Richmond Business & Commercial News

Is the fate of the VCU French Film Festival in doubt?

The VCU French Film Festival is a huge draw for francophiles both nationally and internationally each spring here in Richmond, but the fate of the Festival hangs in the balance with the latest news from VCU:

Peter S. Kirkpatrick stepped down as executive director of the Office of International Education and as co-director of the renowned VCU French Film Festival.

Kirkpatrick, who is credited with helping to internationalize the university, will remain an associate professor of French.

He and his wife, Francoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick, founded the film festival 16 years ago. He could not be reached for comment yesterday on the reasons for his departure.

Rob Tregenza, director of VCU's cinema program, said the fate of the French film festival is under discussion and "I'm hoping it will be resolved positively."

VCU said in a statement that it is committed to continuing the festival, which is held at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond.

For more of a background on the VCU French Film Festival go here, or here, or here.  Let's hope that we don't lose this long-standing tradition!

Prominent restaurant closes, who wants in?

It is big news in Richmond when a long-standing local restaurant stalwart closes.  Even the usual blurbs about openings and closings can get blown into a full-out article in the RTD. 

The recent closing of La Petite France demonstrated that even titans can fall.  La Petite had operated at 2108 Maywill Street since 1971, and had a strong following for its French fine-dining experience.

There are always a multitude of possible reasons why a business closes its doors, and there is no point in trying to make guesses from the outside -- and it's always a shame to see it happen.  The most-recent owners of the business made some statements as to why they made their decision, and you can see those in the RTD article from Thursday's edition.

As for moving forward, the building owners are prepared to make a good deal for a qualified tenant looking for a fully-equipped restaurant and has told Bandazian & Holden to find someone ASAP.  Get in contact with me and let's see what we can do.

City Council votes on hot projects

Two high-profile votes came before Richmond City Council last night -- one for a four-story condo/apartment complex in the Springhill historic neighborhood and the other regarding the proposed public marina site beside the Rocketts Landing development.

Manchester on the James - 200 unit residential complex

This has been flying under the radar for quite some time.  I remember seeing stories about this proposed development from a couple of years ago, but I haven't heard a peep about it until this vote last night.

Although, this posting from 01/18/08 on River District News explains some of the more up-to-date information that I apparently missed.  The original proposal was for a 17-story high rise with "luxury condos".  The revision was to a 4-story building with smaller units.  The shift in focus to more of a rental use rather than owner-occupied units is what provoked the ire of nearby residents.

From an article in this morning's RTD:

Crosland, a Charlotte, N.C.-based development company, plans the complex on a 2-acre block bounded by Cowardin, Riverside Drive, West 19th Street and Stonewall Avenue. The company plans to build and market the complex as condominiums, but it also asked for the ability to offer apartments to provide market flexibility. The project calls for ground-level retail along Cowardin and a 320-space parking deck.

Despite the protests of the neighbors, City Council passed the proposal and Crosland LLC should begin construction on the 200-unit complex before too long.

Property beside Echo Harbor to be purchased -- but will there be a marina?

City Council voted to back the plan for the City to purchase the Lehigh property, 1.6 acres at 3111 Water Street.  The property is located immediately adjacent to the Richmond Intermediate Terminal, where the mayor has proposed the hotly contested public marina.

The Council reserved the right to allow a private developer to develop part of the site, and deliberately stayed silent on their stance regarding the proposed marina.  So, the saga continues.

I want my free Wi-Fi!

Several months ago I was very early for an appointment at a local Starbucks.  I thought that it would be a great opportunity to catch up on some online research and emailing.  After getting my drink and settling in, I was surprised to find that the Wi-Fi at Starbucks was no longer a free access hotspot.  Instead, I had to have an account with one of the mobile phone carriers! 

I was floored by the absurdity of a coffee shop without access to the internet.....and then promptly forgot about it when I realized it was a good opportunity to just relax and read a magazine or a newspaper.

A recent article on Richmond.com brought the memory back, and I thought I would share it here with you:  'Eat Beat: Wi-Fi Hotspots'.  In the article, there is a partial list of locally-owned establishments that offer free internet access to their customers.  The comments below the article help fill in some of the gaps in the list.

The point is that I'm glad that Starbucks is making such a blatantly selfish move that is undoubtedly driving traffic to their locally-owned competitors.  I'm still floored by the mistake, but I'm happy that it gives us one more reason to seek out small businesses that truly do understand what we need.

Changes in the Fan Parking District

On May 12, 2008, City Council voted in favor of dividing the Fan Parking District into two distinct zones.  (Here is a scanned copy of the ordinance -- Download Ordinance%202008-105, as downloaded from the Fan District Association webpage)

As explained in the RTD this morning (although I couldn't find the article online):  "The district runs roughly from Vine Street east to Virginia Commonwealth University, and within its boundaries, parking for more than an hour is limited to residents who pay $25 a year for a permit."  Effective August 1, 2008, the district will be bisected into an eastern and western section by Lombardy Street.

The reasoning from City Council is to keep students living in the western section from using their parking decal to commute to the eastern section and taking up all of the parking that is designated for the residents of the area.

And the Fan is not alone in their concern for maintaining parking availability for their residents.  The Carver community has also instituted its own parking decal system, and City Council says that Oregon Hill and the Randolph communities are leaning towards doing the same thing.

