A rendering of the north-of-Broad portion of the Shockoe Project site shows the national slavery museum’s potential location in the distance. (Image courtesy City of Richmond)
Meals tax update, slavery museum site study on City Council committee agenda
City Council’s Organizational Development Standing Committee meets Monday at 4 p.m.
The agenda includes an update on the city’s meals tax policy changes from Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders, and an update from Council Chief of Staff LaTesha Holmes.
Continued from previous meetings is a request for a feasibility study of potential locations for a planned national slavery museum, which would anchor the likewise in-the-works Shockoe Bottom Heritage Campus, now called The Shockoe Project.
The full agenda can be found here.
Low-income apartment project, master plan update on city planning agenda
The Richmond Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Bristol-based Surber Development seeks special-use approval for a 50-unit, low-income apartment building on 4 acres at 2510 Lynhaven Ave. A companion paper would direct the sale of the city-owned property to YWCA Richmond, which is a member of the applicant group and would participate in the development.
The commission will also receive an update on the city’s implementation of the Richmond 300 master plan. Full agenda here.
Richmond business expo scheduled March 11
The City of Richmond will hold a business expo March 11 for new and existing business owners in the city.
Called the COR Biz Connect Expo: Empowering Entrepreneurs, the free expo is the first in a series of resource-sharing events and provides streamlined access to city departments and local and regional agencies. Attendees can receive business resources, informational handouts and other literature relevant to owning and operating a business in Richmond.
The event will be held at the former training camp facility at 2401 W. Leigh St. from 8 a.m. to noon and from 3 to 7 p.m. Questions can be emailed to [email protected].
Hanover board defers decision on 1,200-acre data center park project
The Hanover Board of Supervisors opted last week to defer its consideration of a zoning request tied to a large data center park proposal for a site outside Ashland.
Board members voted to defer their final vote on the proposal to allow more time to review and gather information about the project. The board is now expected to consider the proposal in late March.
Denver-based developer Tract is seeking zoning approval to create a 1,200-acre data center park along Hickory Hill Road east of Interstate 95 in Hanover County.
A recent conceptual plan showed the campus would consist of eight areas of development spread across the overall project site. A Tract executive had previously told BizSense the company anticipated the project area would be able to support up to 9 million square feet of data center space spread across 30 buildings that would have been built on multiple campuses on the property.
Tract intends to handle the construction of infrastructure needed for the data centers and then sell off pieces of the property, which it has under contract, to other firms that would have built their own facilities.
Tract and the current landowners want to have the land rezoned to limited industrial district (M-1) from its current designation as agricultural (A-1).
The developer has requested a special exception to allow buildings taller than permitted under the requested zoning. Per the latest application materials, the company wanted to allow building heights of up to 110 feet. The company also wanted a conditional-use permit to allow a public wastewater lift station and solar facilities.
More than a dozen people spoke in opposition to the proposal during the public hearing held at the meeting where the board ultimately deferred the request. Those speakers voiced concerns about impacts on the area’s rural character and the environment, property values and increased traffic, among other worries. Several people spoke in support of the project.
Tract filed its zoning request in September. The Planning Commission and county staff have recommended approval of the project.
Henrico approves $92M performance agreement, $45M bond issuance
At their meeting last week, Henrico supervisors approved a performance agreement with PPD Development LP for investments in the Thermo Fisher Scientific bioanalytics facilities at 2250 Dabney Road and 8700 Quioccasin Road. The agreement provides a $2 million grant from Virginia Economic Development Partnership to PPD for investments totaling at least $92.3 million and creation of 400 new jobs. Thermo Fischer acquired PPD in 2021.
The board also approved a resolution to authorize the issuance and sale of up to $45 million in revenue bonds to pay for certain public improvement projects, including public safety, recreation and parks facilities, historical preservation and economic development projects, and acquisition of land for those projects.
Chesterfield tees up inaugural restaurant week, other tourism initiatives this spring
Last week’s announcement event featured food samples by participating restaurants. (Courtesy Chesterfield County)
Chesterfield’s inaugural restaurant week is slated to kick off later this month.
Held by the county’s chamber and commerce with support from Chesterfield government, the event is expected to feature nearly 40 restaurants across the county. Restaurants that participate in the event can create whatever menu item they wish and set their own pricing. Only Chesterfield-based, locally owned restaurants that have been in business for at least a year are able to take part in the event
Chamber and county officials announced participating restaurants and provided more details during an event held last week. The restaurant week event was initially announced in December.
Chesterfield Restaurant Week, a 10-day event that runs March 29 to April 7, is one of several tourism initiatives the county has planned for the spring.
The Experience Chesterfield website, which compiles places to eat and things to do in the county, is slated to relaunch March 21. The first Chesterfield Outdoor Fest, a free community event planned to feature a 5k race, food trucks and more, is slated to take place April 13 at the county fairgrounds.
