The question comes frequently these days. Should a baseball stadium be built in Shockoe Bottom or on the Boulevard? The answer? Neither. The Short Pump area in Henrico County makes the most sense for the region. The stadium in Shockoe Bottom is supposed to serve as the anchor around which condominiums, a hotel, retail shops and restaurants will be built.

John and Maria Shugars have proved that you can teach an old house new tricks. Their 1923 row house at 3113 Floyd Ave. was indistinguishable from its neighbors when they bought it in 2001. The exterior was red brick with white trim and a full front porch.

The extreme makeover of North Boulevard didn’t take. And that’s a good thing. Original plans called for the developer of the $420 million Boulevard Gateway project to relocate Sports Backers Stadium and demolish The Diamond and Arthur Ashe Center while erecting retail, housing, offices and a hotel. But after huddling with two of Richmond’s most powerful players—Virginia Commonwealth University and Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers—developer Highwoods Properties effectively has drawn up a new play in the dirt.

Amateur and college sports are back in the plans for Richmond’s North Boulevard. A revised vision for the $420 million Boulevard Gateway project calls for keeping Sports Backers Stadium, a soccer and track facility owned by Virginia Commonwealth University. Officials said yesterday that the venue would anchor a sports complex that could include an indoor/outdoor tennis facility for VCU and a new Arthur Ashe Center for the city.