Comments on: Baseball may be leaving Northside; full-scale development on Boulevard proposed

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:10:03 +0000

By the way – if we think traffic is bad now, along that one stretch, wait until they start tearing up the Bottom.

Yikes.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:08:12 +0000

I stand corrected.

I was actually referring to the downtown location – which I avoid, generally, right now because of congestion that I had attributed to the new courthouse, as well as other messy building/remodeling projects. To be truthful, I don’t really pride myself on staying in the know with the myriad of condo ventures, etc., that continue to grow up around us.

I guess I was mostly talking in general terms, using that one spot as an example of large structures that used to be well-frequented as retail, reviving them to meet the more modern requirements. I wouldn’t say that I love Target. At all. I was just responding to what some other folks were saying that they would like to see located more conveniently for them. Tower Records in NYC comes to mind, anchoring that section of other, more independent retailers. Like that.

Good point, though, in post 12.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:38:17 +0000

I too would love to see some big name shops (Macy’s, Sear’s, Penny’s, etc)come into the city. I remember shopping downtown and it was so nice not to have to go to the west end. It would be even nicer to have mass transit also involved in the plan, other than GRTC, but I don’t think that will occur in my lifetime.

By: Betty

Betty — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:14:03 +0000

revenue. revenue. And shopping helps bring people back that may not like the west end but like to shop…
wait a minute… our schools suck…no one is coming back… sorry. Youre right. I have lived in the city almost my entire life (30 yrs in 23220)I am tired of having to go out to the west end for ANYTHING.

By: John

John — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:15:17 +0000

I think Shannon is referring to the non-descript art deco-ish building next to the Lowe’s on Broad Street (on the NW corner of Broad and Allen). It actually would make some sense for the city to develop that stretch of Broad into more of a large retail block — Kroger, Lowe’s, etc.

By: HB

HB — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:11:24 +0000

Shannon- Have you not gone past the old Miller & Rhodes lately? It is in the middle of development and has been for quite some time. Developers are nearing the end of their project which turns that block into a Hilton Garden Inn/high end apts and condos.

On another note, Church Hill and Northside residents have 2 Target locations within 10 mins of them. How much closer do you need to be? If you want to walk to your Target then I would suggest living off Libbie or near the new White Oak Plaza. I thought the beauty of living downtown, in distinct, historic neighborhoods was about getting away from the box stores. I love Target as much as the next person but I don’t want to live right next to one.

Another thing to keep in mind, Targets and Wal Marts rarely come by themselves. They are almost ALWAYS accompanied by other chains…. thus, bringing all that short pump mini-city look right into your neighborhood. Be careful what you ask for.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:05:24 +0000

RE: #5 Liz – exactly! What works in one place or city will not automatically work in another – Festival Marketplaces were all the rage back in the 70′s and 80′s…and we all know how well the 6th Street Marketplace worked out when Richmond decided to jump on that bandwagon. Hasn’t there been baseball played at the Diamond location since the 1940′s (anyone remember Parker Field?) – and attendance or access was never an issue. Shockoe Bottom is not the place for a stadium, and the Boulevard is not the place for an in-town version of Short Pump. The historic character and unique qualities of the Bottom and the position of the Boulevard as a gateway to the City are too important to squander with this plan!

Shannon at #6: where is the Miller and Rhoads Building that you’ve mentioned? You’re not talking about the building where the new hotel/condos are being built, are you?

By: Betty

Betty — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:29:01 +0000

LOVE that idea..maybe even pretty walkways and sitting areas

By: Diggy

Diggy — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:05:33 +0000

I believe this is an excellent opportunity for “placemaking” instead of just your basic run-of-the-mill retail development. I would love to see a small park incorporated into the design, and a public outdoor stage of some kind for concerts and festivals.

These are some cool websites that involve the concept of “placemaking”….

http://www.pps.org
(Has a great free e-newsletter – link at bottom right.)

http://www.places-journal.org

By: Shannon

Shannon — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:46:18 +0000

RE #2 Betty –

I was thinking that a good spot for a Target might be the old Miller & Rhodes building on Broad, with maybe a Barnes & Noble somewhere around there, too. Like Anchor stores in a mall, encouraging other, smaller businesses to be more comfortable in the shadow of the larger ones.

It would be great to have a Whole foods in that section of Downtown, too.