A rendering of the north-of-Broad portion of the Shockoe Project site shows the national slavery museum’s potential location in the distance. (Image courtesy City of Richmond)
Meals tax update, slavery museum site study on City Council committee agenda
City Council’s Organizational Development Standing Committee meets Monday at 4 p.m.
The agenda includes an update on the city’s meals tax policy changes from Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders, and an update from Council Chief of Staff LaTesha Holmes.
Continued from previous meetings is a request for a feasibility study of potential locations for a planned national slavery museum, which would anchor the likewise in-the-works Shockoe Bottom Heritage Campus, now called The Shockoe Project.
The full agenda can be found here.
Low-income apartment project, master plan update on city planning agenda
The Richmond Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Bristol-based Surber Development seeks special-use approval for a 50-unit, low-income apartment building on 4 acres at 2510 Lynhaven Ave. A companion paper would direct the sale of the city-owned property to YWCA Richmond, which is a member of the applicant group and would participate in the development.
The commission will also receive an update on the city’s implementation of the Richmond 300 master plan. Full agenda here.
Richmond business expo scheduled March 11
The City of Richmond will hold a business expo March 11 for new and existing business owners in the city.
Called the COR Biz Connect Expo: Empowering Entrepreneurs, the free expo is the first in a series of resource-sharing events and provides streamlined access to city departments and local and regional agencies. Attendees can receive business resources, informational handouts and other literature relevant to owning and operating a business in Richmond.
The event will be held at the former training camp facility at 2401 W. Leigh St. from 8 a.m. to noon and from 3 to 7 p.m. Questions can be emailed to [email protected].
Hanover board defers decision on 1,200-acre data center park project
The Hanover Board of Supervisors opted last week to defer its consideration of a zoning request tied to a large data center park proposal for a site outside Ashland.
Board members voted to defer their final vote on the proposal to allow more time to review and gather information about the project. The board is now expected to consider the proposal in late March.
Denver-based developer Tract is seeking zoning approval to create a 1,200-acre data center park along Hickory Hill Road east of Interstate 95 in Hanover County.
A recent conceptual plan showed the campus would consist of eight areas of development spread across the overall project site. A Tract executive had previously told BizSense the company anticipated the project area would be able to support up to 9 million square feet of data center space spread across 30 buildings that would have been built on multiple campuses on the property.
Tract intends to handle the construction of infrastructure needed for the data centers and then sell off pieces of the property, which it has under contract, to other firms that would have built their own facilities.
Tract and the current landowners want to have the land rezoned to limited industrial district (M-1) from its current designation as agricultural (A-1).
The developer has requested a special exception to allow buildings taller than permitted under the requested zoning. Per the latest application materials, the company wanted to allow building heights of up to 110 feet. The company also wanted a conditional-use permit to allow a public wastewater lift station and solar facilities.
More than a dozen people spoke in opposition to the proposal during the public hearing held at the meeting where the board ultimately deferred the request. Those speakers voiced concerns about impacts on the area’s rural character and the environment, property values and increased traffic, among other worries. Several people spoke in support of the project.
Tract filed its zoning request in September. The Planning Commission and county staff have recommended approval of the project.
Henrico approves $92M performance agreement, $45M bond issuance
At their meeting last week, Henrico supervisors approved a performance agreement with PPD Development LP for investments in the Thermo Fisher Scientific bioanalytics facilities at 2250 Dabney Road and 8700 Quioccasin Road. The agreement provides a $2 million grant from Virginia Economic Development Partnership to PPD for investments totaling at least $92.3 million and creation of 400 new jobs. Thermo Fischer acquired PPD in 2021.
The board also approved a resolution to authorize the issuance and sale of up to $45 million in revenue bonds to pay for certain public improvement projects, including public safety, recreation and parks facilities, historical preservation and economic development projects, and acquisition of land for those projects.
Chesterfield tees up inaugural restaurant week, other tourism initiatives this spring
Last week’s announcement event featured food samples by participating restaurants. (Courtesy Chesterfield County)
Chesterfield’s inaugural restaurant week is slated to kick off later this month.
Held by the county’s chamber and commerce with support from Chesterfield government, the event is expected to feature nearly 40 restaurants across the county. Restaurants that participate in the event can create whatever menu item they wish and set their own pricing. Only Chesterfield-based, locally owned restaurants that have been in business for at least a year are able to take part in the event
Chamber and county officials announced participating restaurants and provided more details during an event held last week. The restaurant week event was initially announced in December.
Chesterfield Restaurant Week, a 10-day event that runs March 29 to April 7, is one of several tourism initiatives the county has planned for the spring.
The Experience Chesterfield website, which compiles places to eat and things to do in the county, is slated to relaunch March 21. The first Chesterfield Outdoor Fest, a free community event planned to feature a 5k race, food trucks and more, is slated to take place April 13 at the county fairgrounds.