Exclusive: Developers drop Shockoe ballpark project
Highwoods Properties
Developers had proposed a $363 million project in Shockoe Bottom that would include a baseball stadium residential and commercial areas.
A plan for baseball in Shockoe Bottom is dead.
Developers of the proposed Shockoe Center ballpark announced this afternoon that they're walking away from the project as well as a proposal for development along the Boulevard.
"We have carried these projects as far as our collaborative team can under the present circumstances," the development team led by Highwoods Properties said in a statement released to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The developers said their efforts aimed at revitalizing Shockoe Bottom and the Boulevard have been overshadowed by debate over the ballpark.
They also said the "good faith" but ultimately unsuccessful effort by a group of local investors to buy a baseball team had "fundamentally altered the way minor-league baseball will now return to Richmond.
"The city will need to negotiate directly with any new team owner on such issues as location, timing and financing of a new ballpark."
A statement from Mayor Dwight C. Jones is forthcoming, according to his press secretary, Tammy D. Hawley.
For more details on why the plan was dropped, see tomorrow's Times-Dispatch.
-- Will Jones
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Reader Reactions
MY screed is meant for narrow minded people that think taxpayer money going to a project to make this city better is a bad idea. And that taxpayers money shouldnt be used for it. Well, I’m a tax payer and I wouldnt mind my tax money going to it. And, from the comments I see here, most of the folks agee that getting a sports venue here is going to make the city a better place to live.
Jack, its close-minded thinking like yours that sees this project as ONLY a ballpark or ONLY a “juvenile sports addiction.“ All bickering aside, the ballpark was meant to spark redevelopment and turn the tide of the suburban sprawl. It was also meant to generate much higher tax revenue than the Bottom currently does with all its untapped potential.
Guess what those tax revenues go to!! Your schools, and roads, and parks, and community programs.
Big picture, guys.
Also, I don’t care if its 1 kilometer or 1 mile, as long as there’s ample parking at both sites, people are going to jump in their cars. That’s if they are bored enough to see a movie AND a baseball game in one night…
“(a movie theatre over a mile from the current Diamond over a railroad bridge)“
I think you need a new map. Maybe you meant a kilometer?
Welpee, of all the false analogies I’ve seen on this site, yours took the cake. Comparing ballpark financing to schools and roads, well done. You rebounded well with the Coliseum analogy; it’s the only one that makes sense.
Posted by ( welpee ) on June 24, 2009 at 9:32 am
To Interested Read who said: “All of you baseball fans bemoaning the demise of a stadium and baseball in this city, why don’t YOU put up the money for it out of your own pockets and leave the rest of us out of it??“
Lets extend that mentality further, if Richmond needs more money for education and I don’t have kids in the school system, I should tell parents: “you put up the money to improve the schools and leave us non-parents out of it!“
Public funds from all citizens for educating our kids benefits our society and nation as opposed to satisfying juvenile sports addictions of a handful who never seem to grow up. Instead these addicts want everyone to pay for their pleasure.
If you want baseball so badly then you and the handful of others who actually attended the games put your money where your mouth is and leave the rest of us out of it.
Lets take it one step further!
Let’s stop funding for all parks and libraries, too. If you want books, go to Barnes and Noble. If you want parks, you’ll have to pay a toll at the gate because they would be privately owned.
Welpee,
Its assanine the comments some of these people put out here. I fully agree with you. The moment something “they” dont like, then they scream tax payers shouldnt pay, which they are also ignorant enough to be completely oblivious to the fact that its not being taking from taxpayers. Atleast, thats not the orig game plan. And lets face it, if it came to tax payers money, how HUGE of a cost would it be. I’m thinking if they skip a latte a month it would cover the cost and greatly improve the city. These are the same people that have a huge house, lights on in every room with one person in the home and wonder why cost of energy is going up. They drive Tanks around town heavy on the pedal and wonder why gas is so expensive. If they dont get their week nails done, then its the end of the world. Whiners!!!
To Interested Read who said: “All of you baseball fans bemoaning the demise of a stadium and baseball in this city, why don’t YOU put up the money for it out of your own pockets and leave the rest of us out of it??“
Lets extend that mentality further, if Richmond needs more money for education and I don’t have kids in the school system, I should tell parents: “you put up the money to improve the schools and leave us non-parents out of it!“
If I don’t own a car, drivers: “you put up the money to fix pot holes.“ If I don’t attend concerts: “you music lovers put up the money for a new coliseum.“
Yeah, brilliant idea, each citizen only allocate their money to self interest projects. If your street gets damaged from another hurricane: “you put up the money to fix it.“
So Shockhoe Bottom Ballpark is now officially over. All the hours and time spent by the hard working people who tried to make this work and make something better for Richmond. That new ballpark could have put us on the map. The City of Richmond will never progress until the 16th century thinkers running this place take their thumbs off of us.
I guess the guy running his cute little Purple Velvet Club or whatever you call it, got his way. Richmond can stand having the likes of him doing business in the bottom, but to build it up and make something of it is too much for the non-thinkers.
What a disappointment.
Does high-speed rail = Acela, or regular old electric Amtrak (like what exists north of DC)?
Acela is crazy expensive and gets you from DC—> Philly 15 mins faster than Coach Amtrak.
Now…when people rarely take the train (don’t get me wrong, I love the train)...how is this a good investment? It’s subsidized by the gov’t more than any stadium would be - where are the people crying for their school and road improvements??
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