Conceptual renderings of the townhomes planned by Harper Associates. (City documents)
A recent approval has given the green light to a residential development that’s set to add more than 100 new rooftops along Hull Street Road in South Richmond.
Henrico-based developer Harper Associates secured a special-use approval from the city in late April for as many as 136 townhomes on a 16-acre lot at 6140 Hull Street Road, near the Pocoshock area east of Chippenham Parkway.
The approval allows between 114 and 136 units, depending on the townhome widths proposed by the builder for the project. Harper’s Will Allen said the firm was in discussions with a handful of builders but had not yet made a selection. He said the total number of units would likely be close to 130.
The mostly three-bedroom townhomes will be priced at market rate and range from 1,500 to 1,700 square feet in size. Allen said rentals were considered for the project but noted a lack of new for-sale homes in that area.
“I was asked about rentals. Build-to-rent is growing in popularity; however, that’s not been the strategy for this particular project and I do not see that changing at this point,” Allen said in an email.
He said the project “will deliver quality affordable housing to an area that has not seen growth proportionate to that of other areas but it is no less important to the city’s future. The city is modernizing Hull Street Road, and more interest will attract investment and development, which will positively impact the community.”
The units will be a mix of rear- and front-loaded garage configurations, with some reserved parking and 75 shared spaces. Allen said the project could also conserve a portion of the undeveloped wooded lot as an open space or greenway amenity.
One of three layout options proposed for the site.
Harper has an agreement to buy the property from an ownership group that includes First Baptist Church Endowment Fund Inc., tied to Richmond’s First Baptist Church, which was gifted the land in 2009. The city has assessed the land at $880,000.
Allen said development would start in 2024, following site plan approvals that are expected to take about eight months. He said the target is for the model unit to be constructed and open in late 2024 or early 2025.
Allen said it’s too early to put a cost estimate on the project, noting engineering and permitting work remains to be done and would determine the scope of the project, unit total and offsite utility improvements.
Describing the housing market as continuing to evolve, Allen added, “Material, labor and mortgage costs remain high with no clear sign yet of that abating. Buyer preferences are also adapting, at a more rapid pace.”
“Richmond, among other markets, benefitted from the ‘work from home’ mobility and migration patterns. Hopefully, the trend is durable and Richmond will remain competitive with its low cost of living and high quality of life relative to other cities,” he said.
Harper is working with Andrew Browning with engineering firm Youngblood, Tyler & Associates and Zac Lette with Land Planning and Design Associates. Engineering firm Timmons Group also worked on the project, and Preston Lloyd with Williams Mullen represented Harper in its special-use request, which was filed with the city in 2021.
Harper also is planning a development at Stratford Hills that would include a Chipotle restaurant, a 6,500-square-foot retail outparcel and up to 36 townhomes on the east side of the site. The plan hinges on an amendment to the city’s Stratford Hills Community Unit Plan that’s been deferred multiple times over the past year, most recently to the City Council’s July 24 meeting.
Conceptual renderings of the townhomes planned by Harper Associates. (City documents)
A recent approval has given the green light to a residential development that’s set to add more than 100 new rooftops along Hull Street Road in South Richmond.
Henrico-based developer Harper Associates secured a special-use approval from the city in late April for as many as 136 townhomes on a 16-acre lot at 6140 Hull Street Road, near the Pocoshock area east of Chippenham Parkway.
The approval allows between 114 and 136 units, depending on the townhome widths proposed by the builder for the project. Harper’s Will Allen said the firm was in discussions with a handful of builders but had not yet made a selection. He said the total number of units would likely be close to 130.
The mostly three-bedroom townhomes will be priced at market rate and range from 1,500 to 1,700 square feet in size. Allen said rentals were considered for the project but noted a lack of new for-sale homes in that area.
“I was asked about rentals. Build-to-rent is growing in popularity; however, that’s not been the strategy for this particular project and I do not see that changing at this point,” Allen said in an email.
He said the project “will deliver quality affordable housing to an area that has not seen growth proportionate to that of other areas but it is no less important to the city’s future. The city is modernizing Hull Street Road, and more interest will attract investment and development, which will positively impact the community.”
The units will be a mix of rear- and front-loaded garage configurations, with some reserved parking and 75 shared spaces. Allen said the project could also conserve a portion of the undeveloped wooded lot as an open space or greenway amenity.
One of three layout options proposed for the site.
Harper has an agreement to buy the property from an ownership group that includes First Baptist Church Endowment Fund Inc., tied to Richmond’s First Baptist Church, which was gifted the land in 2009. The city has assessed the land at $880,000.
Allen said development would start in 2024, following site plan approvals that are expected to take about eight months. He said the target is for the model unit to be constructed and open in late 2024 or early 2025.
Allen said it’s too early to put a cost estimate on the project, noting engineering and permitting work remains to be done and would determine the scope of the project, unit total and offsite utility improvements.
Describing the housing market as continuing to evolve, Allen added, “Material, labor and mortgage costs remain high with no clear sign yet of that abating. Buyer preferences are also adapting, at a more rapid pace.”
“Richmond, among other markets, benefitted from the ‘work from home’ mobility and migration patterns. Hopefully, the trend is durable and Richmond will remain competitive with its low cost of living and high quality of life relative to other cities,” he said.
Harper is working with Andrew Browning with engineering firm Youngblood, Tyler & Associates and Zac Lette with Land Planning and Design Associates. Engineering firm Timmons Group also worked on the project, and Preston Lloyd with Williams Mullen represented Harper in its special-use request, which was filed with the city in 2021.
Harper also is planning a development at Stratford Hills that would include a Chipotle restaurant, a 6,500-square-foot retail outparcel and up to 36 townhomes on the east side of the site. The plan hinges on an amendment to the city’s Stratford Hills Community Unit Plan that’s been deferred multiple times over the past year, most recently to the City Council’s July 24 meeting.
I represented First Baptist for the last twelve years on this property and I’m glad to see that run come to an end. The land brokerage business is one that can assume a lot of patience; not every property moves along in a few months. Finally though, this one has found the right purchaser. Thanks goes out to Chris Jenkins of Commonwealth Commercial for his able assistance, and to FBC Treasurer Kim Boys for his hard work.
Nice! I don’t know about now, but there was a time that I thought some of the leafy suburbs of Richmond Proper north of Chippenham were undervalued. That is likely not so true now, as I have seen a lot of home prices in marginal south of the James neighborhoods go up. I remember a couple I knew who bought a very small house in a neighborhood with very small houses that nevertheless had a VERY large lot for a neighborhood so close to the James River — this area of course is different in that it is rather far… Read more »