Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones says some of the revenues generated by economic development at the Boulevard and Shockoe Bottom could be devoted to other uses, such as schools and parks. The offer comes at a time when Jones is pushing hard for a plan that would tear down The Diamond, the current home of the […]
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Alternative plan pitched for Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom: No new ballpark
A group opposing a new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark have proposed an alternate plan for Shockoe Bottom: no new ballpark, large slave-trade memorial. The three-page proposal from a group of activists and historians led by Phil Wilayto calls for the same level of development in the area — hotel, office space, […]
Big week for new Flying Squirrels ballpark
A week after Mayor Dwight Jones unveiled a new Shockoe Bottom ballpark plan for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League), the City Council will debate its merits. It’s an ambitious plan, calling for a new ballpark and flood control to Shockoe Bottom — over the objections of activists calling for a strong commemoration […]
Squirrels ballpark plan includes hotel, apartments, grocery UPDATED!
A $200-million proposal for a Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark development will include a hotel, 750 apartment units and a Kroger store, under a plan to be unveiled by Mayor Dwight Jones today and already opposed by local activists. Also part of the plan: a heritage site to commemorate one of the […]
Shockoe Bottom plan for new Squirrels ballpark on agenda: Report
Despite the threats of protest and a lack of enthusiasm from fans, Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones reportedly will unveil plans for a Shockoe Bottom ballpark for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) on Monday. There have been two competing visions for a new Richmond ballpark: a new facility built next to The Diamond, […]
Activists: Ballpark not best use for Shockoe Bottom
Efforts to bring a new ballpark for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA: Eastern League) in Shockoe Bottom must be balanced with an awareness of the sad history of the slave trade in the area, according to activists opposing the project. Though there’s no proposal formally on the table, Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones has been […]
Opposition to Shockoe Bottom ballpark intensifies
The very idea of a new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark in the city’s Shockoe Bottom district is causing protests today because of the site’s past as a slave-trading area. The coalition of activists and academics oppose putting a ballpark in an area that was once the second-most-busy area for slave trading […]
Poll: Squirrels home should be built next to current home
In a nearly worthless poll, the Richmond Times-Dispatch discovered suburban voters love the idea of a new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark be built for maximum suburban access. The poll of 694 people in Richmond (which, under Virginia law, isn’t within a county) and the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover showed […]
Richmond: No vote on ballpark location
The Richmond City Council made it official last night: Residents will not get to choose the location of a new Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) ballpark. Council President Charles R. Samuels had proposed putting the location to voters in the form of a fall referendum. And while that initially was seen as a […]
Richmond, Flying Squirrels meet once again to discuss new ballpark
More talk, but at least both sides say it was productive: Richmond officials and the braintrust from the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) had what was described by both sides as a productive discussion of a new ballpark. The meeting, held last Friday, hashed out the issues facing the team in its pursuit […]
Flying Squirrels: New ballpark still a priority
Despite an agreement by local municipalities to spend $300,000 on ballpark improvements, the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) front office says a new facility should be a priority after the fall elections. It seems like ballpark discussions in Richmond go in fits and spurts; city officials will pay heed to the team’s needs […]
Didn’t take long: Opposition rises to Shockoe Bottom ballpark site
We predicted this would happen when Shockoe Bottom was revived as a Richmond ballpark site: local proponents of a slave-trading museum don’t see baseball as an appropriate use of the historic site. Former Mayor Doug Wilder pushed Shockoe Bottom as the site of a ballpark for the Richmond Braves (Class AAA; International League), but it was opposed […]
Squirrels ask Richmond community for help in new-ballpark quest
The Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) are asking for community input on funding a new ballpark on The Boulevard via an advocacy group, Ballpark Nutz. The group, which exists mainly as a Facebook page at the moment, was set by the Squirrels management to help move along the dialogue about a new ballpark […]