Richmond Revitalized

In the mid-1970s several pioneers took a gamble and opened up Sam Miller's restaurant in an old tobacco warehouse located in what was then a derelict part of downtown Richmond. Eventually, other retailers and hotels followed, and today Shockoe Slip is a model for downtown revitalization.

The Richmond Regions River Districts new development combined with revitalization of historic buildings has made the area one of the hippest in town from Browns Island and the Riverside on the James development project, to the Canal Walk where Vistas on the James is rising along its banks.

Chesterfield County's Cloverleaf Mall, which opened in 1970, will soon be demolished and replaced with a mixed housing, retail and business complex. Henrico Countys Short Pump Town Center will soon have Hilton Conference Center and Spa as a neighbor.

Several area developers are renovating old historic buildings using the historic tax credit incentive. Condominiums are being developed in former car showrooms and garages, churches and banks. And with residents come retailers. On Broad Street, art galleries and restaurants are filling in where retail once was king. Across the river Manchester Art Works and Plant Zero, both havens for artists, are increasingly attracting more renovation and development.

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