The top floor of the building would be office space that also has an outdoor terrace. (City documents)
The home of a longtime West End bakery is being eyed for redevelopment.
A four-story commercial building is being planned to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building at 5728 Patterson Ave.
The building, at the corner of Patterson and Libbie Avenues, also houses gift shops Gild and Ash and Relics to Rhinestones.
The 73-year-old bakery is likely to be part of the new project and continue to operate there. The new structure would include three stories of office space above ground-floor retail space.
Plotting the redevelopment are the building’s landlord, the Robins family, and Tyler Currie, a local real estate investor.
The Robinses are longtime donors to the nearby University of Richmond and have owned the property since at least the 1970s. Currie is an independent investor who said he owns a handful of commercial properties around town. He said the Westhampton project would be his largest redevelopment.
Gift shops Gild and Ash and Relics to Rhinestones are also tenants in the building. (Mike Platania photo)
The existing structure was built in 1949, just a few years before the pastry shop opened. Currie said the building has reached the end of its useful life.
“We just needed to do something with those buildings. They’re starting to fall apart a little bit on us,” Currie said.
In plotting the redevelopment, Currie said they had two major goals: that the building fit in architecturally with the neighborhood, and that Westhampton Pastry Shop would be able to continue operating.
“We wanted Westhampton Pastry Shop to remain an anchor here. They’re a huge staple of the neighborhood,” he said.
The bakery has changed hands a few times in its 70-plus years in business. It is now owned by the Oley family, who have owned it since 2016 and also own the nearby Westwood Pharmacy at 5823 Patterson Ave.
The Oleys couldn’t be reached for comment.
Currie said they don’t have a formal agreement with the Oleys to include Westhampton Pastry Shop in the redevelopment. He said they have a “great relationship” with the family and have been in contact with them throughout the process.
Currie said he’s not sure whether the building’s other tenants, gift shops Relics to Rhinestones and Gild and Ash, would also carry over to the new development.
A rendering of the planned four-story building, which would feature a recessed top floor.
The entirety of the building would be around 28,300 square feet, 25,200 of which would be office space. Currie said they have a “very interested party” lined up for the office space that would be above two ground-floor retail spaces, but that no lease agreements have been executed.
Currie and the Robins family are working with 510 Architects to design the building, which according to renderings would feature a recessed top floor. He said the ongoing Westhampton Commons project across Libbie Avenue is one of the design inspirations for their project, which is referred to as “The Neighbors” in planning documents.
“The team at 510 did a killer job in tying in a modern look while also calling back to some traditional detailing,” Currie said. “We wanted the whole thing to feel very natural and like it belonged. We put a huge point of emphasis on that.”
The project is also planned to have around 28 covered ground-floor parking spaces, as well as outdoor dining areas.
Currie and the Robinses are seeking to rezone the property to B-5 Central Business District, which caps building heights at five stories. Roth Jackson attorney Jennifer Mullen is representing them in the rezoning process.
Currie said next steps are to meet with the neighborhood association and receive notes from the city on the rezoning application.
“Once the rezone is done, we’ll start talking about getting some rough numbers on the construction costs,” he said.
The top floor of the building would be office space that also has an outdoor terrace. (City documents)
The home of a longtime West End bakery is being eyed for redevelopment.
A four-story commercial building is being planned to replace the Westhampton Pastry Shop building at 5728 Patterson Ave.
The building, at the corner of Patterson and Libbie Avenues, also houses gift shops Gild and Ash and Relics to Rhinestones.
The 73-year-old bakery is likely to be part of the new project and continue to operate there. The new structure would include three stories of office space above ground-floor retail space.
Plotting the redevelopment are the building’s landlord, the Robins family, and Tyler Currie, a local real estate investor.
The Robinses are longtime donors to the nearby University of Richmond and have owned the property since at least the 1970s. Currie is an independent investor who said he owns a handful of commercial properties around town. He said the Westhampton project would be his largest redevelopment.
Gift shops Gild and Ash and Relics to Rhinestones are also tenants in the building. (Mike Platania photo)
The existing structure was built in 1949, just a few years before the pastry shop opened. Currie said the building has reached the end of its useful life.
