Navy Hill Progress Check

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A rendering of the proposed 17,500-seat arena central to the Navy Hill redevelopment plan. (Courtesy NH District Corp.)

As commissions and community members continue to weigh the impact of the proposed Navy Hill downtown redevelopment, parts of the $1.5 billion project are moving forward. 

If you have questions about the project and what it could mean for the city's future, there's no shortage of public meetings to make your voice heard. On Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to noon, 6th District City Councilwoman Ellen Robertson will host a discussion on Navy Hill at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, Room E11, where panelists including Navy Hill Minority Business Coordinator Mike Hopkins and Better Housing Coalition President and CEO Greta Harris will walk the audience through the proposal. 

Also this month, the city plans to hold a series of town hall meetings on the project, where Mayor Levar Stoney and city officials will discuss its benefits and field audience questions. The first of those meetings is set for Thursday, Nov. 14, at Carver Elementary School from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Although the proposal has yet to land on City Council's agenda for a final vote, recent steps forward have been taken. On Oct. 16, the Richmond Planning Commission recommended approval of six ordinances related to handing off city-owned properties across 10 downtown blocks to NH District Corp., the project’s developer. A City Council committee deferred action Monday on those ordinances until January.

On the developer's end, pieces are already in place for the arena to hit the ground running. Last week, Philadelphia-based company Spectra was announced as the entity selected to operate and manage the arena if City Council gives Navy Hill the green light. Spectra also would be in charge of booking events at the 17,500-seat arena, according to Jeff Kelley, spokesman for developer NH District Corp. In addition, NH District Corp. has said that it has a buyer interested in purchasing naming rights for the arena.

At the latest Navy Hill Development Advisory Commission meeting Nov. 2, Chairman Pierce Homer outlined risks that the city could face should City Council give the project its blessing.

One of the primary concerns highlighted by Homer was whether demand exists for a 17,500-seat arena.

As explained in a response from NH District Corp. to the commission, the arena is projected to host 181 events per year, with a total paid attendance of 683,000 -- but with the exception of an estimated five concerts per year that would have an average attendance of 15,000 people, attendance at other arena events is projected to total 8,500 or less, raising questions about the need for the arena to have a facility with 17,500 seats.

"It does establish a technical requirement of 17,500 seats, really, as a means to compete with Greensboro, Charlottesville, other places like that," Homer said. "The concern expressed here is that, is that sufficient to warrant a $300 million-plus investment in the arena?"

The advisory commission's next meeting will be Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Southside Community Service Center, 4100 Hull Street Road.

At a meet-and-greet with the announced arena operator last Saturday, Stoney said the project would turn a blighted area of downtown Richmond and the obsolete Richmond Coliseum into a tax-producing asset, which would help the city address ongoing challenges such as housing affordability, failing infrastructure, public safety and public education.

"The arena presents a magnet for investment, but also a catalyst for new revenue over the course of 30 years, which will create a surplus of $1 billion dollars so we can meet those wicked challenges," Stoney said.

As the arena's operator, Spectra also would invest $8 million into the venue's pre-construction costs. A familiar name in the area, Spectra manages food services at Virginia Commonwealth University and partnership sales for the Virginia State Fair, and operates the Greater Richmond Convention Center along with other venues in Petersburg, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and at other complexes across the country.

"[Richmond] is a strong ticket-buying market, we’re going to have a diverse set of events that we’re going to bring into this facility, something that’s going to make Richmond proud, and the 17,500 seats puts us in the game for every touring show that’s out there," said Todd Glickman, the company's executive vice president of business development and client relations. "We will compete with Charlottesville. Shows will not bypass Richmond anymore."

The Navy Hill Development Advisory Commission is set to deliver its recommendations to City Council in late December.