The owner of the Lady Byrd Hat building on Richmond's Canal Walk hopes to have a restaurant and live-music venue in the former Toad's Place by this fall.
"We are very close to something very exciting for that space," said Margaret Freund, owner of Fulton Hill Properties.
She would not identify her prospects but said she's working to address issues related to signs, parking and use of the Canal Walk to help the next tenant open with solid footing.
She also said her efforts are complicated by Toad's Place filing for bankruptcy last month. The 1,500-capacity live-music venue and restaurant opened in 2007 and attracted hundreds of concerts but closed in March after falling behind on rent. Fulton Hill Properties reopened the historic Lady Byrd Hat building about three years ago after a more than $7 million restoration.
Freund said she's talking with city officials about improving signs at Lady Byrd, with Reynolds Packaging officials about short-term use of a parking lot and with Venture Richmond about a lease for use of the city-owned Canal Walk.
She said she would like to be able to use the parking lot, across the Canal Walk from Lady Byrd, for events from the time that Reynolds closes its operations on the Canal Walk and in Manchester later this year until the property is sold.
"Maybe people who are not used to coming down there would find a way to do that" if parking were available on the Canal Walk, she said.
Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.
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