The proposed redevelopment of the Intermediate Terminal near Rocketts Landing by Stone Brewing company has hit a permanent snag due to significant structural issues. The plan, as reported by Richmond BizSense, is for Stone Brewery to propose a demolition of this building and replace it with another structure. Take a look at a video posted by Stone Brewery two days ago:
In the video Greg Koch, Stone co-founder & Executive Chairman, and Juliellen Sarver, Community Relations Manager take us on a “final tour of the Richmond “Terminal Warehouse #3” building as a farewell love letter to it after learning just two days before that it had structural and environmental remediation issues so significant that they were not financially viable for repair.”
The building itself is not exactly popular with many considering it nothing more than an eyesore. The company wanted to transform it but unfortunately could not. “However, since this time we’ve been working with architects to create a new building that will meet the standards of the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens on this very property. Our commitment to creating something truly special has not changed, so stay tuned!”
This creation of a new building needs to go through a process. Genni Sasnett, President of the Chuch Hill Association of RVA, explains in a letter sent to the neighborhood last week that “Such change would require an amendment to the ordinance governing the agreement between Stone and the city. This issue was on the agenda to be considered by the Finance Committee of the City Council last night. Quick action on the part of the Historic Preservation and Land Use Committee of CHA of RVA apparently contributed to a delay in those considerations until additional information is provided to the community.”
According to the leadership of the CHA of RVA, they had so far “not received any notification of this development and only through friends of CHA that we learned from it”. CHPN has reached out to the CHA for further comment and we’ll report whenever we hear an update.
12 comments
Couple of things:
1) Seems everything other wharehouse in the city has been preserved, so what’s so bad about this one that it can’t?
2) Why is the City even paying for Stone to have a restaurant? We built them the brewing facility, Stone’s is a big corporation that has plenty of money, so why can’t they pay for it themselves?
Just wondering.
I love how the terminal is called an eyesore, as if Stone’s hi-gloss cement facade is wonderful-looking. Two eyesores: a theme emerges.
You are right, Stones building is ugly
Looks like a building from Full Metal Jacket.
Agree with Ray. Everything about this Stone Brewing deal continues to reek of corporate welfare.
I hope they build back something similar.
an inconvenient truth: it costs money to preserve historical artifacts. why did this company even get this sweetheart deal? they just don’t want to keep with their end of the deal.
privatize the profits, socialize the losses.
same thing going on with the westhampton school, bon secours wants to knock it down because it costs money to preserve historical artifacts and they don’t want to spend the money.
they’d rather throw up (pun intended) some brutalist uglified st mary’s-esque cement and brick tower on that site and erase the school completely.
and, mayor stoney + city council will probably let them
Why would you plan all the way to the last light fixture when you have not determine that the columns are structurally sound? Did it take you 4 years to find out the columns need reinforcement, yet you already spend money on “the last chair”? Seems not right.
The building has been abandoned for a very long time,it is an eyesore, has no architectural features worth preserving. Sorry, sometimes you have to take out the old and bring in new. BTW, Stone got a deal yes, but they also have improved a bad section of town, and yes I can say that because I have lived up the hill from there for over 15 years. Has the CHA ever suggested anything to improve the area down there? No, they haven’t. Let these people at least make use of the area and generate taxes for the city, at least sales taxes, right? Bunch of crybabies! And I agree, not like the Stone brewery concrete walls are beautiful, but did you want them to build a Victorian mansion to brew beer in? It’s a brewery, full of machinery. Get a life.
This isn’t really a mystery. It’s been reported by numerous publications that there are structural deficiencies and the building will be demolished. It has also been reported in multiple places that the city pays $8 million, which it gets back in rent from Stone, over the years. Stone pays anything past $8million for new building — which will be 12,000 square feet ( more than half the size of current warehouse).
@Alix Actually it is not a certainty that the building will be demolished. In fact, there is a hearing to discuss this very point. But thanks for the feedback.
I think its sad first we can’t fish down there no more now they wanna tear down some history wth