South Richmond Development

[Brent114]

Are we lumping  Swansboro in with Manchester or South Richmond? 
 

Anywho, here’s some fun infill.  I really like the look of the Bainbridge side of the building.  
 

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/12/22/83-unit-apartment-building-for-seniors-in-the-works-in-swansboro/

[Flood Zone]

That building just looks cool. 

Incidentally, my wife's dad grew up very near there albeit a loooong time ago (he was born in 1917). I just asked her if he referred to the area as Swansboro. She couldn't recall him saying that; instead, it was "old Bainbridge." For what that's worth!

[I miss RVA]

49 minutes ago, Flood Zone said:

That building just looks cool. 

Incidentally, my wife's dad grew up very near there albeit a loooong time ago (he was born in 1917). I just asked her if he referred to the area as Swansboro. She couldn't recall him saying that; instead, it was "old Bainbridge." For what that's worth!

Oh wow! Did you ever know him? This was your father-in-law - born in 1917? VERY cool.

My dad was born in 1922 - and my mom in 1926. My mom was born in NYC -- she grew up in Queens -- but her family moved to Richmond when she was high-school age (she went to T-J). Now - while I remember as a kid hearing the term "old Bainbridge" - I also recall my mother calling it Swansboro.

[Flood Zone]

7 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Oh wow! Did you ever know him? This was your father-in-law - born in 1917? VERY cool.

Yup, he was born in 1917. Very much a product of his times. Served in the Army up until WWII (albeit never in combat) and later was the president of the Kate Smith Fan Club. Unfortunately, I never met him. He was, shall we say, getting rather up there in years when my wife was born. And he passed away in the early 1990s, well before she and I met. 

Incidentally, my wife's parents met at the most Richmond place imaginable - Miller & Rhoads. Her mom was not born in 1917, of course, but unfortunately she also passed away before my wife and I met.

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, Brent114 said:

Are we lumping  Swansboro in with Manchester or South Richmond? 
 

Anywho, here’s some fun infill.  I really like the look of the Bainbridge side of the building.  
 

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/12/22/83-unit-apartment-building-for-seniors-in-the-works-in-swansboro/

Yeah - I think we're combining Swansboro with Manchester at this point - it's close enough geographically - whereas South Richmond is pretty much everywhere else in the city south of the James.

Anyway - this is a sweet looking building - needless to say the architect was really thinking outside the - ahem - "box" - on this one! I'll be interesting down the road to see how Swansboro develops as Manchester continues to boom.

Really great design - and it replaces abandoned buildings and a partially vacant lot with 83 units. Very cool. Oh - and something else really cool - this developer is the same one that redeveloped/renovated the former William Byrd Hotel on W. Broad just east of Scott's Addition into a 100-unit residential building for seniors. Love it!

Check it out:

Edited December 22, 2023 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Flood Zone said:

Yup, he was born in 1917. Very much a product of his times. Served in the Army up until WWII (albeit never in combat) and later was the president of the Kate Smith Fan Club. Unfortunately, I never met him. He was, shall we say, getting rather up there in years when my wife was born. And he passed away in the early 1990s, well before she and I met. 

Incidentally, my wife's parents met at the most Richmond place imaginable - Miller & Rhoads. Her mom was not born in 1917, of course, but unfortunately she also passed away before my wife and I met.

Ahhh - betcha they met under the clock, no doubt! VERY cool story!

My dad also served in the Army and was a WWII combat veteran in the European Theater. He and all six of my uncles (on both sides of the family) fought in the war (four uncles in the Army in Europe, two in the Navy in the Pacific) - and one uncle ended up as a POW in Europe. My dad saw action in Europe from October 1944 through the end of the war, and was on occupation duty until January 1946, after which he returned to Richmond. He was involved in the Battle of the Bulge, the push to the Elbe, and the liberation of some of the concentration camps in northwestern Germany in the Hannover region. As he was a Jewish G.I., what he witnessed on liberation duty was particularly traumatic - yet he willingly talked in great - and horrific - detail about all he saw. It was among the few times I ever saw him cry - and I swear I saw flames coming from his eyes when he would give over those accounts.

And for me - having now moved into a back-half-of-life career as a World War II and Holocaust researcher and historian, I lament that we never had a chance to sit down and document/chronicle his war experiences prior to his passing in 1997. We had planned to do so for years - I was to serve as his ghost writer - and it just never happened.

Edited December 22, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Brent114]

The reviews are in and the public seems to love  this design.  Hopefully other developers are watching  

[I miss RVA]

7 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

The reviews are in and the public seems to love  this design.  Hopefully other developers are watching  

Amen!! From your keyboard to God's eyes, my dear friend! 

[kllrjnk]

Absolutely love this rendering! I wish one or two of these were in other neighborhoods.

[Child2021]

Legend's 

[I miss RVA]

On 12/22/2023 at 8:48 PM, Child2021 said:

Legend's 

Beautiful shot of the burgeoning Manchester riverfront, @Child2021-- great photo and I love the perspective/vista from the Manchester floodwall. Imagine what this will look like when that gap (center-right) is filled with the Avery Hall towers. Wowwwww...

I'm posting it here - but it's for all four of your outstanding photos of Manchester, CoStar construction, and Bakery Lofts construction (was there a fourth one? I can't find it or remember now...). Either way, you've absolutely earned some festive holiday Silver Hardware to tote home and decorate!

Well done!

Edited December 25, 2023 by I miss RVA

[RiverYuppy]

I was visiting the museum of history and culture to see their NASA exhibit. I saw a cool painting of the model tobacco building that I thought y'all might like.

