Near West End

[JSI]

20 hours ago, Flood Zone said:

This one stings. It's the site of the former Westhampton school playground, which was the premier playground in the area until it was prematurely and senselessly shuttered in 2014. Many great memories of our son (our first child) playing there as a baby and toddler; some of his playmates turned into classmates.

Eventually the playground was relocated to an unappealing stretch along Libbie, where it is a shell of its former self. 

At any rate, what's done is done, so they should by all means go ahead with this. There are more medical providers and corporate bankers than you can shake a stick at within a one-mile radius, so I'd imagine this will be successful.

My boys played at the playground all the time when we lived in the Fan and wanted to try something different than the pocket parks. The playground at St. Christopher's was/is really nice too!

[I miss RVA]

Neat story in today's RBS -- a husband-wife "mom-and-pop" coffee company is opening a new cafe and roastery at 710 Lafayette Street in the near West End, just west of the Museum District. I love stories like these about entrepreneurs who have a really great idea and then take the steps to actualize that idea. RVA has a LOT of awesome breweries, distilleries, eateries and watering holes, especially in up-and-coming neighborhoods like Scott's Addition and that area between Scott's and Carver. But a new coffee roastery and cafe into the mix is a fantastic - and flavorful - addition to that (overall) part of town. Glad to see these folks giving it a go! They also sell pre-packaged coffee, direct online. If you like coffee, definitely might be worthwhile to stop by and check out the new cafe and give them some business. 

I'll have mine with sugar-free hazelnut creamer, please!  

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/07/26/new-coffee-shop-and-roastery-reviresco-ready-to-open-near-museum-district/

[ancientcarpenter]

49 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Neat story in today's RBS -- a husband-wife "mom-and-pop" coffee company is opening a new cafe and roastery at 710 Lafayette Street in the near West End, just west of the Museum District. I love stories like these about entrepreneurs who have a really great idea and then take the steps to actualize that idea. RVA has a LOT of awesome breweries, distilleries, eateries and watering holes, especially in up-and-coming neighborhoods like Scott's Addition and that area between Scott's and Carver. But a new coffee roastery and cafe into the mix is a fantastic - and flavorful - addition to that (overall) part of town. Glad to see these folks giving it a go! They also sell pre-packaged coffee, direct online. If you like coffee, definitely might be worthwhile to stop by and check out the new cafe and give them some business. 

I'll have mine with sugar-free hazelnut creamer, please!  

From today's Richmond BizSense:

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/07/26/new-coffee-shop-and-roastery-reviresco-ready-to-open-near-museum-district/

 

LOVE IT.

Just a quick rant: I really wish local things weren't so expensive. On their site it says $12-16 for 12oz. That's more than double what I usually pay at kroger. The starbucks stuff is about $9 for 12oz. I know, I know scale. But I'm coming to you - no logistics costs - and picking it up. 
Same thing for farmer's markets now. I'm asked to pay double or triple for tomatoes at a farmer's market versus organic at kroger. Is it me or is there a price gouge on "local" nowadays?

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

What I always hoped would someday come is evidently in the works. RBS reports that the Willow Lawn owner (Federal Realty) is looking to rezone the center to UMU and turn it into a massive mixed use complex of over 2,200 units + commercial space. The only caveat of course is it would be phased and buildout spread "over a stretch of 20 to 30 years" ughhhhhh

The urban aesthete in me appreciates this passage:

Quote

Many of the current surface parking lots at Willow Lawn would be replaced by new buildings and structured parking decks, the latter of which would be required to be wrapped with residential or commercial uses. 

That's what I like to see.

Federal Realty wanted to discuss this at the Henrico Planning Commission meeting as early as Aug 10, but the county has apparently recommended extending that out to give FR time to flesh it all out. But yeah. great stuff all around, the gradual densification of the inner suburbs continues, and as the western terminus of the Pulse, I'm glad it will be densifying (if over a long period of time). Areas near stations should be doing this en masse.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/08/07/willow-lawn-landlord-plots-mixed-use-urbanization-of-longtime-shopping-center/

Edited August 7, 2023 by RVA-Is-The-Best

[Flood Zone]

As someone who lives mere yards away from Willow Lawn, I welcome this and was wondering when something like this would be in the cards.

[I miss RVA]

Ugh... 20 to 30 years? So you mean I might have to live to 91 to see this come to pass? 

Edited August 7, 2023 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

23 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Ugh... 20 to 30 years? So you mean I might have to live to 91 to see this come to pass? 

Hopefully, the demand is there to accelerate this project to get it done much, much sooner. 

