Richmond Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic and Community Development Sharon Ebert leads a group through the area around the Richmond Coliseum that is proposed for redevelopment. (Photo by Rodrigo Arriaza)
During a walk through the proposed Navy Hill downtown redevelopment area on Tuesday, Richmond Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic and Community Development Sharon Ebert pointed out the properties involved and explained what could take their place.
The guided tour was part of a "field trip" event offered by Richmond Region Tourism, in which participants broke into groups, each with a different leader.
The $1.5 billion downtown redevelopment proposal lays out a vision for a bustling city center with a new 17,500-seat arena and hotel, as well as a renovated Blues Armory, mixed-use retail, office and residential buildings and a GRTC transfer station — elements that would replace the Richmond Coliseum and its surroundings.
Through a series of meetings, Richmond City Council and an advisory commission formed to evaluate the project are now reviewing the Navy Hill proposal and its potential economic impact.
Under the Navy Hill plan, a 525-room hotel would replace a walkway behind the Blues Armory, overlooking the new 17,500-seat arena. (Photo by Rodrigo Arriaza)
As she led a group through the courtyard in front of the Coliseum, Ebert explained that the pedestrian path would be replaced with residential subdivisions, along with office and retail space, which would wrap around the massive new arena. A 525-room hotel also would fill a walkway behind the Blues Armory. Existing green space surrounding the Coliseum largely would be removed to make way for shops and apartments, she said.
“The new arena will never be just a stand-alone building. It is always going to be a mixed-use building with office, retail and residential,” Ebert told the group.
As the courtyard gave way to East Clay Street, Ebert stressed that all city-owned parking decks would stay in place under the Navy Hill proposal, though the areas around them would be redeveloped.
Using the Coliseum parking deck at the corner of North Eighth and East Clay streets as an example, she said that although the deck would remain untouched by the redevelopment, the segment of East Clay Street running beside the deck would be replaced with a mixed-use development with ground-level stores and apartments on the upper levels.
Under the Navy Hill redevelopment proposal, bus riders would be able to use a new GRTC transfer center at the site of a parking lot along East Clay Street in front of the John Marshall Courts Building. (Photo by Rodrigo Arriaza)
Across the street, a parking lot in front of the John Marshall Courts Building would become the site of a new GRTC transfer center, which also would be surrounded by residential towers and stores.
“We’re trying to make sure that this particular side of Clay Street has retail events going on in it, so it’s not this blank canvas that you see right now,” Ebert said.
An atrium connected to the Blues Armory would be taken down in favor of a pedestrian-focused street. (Photo by Rodrigo Arriaza)
A revamped Blues Armory also would see big changes under the Navy Hill plan. The old Sixth Street Marketplace on the first floor of the Armory would make way for a grocery store, while the second and third floors would house a music venue and a ballroom event area, respectively.
A look at the third floor of the Blues Armory, which would become a large-scale ballroom area under the Navy Hill redevelopment plan. The event space would be directly connected to the new hotel. (Photo by Rodrigo Arriaza)