My next thought upon seeing the news was whether or not the city had any plans to make bicycle commuting more accessible.  I mean, if the outrage is about the students commuting by car such a short distance -- and they could walk or bike --- AND the recent city planning has emphasized pedestrian-friendly planning, then this would be an ideal time to take a move with the potential to outcast the students and spin it into something that could really benefit everyone.  I'm no expert on making routes bike-friendly, but I'm sure there is plenty that could be done.  Any ideas?

How to get over the "end of a holiday weekend blues"

Tomorrow marks the first day of the work week for many of us, and it's always a little difficult to get back into the swing of things after a long, holiday weekend -- especially one that's been marked with such beautiful weather as this weekend was!

Well don't get too down.  This upcoming weekend may not be three days, but the Greek Festival is back in full force this year!  The 32nd Annual Greek Festival is being held from Thursday through Sunday, 5/29/08-6/1/08, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral at the corner of Malvern and Grove Avenues.

Each year the festival attracts approximately 30,000 attendees and the festivities were muted last year due to construction work going on at the church.  Only drive-through/pick-up service was offered.  Ask any Richmonder you know -- this is one of THE events of the season, and you will absolutely run into any number of people you know while at the festival.

Don't mail that letter!

 Or at least don't mail it until you make sure you have the right postage.  On Monday, May 12, the postage rate for a first-class letter is going up by one cent, from $0.41 to $0.42. 

If you remember, the most recent change was last May when the rate went up two cents.  It's no coincidence that the rates are bumping up each May.  Legislation was passed in 2006, to implement regular and predictable price changes in postal rates, as well as revamping some of the management of the USPS. (Docket No. MC2007-1, Order No.43 -- Order Establishing Ratemaking Regulations For Market Dominant And Competitive Products: Download FinalRulesWeb.pdf)

I linked to the full document for the legislation above, but for an easier-to-digest version see the comments from the Postmaster General: Download GuidingPrinciplesFinal.pdf

As far as the rate changes go, there are more changes than just the first-class postage, so be sure to review the rate schedule if you mail anything more involved than your typical letter.

Another chance to give your 2 cents about the future of Richmond

Just received via email:

>>>

DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN PUBLIC HEARING

1:30 pm MONDAY, MAY 19, 2008
5^th FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM
CITY HALL
900 E. BROAD STREET

The City of Richmond Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Revised Draft Downtown Master Plan. The Commission will consider adoption of the plan and recommendation for approval to City Council.  The public is encouraged to attend the public hearing to share thoughts on the plan with the City Planning Commission.

 
A copy of the revised draft plan is available for review at the following locations:

Online:
 (http://www.richmondgov.com/departments/communityDev/DownTownMasterPlan.aspx)

 

City Hall (900 E. Broad Street)
5^th floor, Room 510

Libraries
Main Branch (101 E. Franklin Street)
Hull Street Branch (1400 Hull Street)
Belmont Branch (3100 Ellwood Avenue)
East End Branch (2414 R Street)
North Avenue Branch (2901 North Avenue)
Ginter Park Branch (1200 Westbrook Avenue)
Broad Rock Branch (4820 Warwick Road)
Westover Hills Branch (1408 Westover Hills Boulevard)
West End Branch (5420 Patterson Avenue)

For more information contact
Brooke Hardin, City of Richmond

Telephone: (804) 646-6310
E-mail: Brooke.Hardin@richmondgov.com

The final countdown for Sixth Street Marketplace

As reported by Style Weekly in "Street Talk" this week, the final deadline has been set for closing the remaining vendors at Sixth Street Marketplace.  The original deadline was August 9, 2007, but that has been extended three times due to lengthy relocation agreement negotiations and the search for two city agencies currently housed in the Blues Armory.

The deadline,  as it stands now, is May 12.  Deals have been struck with approval from all sides regarding the relocation packages (forgiving 50% of back rent owed and $25k for relocation expenses).  There are seven remaining food vendors that were part of the negotiations.

It's good to see that things are moving forward, and the city can finally put the space to good use.  Now if only I could remember what the new use was supposed to be......  Does anyone else remember?

Henrico is giving away money!

Henrico County is giving away money for new businesses, and for redevelopment projects!

...and so is Richmond City, and Chesterfield County, and Hanover County. 

Per Henrico County's website regarding the Enterprise Zone program in Virginia:

What is an Enterprise Zone?

The governing body of any county, city or town may make written application to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to have an area or areas declared to be an Enterprise Zone. The purpose of the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program is to stimulate business and industrial growth in such areas, which would result in neighborhood, commercial and economic revitalization. Upon the recommendation of the Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development the Governor may designate the proposed areas as Enterprise Zones. Upon designation of an area as an Enterprise Zone state and local incentives become available to qualified business firms that participate in the Program.

The trick is learning the details of the different programs that are available.  Given that we are talking about free money (grants) and cheap money (loans), and that these are government programs, there is quite a bit of red tape and a complex set of regulations regarding how to qualify for the programs.

I'm no expert on the intricate regulations involved, which is why I am attending the Henrico County Enterprise Zone Spring Workshop at Belmont Recreation Center on May 7th.  It is FREE to attend, but you have to register beforehand (and space may be limited).

If you're interested in the program, you may have to pull some strings since the registration deadline was April 3rd (SORRY -- it's been very busy here, despite all the dark clouds cast by the media).  You could still call 804-501-7615 or email to arz@co.henrico.va.us and see if they have any open spots.

Otherwise, if I can find a good way to summarize what will be an enormous amount of useful information, I will post a follow up on here after the workshop!