Real Estate: MICHAEL HALLMARK

An underdeveloped swath of downtown Richmond drew Hallmark from Los Angeles to Virginia’s capital. After the mammoth proposed Navy Hill development failed to gain the necessary political traction, though, Hallmark stayed put.

Hallmark, a founding partner of Future Cities, is seeing his ideas for Richmond re-envisioned in neighboring Henrico County. In October 2021, Hallmark received the county government’s approval for his sustainably forward vision of GreenCity. Future Cities plans to build the $2.3 billion mixed-use development on the 204-acre site of the former Best Products Co. corporate campus, along Interstate 95. GreenCity is slated to include a 17,000-seat arena, hotels, retail, office and residential space.

Hallmark is responsible for designing numerous sports arenas, including Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. In 1988, he founded the sports architecture division at Ellerbe Becket (now part of AECOM) and he started NBBJ Sports Architecture in 1995. He’s led Future Cities since 2000.

The GreenCity project is expected to be complete by 2034. Meanwhile, Hallmark and his business partner, Susan Eastridge, are developing a new tower anchored by VCU Health System medical offices in downtown Richmond, as well as a food hall and coworking space in Richmond’s Carver neighborhood.