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City Center Updates

Click here to view a handout with additional information about City Center.  

City Center Handout

 

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City Center

Solicitation Process

Rendering of Potential City Center

The Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond, Virginia (“EDA”), in collaboration with the Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority (“GRCCA”), is in the midst of a solicitation process to select a development partner interested in purchasing and redeveloping approximately 9.4 acres of under-utilized, EDA-owned property in Richmond’s City Center Innovation District (“City Center”). The vision for City Center is to redevelop the area to become a mixed-use, mixed-income urban innovation district destination anchored by a headquarter hotel supporting the Greater Richmond Convention Center along with commercial, educational, and residential development to create a dynamic downtown.  

Request for Offers

The EDA and GRCCA issued a Request for Interest (RFO) to four teams that responded to the RFI. The four teams invited to respond to the RFO are (listed alphabetically): Capstone Development, LLC; City Center Gateway Partners; Lincoln Property Company; and Richmond Community Development Partners.

Issuance date: Friday, March 10, 2023
Submission due: Thursday, April 20, 2023 by 3:00 P.M. ET

one page development plan
one page development plan
one page development plan

one page development plan

Downloads:

Request for Interest

The EDA and GRCCA issued a Request for Interest (RFI) on November 3, 2022 and received five submissions on December 20, 2022. 

Downloads:

City Center Site Visit

The Economic Development Authority and the Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority hosted an in-person site visit on November 29, 2022. 

City Center Feedback Form

Please use this form to submit your comments about the City Center Request for Information. Comments will be reviewed every other week. 

City Center Feedback Form

 

The City Center Phase One Parcels are comprised of approximately 9.5 acres containing the Richmond Coliseum, historic Blues Armory, and former 6th Street Marketplace. 

Parcel ID Street Address Current Use Acreage
N0000007001 601 E Leigh St  Coliseum (vacant & unused) 7.36
N0000011034 530 E Marshall St  6th St Marketplace (vacant & unused) / park 0.22
N0000011032 550 E Marshall St  6th St Marketplace (vacant & unused) / park 0.404
N0000006025 408 A N 7th St  Park space 0.428
N0000006025B 411 N 6th St  Blues Armory (vacant & unused) 0.487
N0000006004 406 N 7th St  Park space

0.574

The Evaluation Panel is comprised of 12 members, including EDA board members, GRCCA finance committee members, and city administrative staff. The panel will be assessing each of the submissions based on the evaluation criteria laid out in the RFI document. The criteria can be grouped into five categories:
•    Development team qualifications – financial capability, years of experience, diversity of team, and more;
•    Experience with urban mixed-use projects – experience with urban mixed-use redevelopment projects and proven capacity to deliver project requirements;
•    Equitable development benefits – employment opportunities, affordable housing, sustainability, resiliency, and more; 
•    Project understanding – a solid understanding for accomplishing the city’s goals; and
•    Financing approach – having provided a financing approach that minimizes public investment.

Communication with the Panel: Members of the public can send comments/questions to the City Center Evaluation Panel by using this form. Do not email the Evaluation Panel members, staff, or advisors about the Diamond District project (emails sent directly to the Evaluation Panel about this project will not be read). Comments/questions will be reviewed periodically and distributed to the Evaluation Panel during the evaluation process.

Evaluation Panel Members

  • Nupa Agarwal – Richmond EDA Board Member
  • Jack Berry – President & CEO of Richmond Region Tourism
  • Melvin D. Carter – City of Richmond Chief of Fire
  • Sharon L. EbertCity of Richmond Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Planning and Economic Development  
  • Pat Foster City of Richmond Director of the Office of Minority Business Development 
  • Brandon Hinton – GRCCA Finance Committee Chair
  • Nathan Hughes Richmond EDA Board Treasurer
  • Lynne LancasterCity of Richmond Deputy Director of Public Works Deputy Director 
  • Ellen Robertson – City of Richmond 6th District Council Member
  • J.E. Lincoln SaundersCity of Richmond Chief Administrative Officer and GRCCA Board Chair
  • Leonard L. SledgeRichmond EDA Executive Director and City of Richmond Director of Economic Development  
  • Sheila D. WhiteCity of Richmond Director of Finance 

Advisors
Additional Advisors may be added as the evaluation process progresses.

  • Maritza Mercado Pechin – City of Richmond Deputy Director of Planning and Development Review
  • Matthew A. Welch – City of Richmond Policy Advisor to the Planning and Economic Development Portfolio

Pre-solicitation Milestones

2020-2021: Small Area Plan Development

The City Center Small Area Plan was adopted by Richmond City Council in January 2022. The Small Area Plan sets a vision, goals, and strategies for creating a City Center in the core of Richmond’s Downtown. The City and the EDA own approximately 26 acres of land in the Downtown that are in either poor condition, are underutilized, or both and is seeking private partners to redevelop the parcels. The final City Center Innovation District Small Area Plan can be downloaded at: https://www.rva.gov/planning-development-review/city-center 

ColiseumMay 2022: Properties Transferred to the EDA

On May 18, 2022, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board of Commissioners approved the transfer of the Blues Armory properties to the EDA. On May 23, 2022, Richmond City Council approved the transfer of the Coliseum to the EDA to prepare for the redevelopment of the Coliseum and implement the vision for City Center via Ordinance 2022-144.

September 2022

The greater City Center was rezoned in accordance with the City Center Small Area Plan.

November 2022

The EDA and GRCCA issued a joint Request for Interest to begin the process to select a development partner to redevelop the Phase 1 Parcels.