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Stoney to Release Contentious Coliseum Plan August 5th

After over a year of negotiations, Mayor Levar M. Stoney will present the ordinances for Navy Hill development plan to Richmond City Council.

In November of 2018 Mayor Stoney announced his vision for the old coliseum in downtown Richmond. The plan, with a price tag of $1.5 Billion dollars, is expected to generate $500 million in annual wages in the region, in addition to an estimated $1 billion in surplus revenue to the city over 30 years for priorities such as education, housing, streets and the arts.

The History of the Disputed Plan

The, mostly secretive, negotiations with The NH District Corporation, and developer Capital City Partners, has been troublesome for the Administration. Two separate citizens filed Freedom of Information Act requests against the Mayor’s office in attempts to obtain details of the plan. On the first, the General District Court ruled in the administration’s favor. The second, filed in May by Paul Goldman, was successful.

Partially.

Richmond Circuit Judge Melvin Hughes ruled portions of the plan had to be released, although, as of this publication, it does not appear Goldman has made public any of his findings.

We will have to wait until Monday for official details but so far this is what the Mayor’s Office has released to the public:

Highlights of the negotiated proposal include:

  • 12,500 jobs in construction and 9,300 permanent jobs
  • 480 affordable housing units, with a pathway to hundreds more
  • $300 million in minority business participation, largest in city history
  • New GRTC bus transit center
  • Renovated historic Blues Armory
  • New arena to replace the Richmond Coliseum
  • New 525+-room Hyatt Regency hotel

“This project is not only the largest economic development project in the city’s history, but also the largest economic empowerment project in our city’s history,”

Mayor Levar M. Stoney

As the process begins in earnest, NH District Corporation looks to the community for their input.

“We look forward to hearing the community’s feedback and to working with neighborhoods, Richmond residents, and the city council to shape the downtown we all deserve for the city we love. NH District Corporation’s goal is to help create a diverse downtown neighborhood that welcomes everyone, Lots of people have worked hard to shape this plan, and we are excited to share the full detail of the project next week.”

Dr. Monroe Harris, NH Foundation Board member

“Now is the time for the public to see for themselves how this will benefit all Richmonders, and for the members of City Council to begin their review,”

Mayor Levar M. Stoney

We couldn’t have said it better.

The plan, subject to the approval of Richmond City Council, will be submitted in the form of ordinances and supporting legal documents introduced at a special meeting of the council to be held on Monday, August 5. 

Stay tuned to CHPN as we follow this story.

1 comment

The U.....nion Hill 08/02/2019 at 7:45 AM

How can Stoney be trusted with the complexity of negotiating a billion dollar project? Further, this city couldn’t even renovate the 17th Street Market efficiently. In future news, our taxes will be going up to pay for all of this.

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