I was out of town until Sunday, so I missed this top-of-the-fold editorial in the Sunday Richmond Times-Dispatch. Basically, the heads of Venture Richmond and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce "rah rah!" all over the idea of a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom.
Didn't we JUST shoot this idea down - massive mixed-use complex anchored by a minor league baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom - in 2009? What the heck has changed in three (3) years?
The only significant changes seem to be (i) Henrico and Chesterfield aren't going to contribute any money; and (ii) the Squirrels have offered to contribute $12M of an estimated $50M budget.
To which I say....who cares? All of the objections to the 2009 Shockoe Bottom proposal - access, traffic, crime, lack of attendance by suburbanites, financing, parking, and impact on significant historical sites - remain exactly the same, as far as I can tell.
Here's what I believe: For whatever reason, the business community that drives (almost?) all things City of Richmond-related remain bound and determined to have SOME massive public infrastructure project transform Shockoe Bottom. Apparently waiting for organic change while fostering private development just isn't enough. "Forget scalable investment! We want the next BIG Thing!" The baseball stadium proposal, Version 2.0, is just the latest and greatest "transformative" project they've gotten behind. Cf.Main Street Station Version 2.0 (retail), Sixth Street Marketplace, Canal Walk, Convention Center, Main Street Station Version 3.0 (train station), CenterStage, Main Street Station Version 4.0 (tourist hospitality center). Not a one of these projects has been the guaranteed success that was projected. Only a few, MANY years later, show signs of actually generating a return on investment.
For the same reasons as 2009, I think Shockoe Bottom is the wrong place for the replacement for the Diamond. Don't get me wrong, I WANT a new baseball stadium. Here's where I come out on the baseball stadium issue:
1. Put it on the Boulevard. Why can't it anchor retail and commercial development there? No one can explain to me why Big Box + stadium works in Shockoe Bottom, but not on the Boulevard.
OR
2. Put it in Manchester, on the Reynolds South Plant property, anchoring whatever retail/residential/commercial develoment they can get to come there.
Option 2...now THAT is a Big City, Big Boy transformative move, as a commenter on Charlie Diradour's Facebook page said the other day.
Comments