiness of this building. This whole block will be pretty dense. And it is replacing a shorter building. But I do wish it had some orientation towards Main Street. Looking at this, it appears that it is oriented towards Bank Street and Main Street is basically a wall of windows.

That is too bad for Main Street, I see why they’re doing it, the court of appeals is entering on Bank street so this would have both courts entering on the same street. 

[Flood Zone]

More than likely it’s because it keeps the orientation of the court’s front doors facing the Capitol and makes it easier for legislators having business there or for state government dignitaries during special events.

[Brent114]

We shouldn’t trust legislators that can’t find the Capitol unless they are on Bank Street. 

[I miss RVA]

7 hours ago, Hike said:

Thanks for posting, I haven’t seen the rendering, added below. Nice size and will really help that block.

HOLY MOLY!!!

I LOVE this building!  VERY beefy and muscular - like the new G.A. building. I'm impressed - it has a very Washington D.C. look and feel to it - and while the floor count is 11 stories - it has the equivalent height of a 14-15 story building. This is a handsome design and will really stand out on the south edge of Capitol Square. 

@wrldcoupe4-- I hear you on the building's orientation - but in some ways, given that the U.S. Circuit Court building (across 10th Street) faces Capitol Square, I get why the state Supreme Court would also be oriented toward Bank Street.

ALSO - perhaps there is some symbolism that shouldn't be lost (even if the "truth" of the symbolism itself is debatable, and that's well beyond the scope of the intent of our forum) - and that is that the Halls of Justice  should face AWAY from the seat of finance, which for Richmond, historically, was E. Main Street - the legacy Financial District. If nothing else, it pays symbolic homage to the concept of separating justice from the corrupting influence of financial power. Again, the "truth" of that symbolism and its actualization (or lack thereof) is a debate for another time and in a different forum.

AND - it means at some point in the next few years - we'll see ANOTHER CRANE on the downtown skyline when this bad boy is under construction!  

Edited January 24, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Shakman]

I was hoping for a glass and metal facade tower but love the height and density this tower will provide for Downtown.

[Brent114]

I’m with Shakman.  Something futuristic would have been a better message (and addition to downtown).  This looks nice enough though. 
 

The area around the Capitol is looking really spiffy these days.  The spaces between Old City Hall, the old Library of Virginia  and the new GA building are being tuned into attractive little plazas. That whole vest pocket park is being fully integrated into the grounds.  It’s looking  really sharp. 
 

I’m worried about the placement of the entrance of the Supreme Court though. Is this a ploy to keep Bank Street closed? If so, that’s just not ok.  I’m been waiting for the GA to wrap up so that this street gets reopened (apparently legislators can’t be trusted to cross streets with traffic, dumb dumbs). 
 

If the street is to remain closed (tragic) they need to do a long-term fix.  Those Target looking balls haphazardly strewn across the street cannot be as good as it gets. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Brent114

[Flood Zone]

My suspicion is that Bank Street will reopen eventually. It closed specifically to facilitate ease of movement between the Capitol and Pocahontas Building while the GA set up shop in the latter. That concern will go away in due time. The front entrance to the Supreme Court has never been on a closed street.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Brent114 said:

I’m with Shakman.  Something futuristic would have been a better message (and addition to downtown).  This looks nice enough though. 
 

The area around the Capitol is looking really spiffy these days.  The spaces between Old City Hall, the old Library of Virginia  and the new GA building are being tuned into attractive little plazas. That whole vest pocket park is being fully integrated into the grounds.  It’s looking  really sharp. 
 

I’m worried about the placement of the entrance of the Supreme Court though. Is this a ploy to keep Bank Street closed? If so, that’s just not ok.  I’m been waiting for the GA to wrap up so that this street gets reopened (apparently legislators can’t be trusted to cross streets with traffic, dumb dumbs). 
 

If the street is to remain closed (tragic) they need to do a long-term fix.  Those Target looking balls haphazardly strewn across the street cannot be as good as it gets. 

It's a really nice looking building, isn't it? I'm sure once the new courts building is constructed, Bank Street will re-open, particularly since it becomes E. Franklin Street at 14th - unlike Capitol Street which, even without the pedestrian plaza at the old/current Supreme Court building, dead-ends at Governor Street.

