Richmond Developments

[I miss RVA]

29 minutes ago, BigBobbyG said:

Heads up y’all here is another survey on the topic of removing the parking minimums! Considering the planning commission unanimously approved eliminating them I want to think it’s a done deal but you never know. 
 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYrmvQc22bw7o6os_cPPPQzbLooT08jJm8p0UFiLyjtiROwQ/viewform

Not sure if this one is done by the same folks who put together the previous survey. Totally different format, etc.

Looks like they're specifically looking to hear from 5th District residents in this survey. HOWEVER - I'd urge everyone who lives in RVA (they ask for name & address) to respond in favor.

ALSO - the survey provides other means of reaching City Council and expressing your support for the measure. Again, I urge everyone to take a few minutes and reach out to City Council to voice your support. We know that the NIMBYs will be vocal - we MUST fight back!

Here's the contact information:

You may also submit written comments. Interested citizens who wish to write comment they must do so prior to 10:00 a.m., on the meeting date. You can also sign to speak virtually or in person by calling the Office of the City Clerk at (804) 646-7955 and selecting option 3, or sending comments to [email protected]. All written comments received prior to the deadline will be provided to all members of the Council prior to the beginning of the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting. All Richmond City Council meetings are live-streamed and archived on Legistar. 

[RiverYuppy]

On 4/10/2023 at 4:01 PM, rjp212 said:

First I am seeing this, but a fairly large industrial development is being proposed on Mechanicsville Turnpike.  Seems to be a mix of Business and Manufacturing uses that straddle the Richmond/Henrico line.

 

How do you know it will be an industrial development? 

[rjp212]

M-2 Zoning is General Industry.  B-3 is Business District with permitted uses listed on page 2.

[Child2021]

 Henrico makes way for revival of Virginia Center Commons, new construction at Azalea Mall site

Forgive me, my computer assisted writing isn't the best, along with my writing in general.

[I miss RVA]

23 minutes ago, Child2021 said:

 Henrico makes way for revival of Virginia Center Commons, new construction at Azalea Mall site

Forgive me, my computer assisted writing isn't the best, along with my writing in general.

Westminster Canterbury expanding east to the old Azalea Mall site makes sense, give it's adjacent property. I think many of us have been secretly wishing a developer would really go in there, maybe with multiple buildings, an urban footprint (small street scape between buildings) - that sort of thing. Something similar to what's going on in Westwood. Maybe that will still happen, given that it appears Westminster Canterbury is buying only a portion of the Azalea Mall site.

[whw53]

Parking minimums are donezo. Unanimous vote. I was the second to last speaker - that felt good. @I miss RVA thanks for the words of encouragement other day.

Surprisingly there was little opposition. I think writing was on the wall. However nobody thought it was going to be unanimous. RVA Yimby leads who has their ear to this council person by person were stunned.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[blopp1234]

Big news! Thanks for letting us know @whw53

 

That makes Richmond far more development progressive than most other US cities. 

[eandslee]

15 minutes ago, whw53 said:

Parking minimums are donezo. Unanimous vote. I was the second to last speaker - that felt good. @I miss RVA thanks for the words of encouragement other day.

Surprisingly there was little opposition. I think writing was on the wall. However nobody thought it was going to be unanimous. RVA Yimby leads who has their ear to this council person by person were stunned.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk
 

Great report whw53!  Now, I want to see if this attracts more developers to build more density in the city...it should make it easier for them, at the very least, right?

[whw53]

Actually 3rd to last speaker I think. Felt good I kinda phased out.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[BigBobbyG]

Well I’ll be damned. This is great news and I for sure didn’t expect it to be unanimous. Maybe the days of the district associations (especially the FDA and MDA) having a de facto veto are finally behind us! 
 

@whw53As an aside did you happen to hear if they approved the SUP for the Thompson and Grove apartments as well? It passed the planning commission last week so I believe it would be on the docket tonight. That’d be the icing on the cake for this. 

[whw53]

Well I’ll be damned. This is great news and I for sure didn’t expect it to be unanimous. Maybe the days of the district associations (especially the FDA and MDA) having a de facto veto are finally behind us! 
 
[mention=33368]whw53[/mention]As an aside did you happen to hear if they approved the SUP for the Thompson and Grove apartments as well? It passed the planning commission last week so I believe it would be on the docket tonight. That’d be the icing on the cake for this. 

I believe this was continued. We need to double check - it was either passed or pushed to another regular session. If passed id be surprised because there was no one in opposition to that for any of the consent items so something happened there.

The only regular session item was the parking minimum item all the regularly scheduled items for this meeting were pushed out.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[eandslee]

4 minutes ago, BigBobbyG said:

Well I’ll be damned. This is great news and I for sure didn’t expect it to be unanimous. Maybe the days of the district associations (especially the FDA and MDA) having a de facto veto are finally behind us! 
 

@whw53As an aside did you happen to hear if they approved the SUP for the Thompson and Grove apartments as well? It passed the planning commission last week so I believe it would be on the docket tonight. That’d be the icing on the cake for this. 