[I miss RVA]

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

What I always hoped would someday come is evidently in the works. RBS reports that the Willow Lawn owner (Federal Realty) is looking to rezone the center to UMU and turn it into a massive mixed use complex of over 2,200 units + commercial space. The only caveat of course is it would be phased and buildout spread "over a stretch of 20 to 30 years" ughhhhhh

The urban aesthete in me appreciates this passage:

That's what I like to see.

Federal Realty wanted to discuss this at the Henrico Planning Commission meeting as early as Aug 10, but the county has apparently recommended extending that out to give FR time to flesh it all out. But yeah. great stuff all around, the gradual densification of the inner suburbs continues, and as the western terminus of the Pulse, I'm glad it will be densifying (if over a long period of time). Areas near stations should be doing this en masse.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/08/07/willow-lawn-landlord-plots-mixed-use-urbanization-of-longtime-shopping-center/

Here's another truly golden nugget from @RVABizSenseMike's reporting:

While Federal Realty’s rezoning request doesn’t explicitly lay out the specs of each new building it’s hoping to build, planning documents show that the firm is looking to replace many of the existing commercial buildings with mixed-use structures, some reaching as high as 175 feet – equal to 16 or 17 stories – in pursuit of building a moderate-to-high density development in a “compact, walkable setting.”

Man - if this is true and actually comes to pass, it'll be fantastic to see high-rises sprouting up a stone's throw from the 5100 Monument Avenue building.

[rjp212]

The connectivity in this area has always bothered.  Hopefully with increased redevelopment, they can finally re-align the roads.

[wrldcoupe4]

Lots of ravines/water/wetlands to contend with there but that improved connectivity would be wonderful.

[Flood Zone]

3 hours ago, eandslee said:

Hopefully, the demand is there to accelerate this project to get it done much, much sooner. 

I think there will be. Silly branding aside, the Libbie Mill-Willow Lawn area (which, yes, needs better connectivity) is destined to become a mid-town area of sorts. All of the pertinent circumstances, including infrastructure, location from downtown, and proximity to public transit, make it a pretty desirable area going forward. Which is a reason why we haven't left when others have gone to Short Pump. 

[wrldcoupe4]

More to come for that area too. Totally agree about the midtown concept. 

[I miss RVA]

25 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

More to come for that area too. Totally agree about the midtown concept. 

Would love to see it. All of the components for a true midtown seem to be coming together - and if this redevelopment really takes off and includes a few 16-17-story buildings (per Mike's article) then the whole aspect of a true midtown will be all but cemented.

[eandslee]

Below is the first rendering I’ve seen of a concept residential tower at Willow Lawn.  Found in an article here:

https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/owner-seeks-to-urbanize-willow-lawn-add-more-than-2000-residences/
 

[rjp212]

Oooo I hope they give us mountains too. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by rjp212

[eandslee]

16 minutes ago, rjp212 said:

Oooo I hope they give us mountains too. 

Good catch!  I didn’t even notice that until you mentioned it. LOL!

[I miss RVA]

Great article in the Citizen - and some juicy stuff for us to ponder (all of which echoes what Mike wrote in RBS but it's nice to get the second voice on this)

Those residences would be located primarily in mid- and high-rise residential buildings, according to preliminary plans – typically situated above ground-level commercial space. The maximum height of “signature” buildings would be 175 feet, though most buildings are expected to be lower in height (and there is no guarantee that any would rise to that height)

I love the fact that there could be upwards of 2,200 new residential units on the Willow Lawn site. Wow... THAT'S not something RVA is used to - that's stuff of bigger cities. Also check out this nugget regarding new streets:

Over time, according to the plan, Willow Lawn would move to a gridded pattern of both one-way and two-way streets, some with street parking and some without. The development would also be required to adhere to a set of included design standards approved by the Henrico Planning Commission to ensure it matches the look of the area around it.

And a smart ask on the part of the county planning commission:

“The proposed development and supporting materials have many positive aspects; however, there are areas where more clarification and detail are needed,” planners wrote. “The documents submitted primarily cover internal aspects, and do not show how the development would be compatible and integrated with adjacent properties, roadways, and other infrastructure exterior to the site.”

They asked that the develop update its plans to show streetscape concepts for Willow Lawn Drive and West Broad Street and more details about how the site ultimately would be integrated with the gridded street pattern to the east.

And OF COURSE... cue the NIMBY kvetch... I mean, "concern" about - you guessed it - taller buildings. (Someone PLEASE just shoot me already and put me out of my misery!!!)