I agree with you - the whole Capitol campus really does look sharp - particularly with the new G.A. building in place - and it will look even better with the new courts building to the south. Re: legislators: aren't there tunnels that connect the Capitol with the G.A. building?

[Hike]

1 hour ago, Brent114 said:

If the street is to remain closed (tragic) they need to do a long-term fix.  Those Target looking balls haphazardly strewn across the street cannot be as good as it gets. 

Da balls. 

 

[Flood Zone]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

Re: legislators: aren't there tunnels that connect the Capitol with the G.A. building?

Yes - and there's a tunnel connecting the new deck with the new GA building (although I'm not certain tunnel access with be for all GA employees). But no tunnel between the Capitol and Pocahontas. Hence, closing Bank Street.....

[I miss RVA]

19 minutes ago, Flood Zone said:

Yes - and there's a tunnel connecting the new deck with the new GA building (although I'm not certain tunnel access with be for all GA employees). But no tunnel between the Capitol and Pocahontas. Hence, closing Bank Street.....

Bank Street - that makes sense. Hopefully after the new courts building is constructed, Bank will be re-opened. QUESTION: is EVERY intersection along Bank Street blocked off between 9th and 14th?

Tunnel: Also makes sense - probably just for legislators and their immediate staff.

Edited January 25, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Brent114]

They’re building the tunneL from the new GA to the Capitol now (the grounds are a mess).  I’m not sure why they cannot walk across the lawn like they have for the last 200 years.  
 

There is  no reason why Bank Street was ever closed.  I’m convinced it’s a land grab and that it will never reopen.  It’s not like they reopen the street (it probably wouldn’t even take a full day to move da balls and that guard house) when the General Assembly isn’t in session.   They’ll now use the pending demolition and constriction as a reason to leave it closed…so another 4-6 years. 

How long has it been closed now? 4-5 years?  Can you tell that it really sticks in my craw?   

Edited January 25, 2023 by Brent114

[Icetera]

37 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

They’re building the tunneL from the new GA to the Capitol now (the grounds are a mess).  I’m not sure why they cannot walk across the lawn like they have for the last 200 years.  
 

There is  no reason why Bank Street was ever closed.  I’m convinced it’s a land grab and that it will never reopen.  It’s not like they reopen the street (it probably wouldn’t even take a full day to move da balls and that guard house) when the General Assembly isn’t in session.   They’ll now use the pending demolition and constriction as a reason to leave it closed…so another 4-6 years. 

How long has it been closed now? 4-5 years?  Can you tell that it really sticks in my craw?   

This is what I am afraid of and it is highly irritating, especially as someone who driver regularly down Franklin to get East.

[Hike]

29 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

They’re building the tunneL from the new GA to the Capitol now (the grounds are a mess).  I’m not sure why they cannot walk across the lawn like they have for the last 200 years.  
 

There is  no reason why Bank Street was ever closed.  I’m convinced it’s a land grab and that it will never reopen.  It’s not like they reopen the street (it probably wouldn’t even take a full day to move da balls and that guard house) when the General Assembly isn’t in session.   They’ll now use the pending demolition and constriction as a reason to leave it closed…so another 4-6 years. 

How long has it been closed now? 4-5 years?  Can you tell that it really sticks in my craw?   

Like how you used the new term “da balls” to identify them.  When my juvenile mind thought of this I was thinking of @RVA-Is-The-Bestliving in Chicago and the SNL use of the phrase “da bears”, I don’t understand how I work either. 
Bank street is/was a nice cut over heading east without having to go up to Broad from main, hope they open it back up as well.  Did the tunnel happen for safety purposes, probably is my guess. 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Hike said:

Like how you used the new term “da balls” to identify them.  When my juvenile mind thought of this I was thinking of @RVA-Is-The-Bestliving in Chicago and the SNL use of the phrase “da bears”, I don’t understand how I work either. 
Bank street is/was a nice cut over heading east without having to go up to Broad from main, hope they open it back up as well.  Did the tunnel happen for safety purposes, probably is my guess. 

"Da Bearsssss!!"  Yeah - the two primary local sports-talk radio stations here still do it. They also do "Da Cohhhhch..." in reference to Mike Ditka.

