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7th District Town Hall meeting

10/14/2006 12:54 PM by

Councilperson Delores McQuinn held a Town Hall meeting this morning at Mount Olivet Church. On the agenda were the plans for 25th Street and Nine Mile, the Echo Harbor project, an update from the First Precinct, and the East End Teen Center.

About 40 people were in attendance, including school board candidate Delores Murray and of course Delores McQuinn. Wric8 and another TV camera were both present.

RRHA 25th Street

RRHA has spent 3+ years aquiring property at 25th Street and Nine Mile, towards getting the property commercially developed. At this time, no developer or specific plan has been set. Residents envision a grocery store, a bank, a better post office, a bakery, and the like.

No specific timeline is currently available, though the project is intended to be underway sooner rather than later – more towards 2 years than 5 or 10. An audiance member pointed out that a similar clearing had happened in Fulton 40 years ago, and that there was still vacant land.

Echo Harbor Development Project

Echo Harbor is envisioned as a mixed-use development on Dock Street. The bulk of project would be 240 condos, along with a restaurant and a health club. The condos are to be priced at $360/sq.foot and up, with an average size of 1800 square feet.

Seeking rezoning to gain extra height, the developers are high-lighting the potential benefit of the project to the surrounding community. The developers describe the project as bringing activity to the river front and canal, an extension of the canal walk, and also connecting Church Hill and the river. The developers also claim that the project would lead to the development of 350 jobs, 115 those directly at the site and the rest in other businesses meeting the needs of the new residents. They also promise funds to improve and maintain Libby Hill Park.

One of the potential controversies is that the development would impact the view from Libby Hill (more about dock street, 10/10/06). The proposed design is for 2 3-tiered towers west of the current cement towers. The 3 tiers would be 90, 166, and 206 feet high, with high tower away from historic view.

The developer showed a renderings of the proposed development, including a view from Libby Hill Park, but would not allow me to photograph the renderings. They also stated that the images are not available online or in other promotional materials.

Richmond Police Department

The police representative did not show.

East End Teen Center Update

The East End Teen Center is a development aimed at renovating the old Rialroad Club into a teen center. The goal is to have somewhere compelling for older teens to go after school. Central to the project will be a recording studio. Renovation should be complete in the next 6-8 months.

See also:
East End Teen Center to get early face lift (5/13/05)
student essays honered (10/30/05)


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