GRTC reveals redevelopment vision for future Pulse line
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The Pulse downtown. Photo: Courtesy of GRTC
New apartments, redesigned shopping centers and more walkable streets could transform parts of Richmond under plans tied to the proposed North-South Pulse bus line.
Why it matters: The newly unveiled concepts show how the years-in-the-making transit line could drive redevelopment across the city.
- But the process is surfacing a broader tension: Residents want more investment in their neighborhoods, but they fear growth could one day price them out.
Driving the news: During a Monday night presentation, GRTC consultants shared redevelopment visions for neighborhoods surrounding future bus rapid transit stations along Chamberlayne Avenue, Hull Street and Midlothian Turnpike.
- Those three corridors are critical to the rapid transit route that will connect Chesterfield and Henrico to the city.
- Officials said the concepts were shaped by more than a year of public feedback, corridor studies and reviews of proposed zoning changes.
What residents asked for the most: Safer streets, affordable housing protections and more parks.
- They also repeatedly raised concerns about displacement and gentrification.
The big picture: Six station concepts — Brook Road, Southside Plaza, Brookland Park Boulevard, School Street, Broad Rock and Erich Road — were presented as examples of how different neighborhoods could redevelop in the coming decades.
Brook Road
At Brook Road, planners pitched redeveloping the vacant Azalea Mall area into a mixed-use district with apartments, retail, senior housing and parks.
Southside Plaza
At Southside Plaza, concepts include replacing large parking lots and aging shopping center space with offices, hotels, a consolidated transit transfer station and room for community markets.
School Street
Around School Street, near VUU, plans involve new housing, hotel space and better pedestrian connections to campus.
Broad Rock
Meanwhile, Broad Rock focused on adding retail, boosting walkability, and improving connections to the James River Branch Trail.
Brookland Park
Brookland Park emphasized preserving neighborhood character while improving bike and pedestrian safety along Chamberlayne and near Pollard Park.
Erich Road
For Erich Road, planners proposed converting truck yards and parking lots into mixed-use housing, employment hubs and green spaces while adding safer pedestrian crossings.
Reality check: The phased plans show redevelopment could stretch into the 2040s, though planners cautioned the projects might not happen exactly as shown.
- Most of the land is also privately owned, meaning redevelopment would depend on property owners, developers and market demand.
- It may take "20 to 40 years even to develop," said Cecily Bedwell, a planner and consultant on the North-South Pulse study.
Between the lines: The redevelopment study is separate from another GRTC effort on final station placement and how the future bus line itself — which is in the design phase — will operate.
- Construction on the new line won't start until 2028 at the earliest.
What's next: Residents can comment on the study here through May 31.