The developers of a key piece of the Canal Walk received a zoning exemption from City Council last night, which will allow apartments along certain stretches of the canal instead of restaurants or offices.
Under the current zoning, any redevelopment of the Reynolds North Plant would have required commercial uses on the ground floor. The special use permit approved last night by Council will let developers, The WVS Companies. and Fountainhead Development, to instead put apartments along the sections between 10th and 11th streets and 12th and 13th streets. An exemption was also granted for a section along the west side of 11th street.
The developers are seeking to build 225 apartments, initially.
Richard Souter, vice president of WVS, said the request was logical for the space.
“There is not a good access point for those particular areas,” Souter said, “Anyone who would walk there would not nominate those as viable street frontages.”
At one point a bridge was planned that would make the steep area along the exempted section easier to reach, but it was never built.
Souter said instead they would develop the required commercial space, primarily restaurants and retail, in other areas of the project—some of which will be along the canal. The ground floor of the Italianate building at 11th Street will be devoted to commercial uses and covers about 7,400 square feet. The entire property encompasses six acres and later phases call for new high and mid-rise buildings, which will also include ground level retail. Ultimately, Souter said there will be more commercial space required under the new permit than under the existing zoning.
City Council approved the special use permit unanimously, with First District Councilman Bruce Tyler abstaining because of a conflict of interest.
One person spoke in opposition to the proposal. Downtown resident Jack Pearsall said he was a member of the Canal Council, a precursor to the Richmond Riverfront Development Corporation, and that the zoning changes are not inline with their original vision.
“[In 1988] we recognized to be successful we had to have commercial, pedestrian-orientated commercial,” Pearsall said.
What they envisioned was something akin to the San Antonio riverfront, which is a bustling retail district, he told council.
“Having sections without commercial would put a damper on that use. This is a key section,” said Pearsall.
“We got to think twice about having a block that is suddenly residential instead of inviting the crowds we want.”
After the permit was approved, Pearsall said he still believes the project would be a success.
But the permit is only half of the battle. To construct the new concept as they plan, the developers will also have to gain exceptions to restrictive covenants, which were put in place when the Canal Walk was created in 1994.
Jack Berry, executive director of Venture Richmond, also spoke before council to inform them of the covenants, which require certain architectural conditions and certain uses along the canal—specifically ground level commercial space.
“There are currently several instances where the covenants are more restrictive than the special use permit before you tonight,” Berry said.
Berry added that his group is currently in discussions with the developer as to what changes to the covenants they are willing to make.
“[The developers] have come to Venture Richmond to ask for exemptions and some amendments [to the covenants], which we are in the process of considering through the Riverfront Committee,” Berry said in an interview before the meeting.
“We are very committed to active uses along the Canal Walk, as I believe they are. We expect to work things through,” Berry said.
Previously on BizSense:
Developers cling to Reynolds site
Al Harris covers commercial real estate for BizSense. Please send news tips to [email protected].
The developers of a key piece of the Canal Walk received a zoning exemption from City Council last night, which will allow apartments along certain stretches of the canal instead of restaurants or offices.
Under the current zoning, any redevelopment of the Reynolds North Plant would have required commercial uses on the ground floor. The special use permit approved last night by Council will let developers, The WVS Companies. and Fountainhead Development, to instead put apartments along the sections between 10th and 11th streets and 12th and 13th streets. An exemption was also granted for a section along the west side of 11th street.
The developers are seeking to build 225 apartments, initially.
Richard Souter, vice president of WVS, said the request was logical for the space.
“There is not a good access point for those particular areas,” Souter said, “Anyone who would walk there would not nominate those as viable street frontages.”
At one point a bridge was planned that would make the steep area along the exempted section easier to reach, but it was never built.
Souter said instead they would develop the required commercial space, primarily restaurants and retail, in other areas of the project—some of which will be along the canal. The ground floor of the Italianate building at 11th Street will be devoted to commercial uses and covers about 7,400 square feet. The entire property encompasses six acres and later phases call for new high and mid-rise buildings, which will also include ground level retail. Ultimately, Souter said there will be more commercial space required under the new permit than under the existing zoning.
City Council approved the special use permit unanimously, with First District Councilman Bruce Tyler abstaining because of a conflict of interest.
One person spoke in opposition to the proposal. Downtown resident Jack Pearsall said he was a member of the Canal Council, a precursor to the Richmond Riverfront Development Corporation, and that the zoning changes are not inline with their original vision.
“[In 1988] we recognized to be successful we had to have commercial, pedestrian-orientated commercial,” Pearsall said.
What they envisioned was something akin to the San Antonio riverfront, which is a bustling retail district, he told council.
“Having sections without commercial would put a damper on that use. This is a key section,” said Pearsall.
“We got to think twice about having a block that is suddenly residential instead of inviting the crowds we want.”
After the permit was approved, Pearsall said he still believes the project would be a success.
But the permit is only half of the battle. To construct the new concept as they plan, the developers will also have to gain exceptions to restrictive covenants, which were put in place when the Canal Walk was created in 1994.
Jack Berry, executive director of Venture Richmond, also spoke before council to inform them of the covenants, which require certain architectural conditions and certain uses along the canal—specifically ground level commercial space.
“There are currently several instances where the covenants are more restrictive than the special use permit before you tonight,” Berry said.
Berry added that his group is currently in discussions with the developer as to what changes to the covenants they are willing to make.
“[The developers] have come to Venture Richmond to ask for exemptions and some amendments [to the covenants], which we are in the process of considering through the Riverfront Committee,” Berry said in an interview before the meeting.
“We are very committed to active uses along the Canal Walk, as I believe they are. We expect to work things through,” Berry said.
Previously on BizSense:
Developers cling to Reynolds site
Al Harris covers commercial real estate for BizSense. Please send news tips to [email protected].
That is a perfect area for apartments – glad to see this modification was approved. Richmond desperately needs more downtown living areas that aren’t near VCU, or somehow tied into VCU.
This is probably the right decision for the developer, but I fear it’s the wrong decision for the canal walk in the long run. First floor commercial is vital for the canal walk if it is to be a significant tourist destination and if the canal walk is to function as a cohesive area (imagine the disruption of walking through Carytown and encountering three blocks of apartments). Moreover, the commercial requirement forces developers to be creative and competitive in attracting commercial tenants, adding to the potential of the area to offer something no other area of the city offers. In… Read more »
I like the concept of more apartments, condos and residential units along the canl, but the devlopers should bull doze ALLK of the old Reynolds buildings and start from scratch with a fresh look that fits into the canal walk.
“In San Antonio, you see the canal lined with tiny little businesses… ice cream shops, henna painting, wine bars, taffy stands, restaurants, even an amphitheater where nightly performances depict the history of the area. I’m sure managing all of that is a lot more work than throwing up a bunch of apartments (and yes, less profitable for the developer), but it’s essential in creating a unique, balanced and diverse community.” YES. Its sad that the City gave Cordish a $50 million loan and yet we are still trying to get some organic growth going on the Canal Walk. Its pretty… Read more »