The Intermediate Terminal building is built on stilts just west of Rocketts Landing. (Mike Platania photo)
Left in limbo for six years after a Stone Brewing-backed redevelopment plan went off the boil, the city-owned Intermediate Terminal Warehouse is being primed for new life.
The Richmond Economic Development Authority is preparing to issue a request for proposals for the potential reinvention of the century-old structure at 3101 E. Main St. near Rocketts Landing.
The EDA, which owns the building, is looking to field proposals that would see the building restored or renovated, not demolished, said EDA Senior Deputy Director Katie McConnell.
She said the EDA is hoping to release the RFP by the end of the year, and that they’ll be seeking specific uses for the riverfront property.
“Residential uses are not permitted because the property is located in the floodway. Commercial uses will be sought and will include office, retail and restaurants, with an emphasis on relating to the river,” McConnell said in an email.
The future of the Terminal building has been up in the air for years.
The 30,000-square-foot structure was included in the 2014 deal that the city made to bring Stone Brewing Co. to Richmond, as the brewery was initially slated to receive $8 million in bonds to convert it into location for its Stone World Bistro & Gardens concept.
But those plans were derailed in 2018 when the city and Stone discovered that it was not feasible to convert the 104-year-old, stilted building into a bistro. Things took yet another turn in 2020 when an engineering study found that the Terminal was actually able to be converted for a hospitality use.
Through the pandemic it sat idle, and Stone never ultimately received the bond funding. Last year the EDA began pondering the future of the property.
Stone, now owned by Japanese brewing giant Sapporo, has scrapped its plans for a World Bistro & Gardens location in Richmond.
The brewery had long been mum on whether they’d look to open a bistro elsewhere in the city, but last week a Stone spokeswoman confirmed “there no current plans for a Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in (Richmond).”
The EDA also owns a 3-acre wooded parcel across the street at 4303 and 4319 E. Main St. that abuts Stone’s taproom. McConnell said they’re “currently assessing whether that parcel may be of value for parking, but a final decision has not yet been made.”