During a July 11 community meeting at the site, some neighbors expressed concerns about the impact of traffic, additional pedestrians, and the taller buildings on the surrounding neighborhoods, according to a planning staff report. 

Oh - and I love this conceptual idea about how one of the more major streets might look. (And folks, dig that white Mustang!!)

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Flood Zone]

14 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

And OF COURSE... cue the NIMBY kvetch... I mean, "concern" about - you guessed it - taller buildings. (Someone PLEASE just shoot me already and put me out of my misery!!!)

I'm in favor of this announced project (as noted upthread, I've anticipated it would come), but here is where I'm going to object to the characterization.

According to my wife, there is a citizen group pushing back on this a bit, but it's not really about "tall buildings" so much -- it's about schools. Before the pandemic, Henrico County Public Schools hired an expensive consultant to devise a redistricting plan. It became very apparent during several public meetings that although the neighborhoods in the western part of the county were squabbling with each other around the margins, the area from Glenside through Willow Lawn would be radically impacted -- most notably, by being shifted from Freeman to Tucker. The potential for this move created much consternation, in part, because Tucker (although a new HS with nice bells and whistles) is significantly farther away and travel there involves more crossing of highways and major arterial roads, which was supposedly a safety-conscious limiting principle for any redistricting. But Freeman is truly on the knife's edge of being overcrowded, and rezoning the neighborhoods in its western reaches was never realistic (see above).  All of it was tabled when COVID hit, to be taken up again at an unspecified time.

How does this Willow Lawn plan play into this? I'm not sure it does, but it could. The goal of 2,200 units is massive, as has been noted in this thread. Although this development almost certainly isn't tailored to families with school-age children, if even 10% (perhaps 5%) of the units do have school-age children then the shift to Tucker is a fait accompli, and the "concern" of safety becomes reality. (There could also be a spillover effect on elementary and middle school zoning.) Redistricting is a complicated thing, and concerns over matters other than safety were voiced in opposition back before the pandemic, but safety was a tangible one and become the rallying point. To that end, I would see the point of the group as my wife has described it. Wouldn't change my view, but I would see a reasonable opposing view.

This is not targeted at any specific posters, but this board has a tendency to view projects abstractly such that the people inside or near the project area can be handwaved. I know because I do it too. And in this case, the article didn't even touch on the nub of the objection as I understand it. And I'm not saying what I've described above is a meritorious or even solid point of opposition -- it's based on a condition that might not come to pass. But I do think it's fairly reasonable as these things go. 

Edited to add: Yes, I know "20-30 years" -- but the county is never building any new schools in this part of the county, so the concern would exist for any families with school-age kids till the end of time or whatever. Which would also cut against the concern, but people don't tend to think that way in the moment.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Flood Zone

[Brent114]

I appreciate the concern but certainly where Henrico is building schools today won’t be where they are building them in 20-30 years.  Westwood and Libbie Mill will add as many, if not more, children into the mix.   
 

The present concerns are valid but please point out to your neighbors that the county is filling in around the city borders, regardless of what happens with Willow Lawn.   Just this week it was reported that a developer from Baltimore is interested in redeveloping the Brookfield office park (Genworth). School-aged children are coming with that development too. 

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, Brent114 said:

I appreciate the concern but certainly where Henrico is building schools today won’t be where they are building them in 20-30 years.  Westwood and Libbie Mill will add as many, if not more, children into the mix.   
 

The present concerns are valid but please point out to your neighbors that the county is filling in around the city borders, regardless of what happens with Willow Lawn.   Just this week it was reported that a developer from Baltimore is interested in redeveloping the Brookfield office park (Genworth). School-aged children are coming with that development too. 

!!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this!!  Well said, @Brent114-- I couldn't have said it any better.

[Flood Zone]

23 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

!!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this!!  Well said, @Brent114-- I couldn't have said it any better.

Brent makes a very fair point, as usual. The only catch is that Genworth is north of Broad. So is Libbie Mill. That's a different situation in terms of zoning, as Broad Street is a demarcation line of sorts. So it wouldn't necessarily be responsive to this particular concern. One concern should never be the whole ballgame, but it is what it is.

At any rate, I point-blank put the question whether there would ever been a HS or MS built in the area I described above during a rezoning informational meeting, and the answer I get from school officials was almost certainly never.  That could certainly change, but that's the knowledge I was going on in my post above.

[I miss RVA]

@Flood Zone- you make very fair points re: the issue with the need for new schools as the county grows - particularly if there will be significant population growth in the "inner" suburban ring round the city, which there most certainly will be.

