Backers pull Boulevard development plan, city moves forward with Shockoe Plan

“The mayor has made it abundantly clear that he does not need or want an alternative….”

May 6, 2014; 8:37 AM • by Richard Hayes

It now appears that the privately funded effort to replace the Diamond and add retail to the Boulevard site is dead. Ultimately it seems that the decision to withdraw the offer is the result of the Mayor’s office complete refusal to even consider another option.

From RTD we get a portion of the letter that one of the developers sent to the Mayor and City Council.

“The mayor has made it abundantly clear that he does not need or want an alternative in the event the land acquisition and developer contracts for the Shockoe Bottom project do not materialize,” the Rebkee letter reads. “While we don’t agree this is in the city’s best interest, we respect that decision. We also recognize that no plan can go forward without the support of those in control of the city. A transaction of this scale is difficult with parties who share the same goals; it is impossible between those that do not.”

As of Monday evening, the mayor’s office had not responded to the letter, which was signed by Rebkee’s Robert W. Hargett and Kevin T. McFadden.

“We wish the mayor and his development team the best of luck with the Shockoe Bottom project,” the letter concludes. “We trust that the promised redevelopment of the Boulevard site will begin soon.”