The VERY localized "Chi-cohhgo" accent** often times make it sound like they're saying "Da Beerssssss" ...   ... and believe me, after a 3-14 season, "good enough" to "earn" the #1 pick in April's NFL draft - allllllll the alcoholics have had a lot to bend the elbow about this past season.

Guess it's a good thing I'm a lifelong fan of the epically mediocre Redballteammanderskins... 

** -- pronunciation guide" The "cohh" in Chicago is vowelized here with the same closed vowelization for the words "bought" or "fraught" or "sought" ... Folks not from this part of the country mistakenly think the "Chicago" accent pronounces the city name with a wide/flat "aaaah" sound - "Chi-caaaah-go". Nope - that's how folks in Wisconsin and Minnesota say it. Michigan too, I think.

What's scary is that after 22 years of living here - I say it with the localized closed "cohh" vowel sound, just like Da Localssss here do... 

Edited January 25, 2023 by I miss RVA

[whw53]

On 1/3/2023 at 3:53 PM, whw53 said:

Well this will help - POD filed 12\29 for 509 E Franklin. I've noticed preparation for demolition at this site but never followed up on this. Parking garage with convenience store will give way to 181 apartment units with likely commercial frontage. 

https://energov.richmondgov.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService/richmondvaprod#/plan/a199ac37-f4c3-4aa4-a428-6343774530b2?tab=locations

With all the office - residential rehabs announced for downtown last year I would love to see something more modern set for here. 

Glad to see that another couple POD's snuck in before the New Year's!

 

 

 

 

Remember this tower? POD  recevied directors approval this week. Odd we haven't seen any press or can find much on this. It did not need any variances so avoided the worst parts of our process. 

https://energov.richmondgov.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService/richmondvaprod#/plan/a199ac37-f4c3-4aa4-a428-6343774530b2

Edited May 26, 2023 by whw53

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, whw53 said:

Remember this tower? POD  recevied directors approval this week. Odd we haven't seen any press or can find much on this. It did not need any variances so avoided the worst parts of our process. 

https://energov.richmondgov.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService/richmondvaprod#/plan/a199ac37-f4c3-4aa4-a428-6343774530b2

Holy WOW!! And believe it or not, I was just thinking about this project a few days ago, wondering what was happening with it.

Based on the relatively small footprint of the lot (and this is where that crumbling garage at 6th and E. Franklin sits, no?) -- didn't we project that the building could be something like 10-12 stories tall?

Now - wouldn't it be something if this project (6th & E. Franklin) AND the project discussed for a new apartment building on the site of another old, not-in-great-shape parking deck at 7th & E. Clay (by the developers who are flipping the 8th and Main Building (former Wheat First Securities HQ) into apartments) ended up being built at the same time?

Check out the proximity of the projects - it would be AMAZING if they ended up being constructed more-or-less in the same timeframe, if not simultaneously.

 

AND here's 507-509 E. Franklin - the site of the project mentioned in @whw53's post:

 

AND... just for fun... here's the location of the other project at 7th & E. Cary.

Edited May 26, 2023 by I miss RVA

[ancientcarpenter]

On 5/26/2023 at 1:43 PM, I miss RVA said:

Holy WOW!! And believe it or not, I was just thinking about this project a few days ago, wondering what was happening with it.

Based on the relatively small footprint of the lot (and this is where that crumbling garage at 6th and E. Franklin sits, no?) -- didn't we project that the building could be something like 10-12 stories tall?

Now - wouldn't it be something if this project (6th & E. Franklin) AND the project discussed for a new apartment building on the site of another old, not-in-great-shape parking deck at 7th & E. Clay (by the developers who are flipping the 8th and Main Building (former Wheat First Securities HQ) into apartments) ended up being built at the same time?

Check out the proximity of the projects - it would be AMAZING if they ended up being constructed more-or-less in the same timeframe, if not simultaneously.

 

AND here's 507-509 E. Franklin - the site of the project mentioned in @whw53's post:

 

AND... just for fun... here's the location of the other project at 7th & E. Cary.

Do we have any renderings of this new filing/approval?!

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Do we have any renderings of this new filing/approval?!

None that I'm aware of. Does the city require renderings when approving a variant-free POD?