I would counter, however, that just because the county either can't -- or won't -- invest the funds for the construction of new schools shouldn't preclude developers from building high-density developments such as what is being proposed at Willow Lawn. Indeed, 2,200 residential units is ginormous -- particularly by RVA standards - however, I'm of the opinion that investment in schools, acquisition of land for said schools, construction of said schools are an apples and oranges argument vis a vis this development. My biggest problem is that opponents immediately cite "tall buildings" as a point of opposition. Even if the very valid and fair argument of lack of schools to accommodate a huge influx of residents in a relatively small area is part of the equation, then why not state that upfront, rather than citing "tall buildings" as being problematic?

For whatever reason (and I'll argue that it seems worse in the city but I could be wrong, particularly viewing this from a rather far-off lens) - but there always seems to be SO much opposition to "tall buildings" whenever these kinds of projects come within a 3-wood's distance of established legacy neighborhoods. In the city, "character" or "charm" (or other similar bogus talking points) get bandied about - and this has been the case since I was a small child -it's nothing new. Wasn't there in the last decade or so an anti-development movement among a (thankfully small) segment of the citizenry with the slogan "Don't NOVA my RVA" ?? (Jesus... ) 

I might be miles off base - but the developer could probably creatively craft a redev of Willow Lawn, still put 2,000 residential units in with shorter buildings (just more of them). What would opponents be kvetching about then? It's the "tall buildings" argument that irks me the most. Now - maybe that's simply the way the local media have reported all of this - but it's a real sticking point for me. IF the issue is lack of schools in that part of the county and the possible strain on said schools, wouldn't it be better to push the county to build a school or two in that part of the county instead of pushing to kibosh the development? (Mind you, where said schools might go I have no idea, given how that part of the metro densifying and, in all likelihood, something legacy would have to go to make room for new school buildings.) 

Either way - schools (IMNSHO) is a valid point - but an apples and oranges argument because it's a completely separate issue. Push the county for more schools - don't stymie a much-needed and potentially game-changing redevelopment for the metro area. And the whole kvetch about tall buildings is (again, IMNSHO) total nonsense. (And THAT's the complaint about which I say - again - can someone PLEASE just shoot me now and put me out of my misery?) 

[Flood Zone]

23 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

I might be miles off base - but the developer could probably creatively craft a redev of Willow Lawn, still put 2,000 residential units in with shorter buildings (just more of them). What would opponents be kvetching about then?

They'd be kvetching about the 2,000 residential units. 

"Tall buildings" tend to get opposition because that's a signifier of "lots of new people," a subject that inevitably raises concerns that the balance enjoyed by the people currently there will be altered. Pure NIMBYism represents a strain of that, and it is sometimes focused on height alone ("Oh no, that tall building could destroy Legend's view!"), but the subject can be more complex than that as we all acknowledge.

[Rooster]

Bring it on! And Id love to see them build another school down there, no matter what they may think now. I dont understand why the school districting wouldnt be expected to naturally change to accomodate changing demographics, including building a new school (or fire station, etc.) if one became necessary?

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, Flood Zone said:

They'd be kvetching about the 2,000 residential units. 

"Tall buildings" tend to get opposition because that's a signifier of "lots of new people," a subject that inevitably raises concerns that the balance enjoyed by the people currently there will be altered. Pure NIMBYism represents a strain of that, and it is sometimes focused on height alone ("Oh no, that tall building could destroy Legend's view!"), but the subject can be more complex than that as we all acknowledge.

I think you've really nailed it, @Flood Zone-- and for the sake of discussion, I'd like to flesh out what this "balance" is that these folks currently there enjoy - because I think you're right - they're opposed to "lots of new people" coming in and... and ... and...  doing WHAT? LIVING here?

Again, I'm not arguing with you - I'm 100% in agreement that I think you've really hit on something. I just want to flesh out what it is -- because I think it's spot on and it's something worthy of discussion.

Oh - and regarding the pure NIMBYism - let me throw another log on the fire: whereas to an extent I get it regarding the kvetching about "tall buildings  could destroy Legend's view" - and can see some validity to it - the one that gets me the most riled up (because it just REEKS of bogusness IMNHSO) is what happened during the upzoning fight for that stretch of W. Broad Street when the Fan District neighborhood associations all came out en masse against B-4 zoning saying that a 20-story building two blocks north of Broad could somehow "destroy" the "architectural integrity" of their townhouses all the way south on , say, Grove or Floyd avenues.

I'm STILL unable to grasp how THAT mishegas works.