Wasn't this on the consent agenda - meaning it was "automatically" approved?  I thought I read that somewhere...perhaps in the RBS article.

[whw53]

So was the parking minimum item apparently too. These things can get pushed around until meeting starts as long as council approves the new agenda at start.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, whw53 said:

Parking minimums are donezo. Unanimous vote. I was the second to last speaker - that felt good. @I miss RVA thanks for the words of encouragement other day.
 

My heartfelt pleasure, @whw53 Hey - you did all the heavy lifting, mate. I just shared a little of my experience doing this sort of thing.

And... speaking from having spoken before the council on more than a few occassions several decades ago (when I was young and brash) it really DOES feel good! SUPER grateful that it went well for you and was a good experience for you. NOW, my brother, the seal has been broken. The next time will be even easier. Methinks the mantle of advocate for progressive growth and development and a true voice of RVA YIMBYism has now been passed to you. And I'm being quite serious... we need advocates who can stand up and FIGHT for the growth, progress and development of our beloved city - and who can go toe-to-toe against the NIMBYs and prevail!

Well done!!

[I miss RVA]

58 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Wasn't this on the consent agenda - meaning it was "automatically" approved?  I thought I read that somewhere...perhaps in the RBS article.

Per Mike's reporting on April 18th - it will be on the council's agenda for the May 8th meeting. So it wouldn't have been on tonight's docket. (Which explains why there were no NIMBYs screaming and yelling against it. Means we have to gear up, boys, and be ready go to battle in STRONG support for this one!)

From the RBS article:

"The City Council is expected to make its final vote on the special-use permit at its May 8 meeting." 

https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/04/18/250-unit-grove-ave-apartment-project-gets-thumbs-up-from-planning-commission/

Edited April 25, 2023 by I miss RVA

[wrldcoupe4]

Parking minimum removal passed.  
https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/04/26/parking-regs-repeal-clears-city-council/

[Child2021]

Parking structure going up on the site close to Top Golf.

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Parking minimum removal passed.  
https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/04/26/parking-regs-repeal-clears-city-council/

Very glad to see it passed unanimously. This feels like the city council as a whole got it right. Contrary to what the kvetchers about this argue (check out a few of the opposing comments in RBS), this is the right move for the city and will have tremendous benefits going forward. MAYBE... just maybe... this city is FINALLY going to unshackle herself from car-centric development and auto-dependency and embrace the new, emerging paradigm of redensification of central cities and urban areas, with greater reliance on public/mass transit, and in the process create real, legitimate urban streetscapes that are teaming with vitality and human activity.

Downtown has been a ghost town for decades, and the Sea of Parking Lots that is Monroe Ward  (as well as in what is now City Center) has been a significant contributing factor over the past 50 years. It's time for these vast -- desolate -- oceans of surface parking to be systematically replaced by high-density residential, mixed use, office, and hotel development, converting Monroe Ward and City Center in to veritable forests of high rises, filled with people who live, work and play downtown 24-7-365.

I'm hoping and praying I live long enough to see the spectacular transformation of the central city in the coming decades. I have a strong feeling that what we're seeing now is but the tip of the iceberg - and we have yet to even begin to scratch the surface of unlocking downtown's enormous untapped potential.

Indeed, the best is yet to come.

Edited April 26, 2023 by I miss RVA

[wrldcoupe4]

It would be interesting for someone to do some reporting on planned development sites that are idle, particularly the blighted ones. Like the one at Broad and Sheppard, or the one at the old Buzz and Ned’s property. Covered in graffiti, overgrown grass, building not secured. Would be good to not only get updates but maybe call them out for how they are maintaining the properties. 

[Urbs42]

1 hour ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

It would be interesting for someone to do some reporting on planned development sites that are idle, particularly the blighted ones. Like the one at Broad and Sheppard, or the one at the old Buzz and Ned’s property. Covered in graffiti, overgrown grass, building not secured. Would be good to not only get updates but maybe call them out for how they are maintaining the properties. 

Agreed. That stretch of the Boulevard looks terrible. Will make such a difference if we can get these projects going. 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

It would be interesting for someone to do some reporting on planned development sites that are idle, particularly the blighted ones. Like the one at Broad and Sheppard, or the one at the old Buzz and Ned’s property. Covered in graffiti, overgrown grass, building not secured. Would be good to not only get updates but maybe call them out for how they are maintaining the properties. 

 on this, Coupe!

Like the site of the Outlier. I recall RBS had something a couple of months ago saying that it was moving forward - yet nothing has happened there yet, right? I'm guessing this one is also stalled waiting for interest rates/construction costs to drop?

[KJHburg]

some national exposure and heralding the fact that the Richmond area is growing faster now than the Northern VA suburbs.

https://www.bisnow.com/washington-dc/news/state-of-market/mid-atlantic-developers-eye-richmond-as-the-next-outward-migration-frontier-119552

Edited June 29, 2023 by KJHburg

[wrldcoupe4]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:43 PM, eandslee said:

I want to see renderings. 

Here you go. 
https://richmondbizsense.com/2023/07/31/this-place-has-to-be-unique-master-plan-unveiled-for-next-37-acres-of-sauer-center/