The slice of grassy area near Church Hill is being targeted for infill development. (Mike Platania photo)
An upstart homebuilder is looking to fill in an empty space in Shockoe Bottom.
Keel Custom Homes is planning to build five townhomes at 220 N. 20th St.
Sitting just off the part of East Broad Street that begins to go uphill toward Church Hill, the new residences would sit on a 0.1-acre site that’s surrounded by residential buildings, including the Terrace 202 apartments at 202 N. 20th St. and the 2001 East Apartments.
Keel is run by UrbanCore Construction co-owner Jeff Bunch and local developer Casey White. They founded the firm in 2021, to build infill projects that it then markets and sells itself. Keel also hires itself out to build on lots owned by clients.
“We are fully custom and we build all over the city and in the counties,” Bunch said. “A few years ago Casey came and asked if I was interested in doing some homebuilding. At the time I was like, ‘Yeah that sounds good and the market seems right.’ We went ahead and got into it.”
Jeff Bunch
Keel has done work for a number of the Church Hill area’s busiest developers like Amanda Seibert’s Nest Builders Development Co. and White’s recent collaborator Matt Jarreau. Prices on the homes built by Keel in the city typically range from $240,000 to $300,000, and its larger, suburban homes range from $330,000 to $630,000.
“We want to be in an affordable price range,” Bunch said. “But at the same time, these types of things are costing more and more with inflation and the market continuing to move.”
When they bought the 20th Street parcel, a deal that closed last spring for $130,000, per city records, Bunch said they were initially planning to build a single home on the lot but soon realized they could fit more there.
Each of the five townhomes planned will be three stories totaling 1,400 square feet with three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a rooftop patio.
Before work can begin, the project needs two separate approvals from the city. The plot is currently zoned for light industrial and sits in the Shockoe Valley historic district, so Keel is seeking a special-use permit and it will also need approval from the city’s Commission of Architectural Review.
A conceptual drawing of the building’s façade (Courtesy city documents)
Mario DiMarco Architects is the project architect and Baker Development Resources is representing Keel in the entitlement process.
Keel’s special-use permit application states that the buildings’ architecture style would be modern but “reflect both the newer construction in the block and the traditional row house style found throughout the nearby neighborhoods.” The special-use permit application is not yet listed on a Planning Commission agenda.
Bunch said it’s too soon to estimate a listing price for the homes, and that they’d likely start marketing them after work gets underway.
Just around the corner from the Keel site, there are plans for new apartments along East Broad.
A five-story apartment building is being planned to rise behind the former Branch Public Baths building at 1801 E. Broad St., which itself is being targeted for an apartment conversion, and across the street at 1906 E. Broad St., a group led by a local architect is planning another five-story apartment building on a vacant lot.
The slice of grassy area near Church Hill is being targeted for infill development. (Mike Platania photo)
An upstart homebuilder is looking to fill in an empty space in Shockoe Bottom.
Keel Custom Homes is planning to build five townhomes at 220 N. 20th St.
Sitting just off the part of East Broad Street that begins to go uphill toward Church Hill, the new residences would sit on a 0.1-acre site that’s surrounded by residential buildings, including the Terrace 202 apartments at 202 N. 20th St. and the 2001 East Apartments.
Keel is run by UrbanCore Construction co-owner Jeff Bunch and local developer Casey White. They founded the firm in 2021, to build infill projects that it then markets and sells itself. Keel also hires itself out to build on lots owned by clients.
“We are fully custom and we build all over the city and in the counties,” Bunch said. “A few years ago Casey came and asked if I was interested in doing some homebuilding. At the time I was like, ‘Yeah that sounds good and the market seems right.’ We went ahead and got into it.”
Jeff Bunch
Keel has done work for a number of the Church Hill area’s busiest developers like Amanda Seibert’s Nest Builders Development Co. and White’s recent collaborator Matt Jarreau. Prices on the homes built by Keel in the city typically range from $240,000 to $300,000, and its larger, suburban homes range from $330,000 to $630,000.
“We want to be in an affordable price range,” Bunch said. “But at the same time, these types of things are costing more and more with inflation and the market continuing to move.”
When they bought the 20th Street parcel, a deal that closed last spring for $130,000, per city records, Bunch said they were initially planning to build a single home on the lot but soon realized they could fit more there.
Each of the five townhomes planned will be three stories totaling 1,400 square feet with three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a rooftop patio.
Before work can begin, the project needs two separate approvals from the city. The plot is currently zoned for light industrial and sits in the Shockoe Valley historic district, so Keel is seeking a special-use permit and it will also need approval from the city’s Commission of Architectural Review.
A conceptual drawing of the building’s façade (Courtesy city documents)
Mario DiMarco Architects is the project architect and Baker Development Resources is representing Keel in the entitlement process.
Keel’s special-use permit application states that the buildings’ architecture style would be modern but “reflect both the newer construction in the block and the traditional row house style found throughout the nearby neighborhoods.” The special-use permit application is not yet listed on a Planning Commission agenda.
Bunch said it’s too soon to estimate a listing price for the homes, and that they’d likely start marketing them after work gets underway.
Just around the corner from the Keel site, there are plans for new apartments along East Broad.
A five-story apartment building is being planned to rise behind the former Branch Public Baths building at 1801 E. Broad St., which itself is being targeted for an apartment conversion, and across the street at 1906 E. Broad St., a group led by a local architect is planning another five-story apartment building on a vacant lot.
This is AWESOME! Owning a house usually increases the time horizon to stay in the community for a while – and also allows you to have an impact on your community with your taxes benefiting local infrastructure, schools, and organizations. The more buy-in people have, the better the community outcome!