Train shed focus of Shockoe Bottom revitalization plan

Richmond's strategy for revitalizing Shockoe Bottom will begin with peeling the corrugated metal siding off the Main Street Station train shed.

Then, the historic landmark is envisioned to be turned into a glassy beacon for travelers and a hub of creativity and innovation.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones rolled out Tuesday a long-awaited plan for Shockoe Bottom that was first envisioned in 2009 as city officials were considering a large development proposal that included a minor-league ballpark.

"It's not a quick fix, but it lays the foundation for meaningful and strategic growth over the next years," Jones said of the city's plan.

Instead of a ballpark, the Shockoe Economic Revitalization Strategy recommends a broad framework of ideas for development, as well as marketing strategies and other initiatives that build on a scheduled third phase of renovations to the 1901 train station.

The $28 million project, which is largely federally funded and scheduled to begin in June, will enclose the two-level shed, or concourse, in glass and allow Franklin Street to be reopened between downtown and Shockoe Bottom. The project is slated for completion in 2014.

The strategy suggests opening a welcome center on the building's first level that would accommodate bicyclists from the Virginia Capital Trail and other travelers as well as highlight the area's rich and multifaceted history, which includes Native American and English settlements along the James River, Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" speech, religious freedom and the slave trade.

"It's all right here, and I don't think we have yet told that story wonderfully and beautifully," said Jeannie Welliver, a project manager for city's department of economic and community development.

Other ideas include enhancing the 17th Street Farmers' Market, establishing heritage and arts districts, and promoting village-style development with plenty of entertainment, as well as retail and other uses. Overall, the area would be marketed as a center of creativity and innovation.

"Urban development does not take place via the silver-bullet method," said Peter H. Chapman, the city's deputy chief administrative officer for economic and community development. "This is about heavy lifting and creating a framework that's going to be favorable for long-term growth and development of Shockoe Bottom."

To overcome the obstacle of developing in a flood-prone area, the plan suggests the city pursue a special tax-financing method, which had been envisioned as part of the Shockoe Center ballpark proposal. Overall, the strategy identifies about $70 million in public-infrastructure improvements, with about $45 million already approved or identified for funding.

Officials cautioned that the plan offers concepts that will require plenty of fleshing out over the coming months and years. For example, no specific user or mix of users is being offered for most of the 120,000-square-foot train shed, which is shuttered and has had past lives as state offices and a failed mall during the 1980s. Until recently, GRTC Transit System had proposed to use the train shed as a bus transfer center.

One idea calls for designating the space as a center of creativity and then marketing the restored train station and its proximity along Interstate 95 to prospective tenants. Welliver suggested there would be no grander location south along I-95 until Miami.

"If we make this the most gorgeous, iconic structure in the region adjacent to (Interstate) 95 … we are going to capitalize upon it like never before," she said.

David Napier, president of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association, said he's eager to see the train shed reopened and improved but also feels a strong sense of déjà vu. Some of the ideas, including tax-incremental financing and marketing to national retailers, were rolled out as part of the Shockoe Center ballpark proposal.

"We're back to where we were years ago," he said. "I just hope this time we'll get this train station done."

The study cost about $150,000 and was prepared with the help of Bay Area Economics of San Francisco, Urban Collage of Atlanta, and Huntley Partners of Atlanta.

As part of the strategy, the city would eventually issue a request for proposals for use or development of city-owned property around the train station. However, officials emphasized that revitalization of Shockoe Bottom will require private and public sectors working together.

"I think it's an exciting vision for the Bottom," City Council President Kathy C. Graziano said. "The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. We'll have to see how the plan moves forward."