OK, I know I am being unreasonably prolific today, but the news that a VCU-City Stadium deal is imminent has got me both fired up and feeling like I am racing against a clock. Also I write fast, although not necessarily well.
So, in no particular order, here are my Top Ten Reasons VCU Should NOT Get City Stadium:
10. It is happening too fast. If VCU doesn't even know if they'll have football, why do they need the stadium now, now, NOW?
9. The City hasn't explored adequately other options for the site.
8. The site should be Master Planned. Why aren't we asking the question: What is the highest and best use for that parcel?
7. The community stakeholders have a right to be involved. I know the Big Entities - be they VCU or other businesses - generally hate the idea of charettes and community meetings. I think the strong perception is that community involvement just screws stuff up. But guess what? We live in a democracy and this property is owned by the City. The community has a right to be involved in the decision-making process about what happens to that property. Why does it seem community input is not respected and considered critical to the process by a popularly elected mayor and his administration?
6. Selling an extremely valuable developable parcel to a state-owned entity that will not pay real estate taxes makes NO SENSE. The City will receive a fraction of what the property developed would be worth, and an even smaller fraction of the real estate tax revenue value over time of a developed parcel.
5. Giving away an extremely valuable developable parcel to a state-owned entity that will not pay real estate taxes makes EVEN LESS SENSE.
4. There are other, better places for a VCU football stadium, if they really have to have one. For example, why not master plan the existing Diamond/Arthur Ashe Center/Sportsbackers Stadium site on Boulevard as a sports and entertainment complex? Now THAT makes some sense. The Flying Squirrels put their money where their mouth is, invested $2M+ in the Diamond for their inaugural season, and EXECUTED. They did an absolutely amazing job. I'll even begrudgingly admit that the name "Flying Squirrels" works. But here's the deal, City of Richmond: We need to build them a new stadium. That was the deal we made when they came here. And they want to be on the Boulevard. Wouldn't that be awesome? That whole site as a sports complex, with all the ancillary businesses that would spring up around. There already is a lot good going happening on and around the Boulevard. I really think this would work.
[NOTE: I know I am going to get lots of flack for saying this, but I think we have to be able to consider the site as a blank slate. That means the Arthur Ashe Center and Sportsbackers Stadium may have to go. I want the them to come back, don't get me wrong, but I believe in order to do it right, the City/RMA/Squirrels/whomever has to have carte blanche to master plan that 65+ acre site.]
3. VCU needs to not get its way, for once. VCU rolls rough-shod over the City when it wants something. They don't always respect the community. Heck, sometimes they just disregard the community and do whatever they want anyway. As examples, see promises made and broken to Oregon Hill, to the Fan. And witness their attitude towards West Hospital, which preservationists tried to save. Or The Museum of the Confederacy, which has been essentially swallowed up by the VCU Medical Center.
2. If VCU is concerned about being "landlocked," they need to think hard about responsible urban infill development, rather than chewing up ever more and more and more property, like some monster Blob.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON VCU SHOULDN'T GET CITY STADIUM:
10. The City has the opportunity to control the development of the City Stadium parcel. The City has the opportunity to do something great for the City and its residents. City Stadium should be developed. But it needs to be developed the right way. I don't know what the "right way" is. I don't know whether that site should be residential, or mixed use, or mixed income, or what. But I personally think some type of development makes sense for that site. Lord knows we need additional income-producing property in the City, be it residential, commercial, or retail. And the City has the opportunity to do it right. To CHOOSE what we want to be, not just take whatever tired hand-me-downs VCU or any other developer wants to give us. Why would we give up that control?
This is a critical moment in Richmond's development. Is the City administration going to rise to the occasion? Are the citizens going to step up and say at the very least, "Go Slower!"? Personally, I really hope the answer is "yes" on both counts.
That's my $.02. Comments welcome.


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