City Center

ECI Development Services, LLC, a development manager for the Broad Street Community Development Authority, has completed work on an aggressive downtown redevelopment plan to begin the revitalization of Richmond’s urban core. The City Center project goal is to encourage rehabilitation, development and new construction of retail, entertainment, hospitality, dining and parking facilities within a 12-block region. As the foundation for this development, and to tie the areas together visually, a district-wide streetscape plan was designed by a team of architects, landscape architects, planners and designers from Commonwealth Architects, Cope Linder Architects, Timmons Group, Grenald Waldron, the 1717 Design Group, and Snead Associates.

The City Center Streetscape project has helped define the region and provide an improved means for circulating both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Specifically, the design addressed new street and sidewalk materials, landscaping, a vehicular- and pedestrian-scale graphics and way-finding system and other street amenities. A new lighting system for the area, emphasizing pedestrian safety and comfort was also installed. Overall, the area has benefited from the introduction of several left-turn options along Broad Street, as well as the re-opening of 6th Street to vehicular traffic, featuring new opportunities for retail, restaurant and cafe uses within the district.