on the demolition of the General Assembly Building.
Meanwhile, down south in Chesterfield, John Tyler CC's renovation program continues, with our
old buddy Sidney Buford in charge. Next phase is a $24 million renovation and expansion of the
Student Center, including a workforce development program lab, conference room and additional
classrooms. A little further down I-95, the hush hush project off of the Willis Rd. exit turns out to
be PEPSI, with a 220,000 sq. ft. bottling & distribution facility on that 177 acre site. While over on
the west side of the interstate, the county's Economic Development unit has a firestorm of citizen
opposition on their hands with their Megasite project.
Back up to the north, we note that Randolph-Macon is purchasing the 100 acre Coventry Farm
(southwest of Ashland on Ashcake Rd.) which they have been leasing as the home of their
equestrian program. Sounds like under their ownership they will continue to board horses and of-fer
riding lessons, as the previous owner has done.
The Watkins family is selling off another large piece of their 800 acre property near Rts. 288 & 60,
across from West Chester Commons. Looks like lots more development yet to come out in that
area.
Still in the planning stages, we see Eagle development, headed by Ricky Core who was our
speaker when we met at West Broad Village back in Oct. of '12, scaling down the plan for their
Readers Branch Development (on the west side of 288, just north of West Creek). 303 homes,
instead of 308, and significantly increasing their proffers, so now they get the approval of Gooch-land
county. When built, their homes will be from 2,200 to 2,900 sq. ft. and will sell from the low
3
$400,000 's.
While St. Christopher's has a 450 seat auditorium, as part of a $14 million performing arts center,
in the works along with $17 million of other improvements.
And the long overdue horse barn for the Richmond Police Dept.'s four horse unit gets Planning
Commission approval for a site near Gillies Creek, not far from Stone Brewing, as some oppo-nents
question why the City needs a mounted unit at all.
With all the progress being reported, we did have some sad items to note, as the Hanover Herald
Progress weekly newspaper announces their closing after a run of 137 years; while the Extra
Billy's west Broad St. location, near Willow Lawn, is closing after a considerably shorter run alt-hough
their Midlothian location remains open. Wells Fargo is closing another branch as its lease
comes up for renewal, making three in a year as they drop the branches acquired in previous
mergers that are very close to other branches. In this category is the one at Staples Mill & Bethle-hem
(which I patronize occasionally) that has one of the most difficult and convoluted auto traffic
patterns to get in and out of I have ever experienced. Now that I've got it pretty well figured out,
naturally it's going to be closed.
And in closing, the Construction industry mourns the loss of another of it's icons, as “Bobby” Law-son,
the founder of W.M. Jordan, dies at 91.
********************************
(Continued from page 2)