“We just needed to do something with those buildings. They’re starting to fall apart a little bit on us,” Currie said.
In plotting the redevelopment, Currie said they had two major goals: that the building fit in architecturally with the neighborhood, and that Westhampton Pastry Shop would be able to continue operating.
“We wanted Westhampton Pastry Shop to remain an anchor here. They’re a huge staple of the neighborhood,” he said.
The bakery has changed hands a few times in its 70-plus years in business. It is now owned by the Oley family, who have owned it since 2016 and also own the nearby Westwood Pharmacy at 5823 Patterson Ave.
The Oleys couldn’t be reached for comment.
Currie said they don’t have a formal agreement with the Oleys to include Westhampton Pastry Shop in the redevelopment. He said they have a “great relationship” with the family and have been in contact with them throughout the process.
Currie said he’s not sure whether the building’s other tenants, gift shops Relics to Rhinestones and Gild and Ash, would also carry over to the new development.
A rendering of the planned four-story building, which would feature a recessed top floor.
The entirety of the building would be around 28,300 square feet, 25,200 of which would be office space. Currie said they have a “very interested party” lined up for the office space that would be above two ground-floor retail spaces, but that no lease agreements have been executed.
Currie and the Robins family are working with 510 Architects to design the building, which according to renderings would feature a recessed top floor. He said the ongoing Westhampton Commons project across Libbie Avenue is one of the design inspirations for their project, which is referred to as “The Neighbors” in planning documents.
“The team at 510 did a killer job in tying in a modern look while also calling back to some traditional detailing,” Currie said. “We wanted the whole thing to feel very natural and like it belonged. We put a huge point of emphasis on that.”
The project is also planned to have around 28 covered ground-floor parking spaces, as well as outdoor dining areas.
Currie and the Robinses are seeking to rezone the property to B-5 Central Business District, which caps building heights at five stories. Roth Jackson attorney Jennifer Mullen is representing them in the rezoning process.
Currie said next steps are to meet with the neighborhood association and receive notes from the city on the rezoning application.
“Once the rezone is done, we’ll start talking about getting some rough numbers on the construction costs,” he said.
Three stories of office?!! That’s a gutsy play by the developer. Perhaps the comments from Jason last week carry over to this opportunity?
I would say savy, this kind of neighborhood, needs more of this mixed use kind of development, and with St. Mary’s next door, the opportunity for Medical office is clear.
Love the scale and quality of this proposal. It has similarities to the older buildings around Willow lawn with covered parking, except this has the added/needed retail component!
But…no covered parking or parking of any sort in an area that has a shortage of spots to begin with
The article says this development will have 28 covered parking spaces. You seem to reference how the city got rid of parking minimums, as if it is a bad thing.
It says there are 28 parking spaces. They have to be covered to fit on the lot. So there you go
In general, there is a lack of class A office space in Richmond. We’ve had to go outside of downtown and out to Willow Lawn and even as far as Short Pump to find space for a few hundred people. I wouldn’t think it risky at all to put in class A space. Lower quality probably wouldn’t be as good a move though.
Needs City rezoning or an SUP approval, hasn’t spoken to neighborhood association, no LOIs from potential office tenants and not quite sure if you have retail parties coming back. The scale is good and the design okay but given all the above and Richmond processes…if approved look for construction to start around 2028. Opening in 2030.
Who knows, but I think a lot of us agree that red tape needs to be removed to make the process easier.
I wonder if Westhampton Pastry will open a temporary location in the interim? How do lease agreements typically treat lost profits in the event the building is rebuilt/renovated?
The charm of this neighborhood is in the buildings that are there now. Please, no.
The building owner says the building is beyond repair, which is why they’re seeking replacement.
I am by those buildings every day. They are not charming. This will be an improvement.
So where will the bakery go until it is reopened? Will they be able to afford the rent on the new building coming? That would be the real question.
I’m curious to see more renderings and hear details. What’s shown looks way larger than the actual space even including the side parking. No encroaching on the Grill please.