[I miss RVA]

54 minutes ago, RiverYuppy said:

I was visiting the museum of history and culture to see their NASA exhibit. I saw a cool painting of the model tobacco building that I thought y'all might like.

Love it!!

So wait - there's a NASA exhibit at the history museum on Arthur Ashe Blvd?

[rjp212]

On 12/22/2023 at 10:29 AM, I miss RVA said:

Yeah - I think we're combining Swansboro with Manchester at this point - it's close enough geographically - whereas South Richmond is pretty much everywhere else in the city south of the James.

Anyway - this is a sweet looking building - needless to say the architect was really thinking outside the - ahem - "box" - on this one! I'll be interesting down the road to see how Swansboro develops as Manchester continues to boom.

Really great design - and it replaces abandoned buildings and a partially vacant lot with 83 units. Very cool. Oh - and something else really cool - this developer is the same one that redeveloped/renovated the former William Byrd Hotel on W. Broad just east of Scott's Addition into a 100-unit residential building for seniors. Love it!

Check it out:

Construction fencing is already up.  Hopefully that means demo isn’t too far behind! 

[I miss RVA]

Commonwealth Catholic Charities is planning a 20-unit, income-based apartment, age-restricted apartment building just east of the corner of 20th Street and Semmes Avenue in Swansboro, according to Jonathan Spiers' reporting in today's RBS. The three-story building would include ground-floor retail space, a community room and a lounge, as well as covered parking spaces. The apartments would be in the upper two floors of the building.

Final design is still pending, and plans were filed with the city last month. No firm time-table for city review, groundbreaking or construction has been published at this time.

NOTE: The rendering are conceptual only and do not represent the final design of the building.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2024/01/22/senior-apartments-in-the-works-for-surplus-city-property-on-semmes-ave/ 

[blopp1234]

2 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Commonwealth Catholic Charities is planning a 20-unit, income-based apartment, age-restricted apartment building just east of the corner of 20th Street and Semmes Avenue in Swansboro, according to Jonathan Spiers' reporting in today's RBS. The three-story building would include ground-floor retail space, a community room and a lounge, as well as covered parking spaces. The apartments would be in the upper two floors of the building.

Final design is still pending, and plans were filed with the city last month. No firm time-table for city review, groundbreaking or construction has been published at this time.

NOTE: The rendering are conceptual only and do not represent the final design of the building.

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2024/01/22/senior-apartments-in-the-works-for-surplus-city-property-on-semmes-ave/ 

Thrilled about this development. It’s taking a small, kind of awkward parcel and making something of it that will help the area feel more active and vibrant. 

[eandslee]

Have we heard about this one yet?  Also, this is from a new publication that focuses on Southside Richmond.  Bookmark it!

https://southrichmondnews.com/2024/01/25/sixty-new-apartments-proposed-for-hull-street/
 

[I miss RVA]

6 hours ago, eandslee said:

Have we heard about this one yet?  Also, this is from a new publication that focuses on Southside Richmond.  Bookmark it!

https://southrichmondnews.com/2024/01/25/sixty-new-apartments-proposed-for-hull-street/
 

Not sure we've ever seen any rendering or project details - this looks new. I do think I recall when the property itself sold a year or so ago. According to the South Richmond News article, this corner has sat vacant for the past 17 years - so it will be a HUGE boost to this part of "upper" Manchester (14th and Hull) begin to catch fire development-wise. While there are still plenty of undeveloped parcels in lower Manchester (meaning, north of Commerce Road), it's great to see development also beginning to leap over Commerce into some of the higher numbered streets between Commerce and Cowardin Avenue. Provided I live long enough, I can't wait to see what Manchester will look like in 20-25 years.

Particularly given the footprint being developed, this building definitely has some size to it. 

@RVABizSenseMike- what rumblings have the RBS staff heard about this?

Edited January 25 by I miss RVA

[RVABizSenseMike]

2 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Not sure we've ever seen any rendering or project details - this looks new. I do think I recall when the property itself sold a year or so ago. According to the South Richmond News article, this corner has sat vacant for the past 17 years - so it will be a HUGE boost to this part of "upper" Manchester (14th and Hull) begin to catch fire development-wise. While there are still plenty of undeveloped parcels in lower Manchester (meaning, north of Commerce Road), it's great to see development also beginning to leap over Commerce into some of the higher numbered streets between Commerce and Cowardin Avenue. Provided I live long enough, I can't wait to see what Manchester will look like in 20-25 years.

Particularly given the footprint being developed, this building definitely has some size to it. 

@RVABizSenseMike- what rumblings have the RBS staff heard about this?

I covered this one last May. It's a project from the heads of Walter Parks Architects, RJ Smith Cos. and SRC Construction. Their special-use permit is still under review.  I reckon we'll cover it again once it makes its way to the  Planning Commission. 

[I miss RVA]

5 hours ago, RVABizSenseMike said:

I covered this one last May. It's a project from the heads of Walter Parks Architects, RJ Smith Cos. and SRC Construction. Their special-use permit is still under review.  I reckon we'll cover it again once it makes its way to the  Planning Commission. 

Coolness! Thanks, Mike!

[whw53]

It's up for consideration at the next PC meeting - 2/6! I'll be tuning in that night and will report back.

[Child2021]

On 1/10/2024 at 9:22 PM, rjp212 said:

Construction fencing is already up.  Hopefully that means demo isn’t too far behind! 

Demolition has begun. 

[I miss RVA]

1 minute ago, Child2021 said:

Demolition has begun. 

This is the building at 14th and Hull?

[Shakman]

Which project is this?

[rjp212]

@Child2021is referencing the demo of this:

to be replaced by this: