echo harbor changes design

The condos are still ugly and still block the view, which consists of more than the bend in the river. The bend is a part of a larger panorama. It’s humorous how much the developer keeps trying to play down the view, first claiming there’s nothing to look at but a treatment plant and then calling the view “so-called historic.” If there’s so little worth looking at, then why do they want to build condos there?

He has but an empty lot does not employ people nor generates revenue for services. Maybe that’s the big picture.

This is at least a sign of the developer’s willingness to work with the City and residents. I’m sure responses to the quality of the design could also be addressed. It also incorporates Green Design, which would hopefully set a benchmark for future development in the City (if the building is constructed). I acknowledge that it may still obstruct some of the historic view and that we have an over-saturation of condos in the City, but I’d still call the design revision a success. If we keep working with the developer, then maybe something positive will develop for all parties involved.

Da mn you magneto…. you may be my sworn enemy, but I will conceed the point here. Compromises are better than no compromises. The city has to grow to avoid stagnation, and sadly, sometiems views get sacrificed. So if we can accept that Church Hill residents are not Yurtle the Turtle and do not rule supreme over all the land we survey, and actually work with the developer, we might find that he is willing do build something we can live with.

They’re still trying to appropriate our public amenity, the view. Or is that a so-called view of a water treatment plant? Unless the tops of those towers drop below the horizon, I don’t see much in the way of a compromise. Also, I don’t think their simulation gives a clear picture of the true visual impact of the towers.

Richmond’s so-called need for growth does not equate to a need for an ugly condo development, given the oversaturated condo market and the fact that this development drops high density housing smack at a traffic bottleneck in a flood plain. Smart growth would be to develop the myriad vacant buildings and lots in Church Hill, Manchester, and throughout the city with appropriate housing, and to create a true public waterfront by extending Great Ship Lock Park to the east. Too bad smart growth has a lower profit margin.

Also, it is important not to discount the value of an undeveloped flood plain. First of all, disaster recovery is much cheaper and faster. In the second place, a flood plain serves an important function during a flood, especially when there are flood control measures upstream. Flood walls create faster, deeper, and more damaging floodwaters by pushing all the water towards the middle of the river. The flood plain gives the water a place to spread out and slow down, reducing its power to create more damage further downstream.

And again, we should keep our view. We can’t all have a grand, panoramic view from our houses, but we can all go down to the park and share the view with our neighbors. That’s how to develop a community.

No design change can ignore that they are building on land that floods if the river level rises several feet. They cannot use the three floors for living. Also consider the expense to the city to build new roads to accommodate the new traffic. They will probably have to build an expressway down the center of the river.

Instead of building more unaffordable condos, how about waiting it out to see how Rocketts Landing does?I find it hard to believe that most people in this area can afford $400,000 for a one bedroom 900 sq ft condo! I think that there are very few that can. They just built more homes in Varina for $300,000 that no one is buying because that cannot afford.

The RTD editorial has come out in favor of the Echo Harbour Project. See yesterday’s RTD editoral section.

Empty condos do little for the city. The same investment schemes that drove the stock market day trader bubble a few years ago are now driving this trend to build condos on anything that is not moving. Heck, I am afraid to take a nap in the park, less someone build a condo on me. And, as several people have noted, these condos are not selling. They are remaining vacant, and being traded from holding company to holding company. The Echo Harbor people do not really care about this trend because they plan to dump the losses on another company as soon as the building is complete.

Richmond needs to grow, but vacant buildings are not the key to this.