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Cold Storage to be apartments, restaurants, brewery
06/21/2007 4:19 PM by John M
Historic Housing has plans to renovate the Cold Storage complex into more than 300 apartments, a couple of restaurants, and a new micro-brewery. [via]
Info from the City’s Ordinance and Resolution website about the rezoning for this property:
2006-278-279
2006-277-278
2006-193-199
This is great! Every time I drove past that place I pictured it with people living there. I think it’s a great location.
Too bad it’ll be Apirl 2009 (that is if they don’t have the usual delays), a brewery and another restaurant within walkind distance would be awesome! I drive this way home everyday and it’s so run down and sad. It could use some new life. I only hope they intend to deal w/parking right off the bat. It gets terribly crowed with hospital employees parking on Marshall b/t 17 and 21st streets and congested w/traffic in evening rush hour.
The RTD picks this up today with Cold Storage site is hot – $60 million project will turn historic buildings into chic apartments; Urban Richmond has commentary, too.
I hope that the brewery is part of the first phase.
This is a wonderful announcement for the area. We need more of these developments to continue to transform the area’s empty, desolate and undeveloped areas. Great News!
I think the roof caved in a few years back on one of the buildings? And “more” condos? They couldn’t even sell off the ones at Nolde’s Bread Factory so now leasing them.
The idea was when they spent all of those millions to renovate the Main Street train station, it was to make it the only station in Richmond eventually closing down the Staples Mill depot. But the government (Amtrak) had second thoughts during the 11th hour and made it a whistle stop instead and not even that these days. Also the Maglev (magnetic flotation) train was to be introduced for service between Washington and Richmond with only a 45 minute commute and that too died. The mass renovations and condo boom was due to the hopes people from DC would move to Richmond which had cheaper housing and still work in DC. Since that all went down the drain there was a glut of converted buildings and restored houses that is slow to move. There has to be a saturation point somewhere where supply exceeds demand?
Eric
There are probably too many condos on the market right now, but I don’t see any sense in complaining about someone coming in to renovate collapsing buildings. Even if they are empty, it will make the blocks look a lot better. The saturation point of condos has long been breeched. Rockets Landing is going to be 20 blocks!, The Vistas is still not full, and construction has just begun on an even bigger building on Main Street near 5th. Hopefully with the more people move into the city, the better things will be for everyone. More stores, more restaurants, less crime, more fun.
The work going on at Main and 5th is the beginning stages for the demolition of the existing structures to make room for the new building. That is to be a mixed use of retail/dining, hotel, and condos. The engineering for this structure has yet to begin so I don’t see this being built and further flooding the condo market for at least 4 years.
What about the brewery? I saw a piece on this in Style (I think) and the owner of the brewer thought they would be ready for business in 1-2 years.
Hmmm… what is going on here? I pass by these buildings daily and it seems everything is at a standstill. They knocked out some interior concrete and piled it on the ground by the loading docks but that is it. And haven’t seen anything going on with the buildings at 414-420 or the 423 building?
Eric
This has to be one of the slowest moving and non visual redevelopments I have seen – a snails pace (Bill Slowsky would be proud!).
It looks like they are working on only half of the buildings and doing nothing to the others across the street from it (the side where the Ice Plant building was demolished).
What is the latest on this condo / micro brewery development?
It appears that the POD (site plan) for the project has been approved. I’m assuming all of the other paper work and review to ensure historic tax credits has had it’s part in holding up this project as well.
Lets just all be thankful that these old buildings are being brought back to life and not being razed. Can’t wait for the brewery.
All you can think about is a “brewery” coming? Very narrow minded when you can buy beer anywhere or make your own home brew. I don’t get the big draw to that aspect?
Glad to see that these buildings are finally being worked on. I know that windows will have to be incorporated into the sides and hope planned so no to destroy the architectural balance or done sloppy so it looks patched around them. Yet, nothing is being done to the other buildings. Who will want to rent a high end apartment next to a dilapidated rat infested building in a non secure area? Best to do all of them at once!
Eric
I think that the property at Broad, Raven Place is the first phase which I think is complete and looks great. These projects almost have to be done in phases especially now, with the economy being what it is and the banks not willing to lend as much. Tackling the entire thing at once rarely makes sense unless you have an endless supply of money. If they had done them all at once in this bad economy they would probably have gone bankrupt by now anyway. They need to rent the first phase to pay for the second phase and so on. There is less risk that way. Someone has to pay all those contractors and mortgages. This is going to be a great project for the area. Better late than never. Hope that the Brewery is still part of the plan. Buying beer at the store and making beer at home is not the same as visiting a true to life brewery (Steven).
I think I read somewhere that the exterior fabric of the cold storage facility can’t be altered meaning that no new windows will be cut into the brick. They will be using some creative lighting solutions and designing the units in a way that will allow enough natural lighting to meet code.