Richmond names 3 Diamond District finalists

City of Richmond officials announced Tuesday that three development teams have continued to the finals for the Diamond District, which includes replacing the baseball stadium and revitalizing the area near the Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

The announcement also gives more details than previously available about the plans submitted by the finalists, which include Richmond Community Development Partners, RVA Diamond Partners and Vision300 Partners LLC. According to the city’s statement, the finalists will be asked to respond to a request for offers issued the week of May 30, with a deadline of June 28.

RCDP’s plan includes a new baseball stadium, as well as walking and bike paths, affordable housing and green space. Partners in this group include San Francisco commercial real estate agency JMA Ventures, Houston-based Machete Group and Tryline Capital, which has offices in Connecticut and New York, as master developers; Florida-based EDSA Inc. as master planner, Richmond and North Carolina-based Odell Associates Inc. as stadium architect; and Gilbane Building Co. and Davis Brothers Construction Co., both based in Richmond, as contractors. Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Regional Studies and Planning will be part of the community engagement team.

Diamond Partners’ proposal includes  “large-scale, mixed-income, mixed-use and stadium-integrated development,” with partners including national developer Republic (which has a presence in Richmond), Richmond-based Loop Capital and Thalhimer Realty Partners, plus Henrico County-based Capstone and San Diego venue developer JMI Sports, among others. The design team includes Chicago and New York design firm SOM and Charlottesville landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz, and Nebraska-based DLR Group in charge of stadium design.

Vision300 also promises a new stadium, as well as a concert venue and a YMCA facility, surrounded by residential, retail and office space. As reported previously, Vision300 is a group of 40 Richmond-area businesses and community organizations, including lead developer Freehold Communities, developer Spy Rock Real Estate Group; building company Hourigan; staffing firm Astyra Corp.; Canterbury Enterprises; Shamin Hotels; lead architect HKS; and engineering firm Timmons Group.

The three finalists were chosen from six groups that were asked to provide additional information last month. A group of 10 city and VCU representatives are involved in the review process, which is expected to conclude with a City Council vote that requires seven out of nine votes to pass since the project involves the city selling property. In early June, the city is expected to host a public meeting, with details to be released on the Diamond District website.