[ancientcarpenter]

On 5/28/2023 at 9:15 AM, I miss RVA said:

None that I'm aware of. Does the city require renderings when approving a variant-free POD?

No, but I thought we had this one rendered before but I may be thinking about a different location.

 

Edit: I am thinking of broad st... since the gmaps picture looked so run down I thought this was the strip of broad st that looked similar. Nevermind! Looking forward to this development...and renderings!

[I miss RVA]

23 minutes ago, ancientcarpenter said:

No, but I thought we had this one rendered before but I may be thinking about a different location.

 

Edit: I am thinking of broad st... since the gmaps picture looked so run down I thought this was the strip of broad st that looked similar. Nevermind! Looking forward to this development...and renderings!

For 6th and Franklin? No - I don't think there have been any renderings. Recall @RVABizSenseMikementioned that this project was on the RBS news staff's radar screen (when filings were first made with the city several months ago) but there was nothing on paper or in the ether detailing what this building might look like.

[ancientcarpenter]

Interesting reddit post about the parking deck on 6th and franklin:

 

Quote

If you haven't seen it, the old parking garage on 6^th and Franklin is in quite a sorry state. Even Axios Richmond did a short blurb on it. Trying to get this resolved has been my proverbial "white whale" for about two years, so I figured I'd share what I know about the situation on here — not to complain (believe me, that part's been done), but to keep everyone informed on the situation.
Executive summary: The building is unsound, and the city is fighting with the owners to get it demolished, with no clear timeline.

The problem:

The garage at the corner of 6^th and Franklin is in a state of severe disrepair. The brick facade has been falling off the side of the building, littering N 6^th with bricks and debris. Therefore, the right lane and sidewalk of N 6^th have also been blocked off by construction fencing for at least two years. Here are some photos.
The building itself seems to be structurally unsound too — I spoke to one of the engineers assessing the building and he called it "scary".

The progress:

I've been in contact with code enforcement, the planning department, and Councilor Robertson's office, so all are involved and engaged on the issue. The building was condemned by the city at one point a year or so ago, so is currently shut down. The person I spoke to in code enforcement explained that the city is in a bit of a legal battle with the owner(s) of the building to try to get the building demolished, with no clear timeline on when that might be.
I was told there's some sort of hearing next month, either in the commission or in court. Both city officials I spoke to are trying to get info on that — once I have that, I'll come back and update this.

Thanks for reading; I hope this serves to help keep people informed! As I acquire new information, I'll come back and update this post.

EDIT: I meant to link the post that inspired this, as well as a comment mentioning the building specifically, but forgot while composing this. So there we go!

 

Looking forward to this thing be demo'd and hopefully we have a blank canvas for someone to invest in!

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Interesting reddit post about the parking deck on 6th and franklin:

 

 

Looking forward to this thing be demo'd and hopefully we have a blank canvas for someone to invest in!

I responded on RVA/Reddit with what scant details we know about the approved POD for the 181-unit residential building planned for this corner.

[ancientcarpenter]

17 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

I responded on RVA/Reddit with what scant details we know about the approved POD for the 181-unit residential building planned for this corner.

OP should definitely be aware of this b/c his effort may be going ignored and there may be a reason for it - it's scheduled for demo most likely. Hope he figures it out.. maybe his efforts can speed up to demo and force the developer to build faster!... and bigger!

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, ancientcarpenter said:

OP should definitely be aware of this b/c his effort may be going ignored and there may be a reason for it - it's scheduled for demo most likely. Hope he figures it out.. maybe his efforts can speed up to demo and force the developer to build faster!... and bigger!

Not sure whether the timing of the demo would be impacted - maybe something was worked out in getting the POD approved. The scant information we have is even unclear about who the developer actually is - is it Timmons Group? Is it being developed on behalf of Granger? I'd tend to think that if there was a change of hands of property, that would have been listed.

As for bigger - that' strictly based on the economics of a 181-unit apartment building - how big the units will be- how many units per floor, and as @upzoningisgoodpointed out several months ago, how the units are apportioned on each floor with additional space for hallways, elevators, etc.

If memory serves, we've been estimating something in the 10-12 story range, based on the footprint of the site and the number of units proposed.