Richmond Times Dispatch
Sunday, Jul 29, 2007
Margaret Matray

Residents, business owners and developers remember what West Cary Street near the Fan District looked like more than a decade ago.

They recall the dilapidated buildings, the dry patches of dirt sprinkled with weeds and the house on one corner where drug deals took place in the daytime.

Today residents are seeing something quite different along the stretch of Cary Street between Meadow Street and Virginia Commonwealth University's academic campus.

Several additional projects are now in the works.

"When we started doing all this, we didn't know if it was going to work," said Ed Eck, president of Eck Enterprises, which redeveloped the colorful Uptown buildings along West Main Street near VCU.

Jim Vigeant, vice president of the Fan District Association, said the area has improved. "It is cleaning up the act of West Cary Street and that's a vital part of what is called the Fan. We hope this continues."

The Cary Street revitalization has taken millions of dollars and the efforts of private developers, the city and the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Here's a look at a few of the projects:

Construction started in 2005 and is about to wrap up next month.

The Lofts at Cary Place has 14 residential lofts atop 14 commercial storefronts in three buildings at Cary and Meadow streets. Two buildings face Cary Street and one faces Meadow Street.

The project is a joint effort between East West Partners, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the West Cary Street Planning Committee.

East West Partners has developed residential communities throughout Virginia, including the Brandermill and Woodlake communities in Chesterfield County.

Finishing touches on the Lofts at Cary Place are being made to the building facing Meadow Street, which contains four commercial and four residential spaces.

All but one of the residential lofts in the first two buildings sold before construction began and residents moved in in June 2006.

Between the three buildings, six commercial and four residential spaces are up for sale now. The commercial bays sell for about $159,000 to $200,000 and the residential lofts for about $290,000 to $300,000.

The gas station at that corner and land nearby are getting a facelift.

Eck and the owner of the gas station are in the process of signing an agreement that would fix up what many residents consider an eyesore on Cary Street.

A wrought-iron fence already has been erected along the alley behind the gas station.

Exterior improvements are tentative, but the station could be given a new stucco surface, Eck said. The roof could be reframed, asphalt removed and new landscaped islands with trees and shrubs built in the parking lot.

Eck Enterprises bought a building and a lot adjacent to the gas station.

Eck plans to renovate the building at 1912 W. Cary St. and lease the front part for commercial purposes and turn the rear into three 800-square-foot apartments.

On the land next door, Eck plans to construct a building with commercial spots in the front, apartments in the back and a courtyard in the center.

Although plans are preliminary, Eck said he hopes to get the buildings designed and start construction by the end of this year.

Two blocks east from Lofts at Cary Place, construction is under way on the Townes at Cary Place.

The Townes will have 28 town houses -- 14 facing Cary Street, 14 facing Parkwood Avenue -- with a gated entrance on Allen Avenue. The town houses start in the $420,000s.

A small park will be constructed between the two rows of houses within the gated community.

In late June, workers began pouring the foundation for the first two of six buildings in the 1700 block of West Cary Street.

The first two buildings, one facing Cary Street and the other facing Parkwood Avenue, will contain five town houses each. Those units are expected to be completed by the end of December.

Construction is expected to wrap up by fall 2008.

Chris Corrada, vice president of East West Partners, the project's developer, said the Townes offers a new option for single family housing in Richmond, where condominiums and apartment complexes dominate.

"We think we'll capture the baby boomers living in the Fan now who think, 'We don't want to walk up these stairs anymore,'" Corrada said.

The town houses, designed by local builder StyleCraft Homes, come with the option of an elevator, Corrada said.

The four different floor plans each have the option of either two or three bedrooms. The corner units of each building have a two-car garage and the rest of the units have one-car garages.

The Townes will have an old Fan District look, but with modern amenities, Corrada said.

Because the project is just starting, people who purchase town houses now will be able to pick the layout, features and fixtures they want. None of the town houses has been sold yet.

Construction is nearing completion in the 1300 block of Cary Street for a commercial and residential building being developed by Eck Enterprises.

Residents began moving into the eight one-bedroom and three two-bedroom apartments on the second floor earlier this month. All 11 apartments and two commercial spaces have been leased.

The last part of the $2.8 million project -- two commercial fronts and a courtyard -- is expected to finish by Sept. 1.

Eck, also chairman of the city's West Cary Street Planning Committee, said the courtyard is an important aspect of the complex.

The courtyard runs between what will be an advertising firm and a Mexican restaurant on the first floor. It will feature outdoor restaurant seating.

Eck says creating a comfortable outdoor environment and encouraging green space is "not just important -- it's critical because people expect it today."

Having a developed space outside draws more people to the area and also could act as a deterrent for crime, he said.

Eck Enterprises plans to convert the former 9,600-square-foot Flag Center warehouse at 9 S. Harvie St. into a mixed commercial and residential building.

Construction should begin in September, with all 10 apartments and two commercial spots completed by spring 2008.

By looking at the building, which dates to the 1920s, passersby might consider it a "white elephant," Eck said. The brick walls and wooden rafters are old and in disrepair.

But Eck says the structure is sound and, once cleaned, makes for a unique internal design.

Once the brick walls are cleaned and the wooden rafters repaired, they will be noticeable features of all the apartments.

The apartments will face Randolph Street and the commercial fronts will face Harvie Street.

Eck Enterprises also is developing eight other apartments -- six on South Randolph and two at 1314 and 1316 Cary St.

The Cary Place 5 project is expected to cost $2.1 million.

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