Do People Still Care About The Future of Shockoe Bottom?

by | Aug 4, 2014 | POLITICS

There was a long stretch of time where Richmonders found themselves at odds over the future of Shockoe Bottom, and the possible baseball stadium which could have been.

There was a long stretch of time where Richmonders found themselves at odds over the future of Shockoe Bottom, and the possible baseball stadium which could have been.

Now, with the Mayor retracting his plans, we’ve entered a new phase in city planning where no one really seems to know whats next for Downtown RVA.

But that hasn’t stopped those who still oppose a new stadium from being built… even if there’s no real plan for them to oppose yet.

CBS 6 covered a protest hoping to wrap a “ring around the diamond” with people against the unconfirmed plan this past weekend. Event planners said they expected thousands to show up, but it appears from the video below, the numbers were much less than that.

Despite a low turn out against the stadium, there is still a begrudged internet-activism community set on exploding any online discourse about the issue.

Style Weekly ran an OpEd by John Bates, general counsel of Venture Richmond and a “key booster” for the Shockoe plan. Here’s some highlights from his argument:

The results are obvious to those not blinded by misguided passion — a 60-acre Boulevard site dedicated to intense development producing lots of tax revenue, a revitalized Shockoe Bottom, long bypassed because of flood plain issues, and the realization, finally, of an appropriate memorial to African-American heritage. No alternative can match the benefits of the plan nor provide the long-term impact for our city.

The comments on the Style Weekly story would suggest there’s still a great battle to be fought here in RVA – pitting Fan hipster against Downtown hipster, Fan slumlord vs. Museum District slumlord, and Northside yuppie against… Church Hill yuppie.

No matter what city council decides, or if the Mayor has a new plan together by the early fall, I encourage everyone to take a drive through the bottom and let us know what you think should be done with the area in the comments below.

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in politics

Letter To The Editor | The Quiet Erasure of America’s Poor

Disclaimer: The following is a letter to the editor. It represents their personal views on this issue. RVA Magazine is committed to providing a platform for community voices on important local matters. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those...

Echoes from the Sea | Part I: Into the Deep End

Editor’s Note: Mark Pryor isn’t a journalist. He’s not a career aid worker or a social media activist. He’s a regular guy, a bartender in Richmond, who took a month off from Get Tight Lounge and a few other familiar haunts to volunteer with Sea-Watch, a German...

Echoes from the Sea | Part IV: Waves That Don’t Break

Read the first chapters HERE. May 8th, 2025 RHIB crew about to head out. Photo by Kenya-Jade Pinto The call came over the night radio channel to prepare for rescue at 4:40am. A small fiberglass boat with about 50 people on board, according to Alarm Phone. The bridge...

Ghazala Hashmi Wins with Progressive Values

If there was a moment that changed the race for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor, it would definitely be when Senator Ghazala Hashmi delivered a speech in the bed of a pickup truck outside of a protest against Governor Glenn Youngkin in Church Hill....

Richmond Showed Up. Now the Real Work Begins. Get Involved.

Richmond showed up this weekend. We’ve got to hold our leaders accountable—applaud them when they get it right, and hit the streets when they don’t. But protest is just one part of the work. If you were out there—or even if you wanted to be—don’t let it end with the...