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• Ballpark issue is topic of Public Square forum
• Ballpark is bad fit for Bottom, activist argues
• Businessman is passionate advocate for baseball in Richmond
• Give Shockoe Center plan a chance, developer says
• Shockoe-stadium foe says plan is bad deal for taxpayers
Charlie Diradour isn't afraid to take a stand, especially about issues that concern his hometown.
His roots in Richmond date to the 1920s, when his grandfather immigrated from Armenia. As Diradour puts its, he has a passion to be a steward to the city for what it provided him and his family -- the chance to make a living.
"It's very important to stand up against what I think is wrong, or stand up for what I think is right," said Diradour, who hails from a family of successful real estate investors.
Diradour, 45, is leading a charge against developing a baseball complex in Shockoe Bottom. He formed a Web site and Facebook group in support of keeping baseball on the Boulevard through either a major renovation of The Diamond or construction of a new stadium.
He contends it would be less expensive than building in Shockoe and the more-western location would be convenient for baseball fans who live in the counties.
Until a decision on a home for baseball is final, Diradour promises to continue his opposition to public bonds to build a $60 million ballpark in the Bottom.
"My duty, as the person who started this, is to see it through to the end," said Diradour, president of Lion's Paw Development Co. "Good or bad . . . win or lose, I'm going to see this through to the end."
Diradour owns primarily corner properties in the Fan District -- deLux, Kuba Kuba, Buddy's Place restaurant -- but is venturing west along the Libbie and Grove corridor and north into Henrico County.
A self-described conservative developer, Diradour said he doesn't have real estate holdings on the Boulevard or in Shockoe Bottom. He believes city residents, not a group of developers, should decide where a stadium is built.
"I think that Charlie is a bottom-line, fiscal realist," former Richmond City Council President William J. Pantele said. "I think his voice is one of 'what makes business sense and what are the alternatives and which is the best deal -- which is the wisest course in terms of public money in investment.'"
Diradour worked closely with Pantele last fall when the former councilman ran unsuccessfully for mayor.
From his office on North Robinson Street, Diradour argues that the proposal to build a stadium in the Bottom is too financially risky for city taxpayers.
"As a lifelong Democrat, a Virginia conservative Democrat . . . I cannot stand by while three or four wealthy developers become wealthier by pinning their desires to place a baseball stadium where they want to on the fiscal backs of the populace of the city of Richmond," he said.
Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or jslayton@timesdispatch.com.
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