Shockoe Bottom Revitalization Strategy A Glass House

Last night press, city officials, and a smattering of citizens gathered in train shed that was once abandoned, then a mall, then government offices, and now abandoned again. There was a reason that the city unveiled it’s $150K Shockoe Bottom Revitalization Strategy at a location more fitting for a low-budget zombie film than a public meeting. The train shed will be the lynchpin in the planned rebirth of Shockoe Bottom.

When done, the renovated train shed hopes to be the most iconic building viewable from I-95 between Washington D.C. and Miami–however, extensive renovations are needed to achieve that lofty goal. At this point the renovation is the only definitive plan set to go forward. The metal walls will come down and glass walls will go up. The roof will be replaced. Work will start this June and wrap up sometime 2014. The cost, a mere $28 million.

The lower level will see a re-connecting of Franklin street. The Virginia Capital Trail will terminate, and the possibility of bike share was mentioned. A yet to be fleshed out museum, or historical center, will show off the varied history of the area and serve as gateway to enjoying these features. The front of Main Street Station will see some change as well as folks will be able to enter from the street level at the front of the station. The rest of the empty space can be used for a variety undefined uses including, but not limited to, retail.

The upper level is an enormous space and with the addition of glass walls it will feel absolutely massive. The plan is to divide up that space, but divide into what is undefined at this point. One of the possibilities mentioned was both local retail and national chains, but previous attempts to attract a big name chain have failed. Another possibility mentioned was a flexible office environment where individuals and small start-up companies can rent space ranging from virtual (mail box and conference center privileges) to hourly or monthly. Williams Jackson Ewing (WJE) has been hired to develop marketing and handle the leasing.

It was drilled into everyone’s head that the Shockoe Bottom Revitalization Strategy is neither a “silver bullet” to solve the area’s problems nor a plan for bringing about change. Rather, it is a series of ideas that will be left up to the city to figure out how to implement. Here’s a brief look at what’s left to figure out and the solutions to those issues as outlined by the Strategy.

• Improve the Farmers’ Market – Renovate the market, develop a public square, and host year round events.
• Heritage District – Slavery museum and integration of the slave trail. (long term vision)
• Revise Zoning - Change current M-1 and M-2 industrial zones to more compatible zones including restaurant, entertainment, and housing.
• Improve Streets, Sidewalks, Bike Lanes – Repair what’s broken and improve what’s there.
• Targeted Marketing – Promote the area as a tourist destination.
• Public Infrastructure Improvements - $70 million in costs, aproxiametely $45 million already targeted or approved (source RTD)

The strategy looks sound, but at this point the only definite is a large glass building. There are still several pieces of this puzzle that need to be worked out, and until we see a plan to fit those pieces together I’m holding my enthusiasm in check.