RichmondGrid.com has the info on Ground Zero Dance coming to the Southbank in Manchester. Great to see so much happening down in Manchester now if we can just get some growth up in Westover Hills and Stratford Hills.;

Ground Zero Dance is the resident company of Dogtown Dance Theatre, a new home for Richmond’s independent performing artists. Dogtown Dance Theatre promises a venue where independent artists and small companies can afford the time and space to create and present their work in a facility designed with them in mind.

Nestled within the Manchester Historic District on the south side of the James River the newly-renovated Dogtown Dance Theatre (109 West 15th Street) formerly the Bainbridge Junior High School Gymnasium – was built in 1939. Just as sports and recreation once were the principal activity on this site; dance, performance and community outreach now comprise the essential purpose of this beautifully refurbished facility.

Performances will not start until late May 2010.

Richmond BizSense.com takes us inside the law firm Gregory Kaplan which is located at 7 East Second Street in Manchester. A nice blending of old and new. It is nice to see old buildings re-purposed instead of torn down.

This was discussed here when the vote was going down last week and now the RTD is covering the debate as well.

Council members Kathy C. Graziano and Ellen F. Robertson supported Crosland’s request for $4.5 million in bonds even though they had voted against its special-use permit. They said they wouldn’t undermine a project that had previously been blessed by a majority of the council.

The Recovery Zone bonds cannot be used to finance apartment projects, but Crosland said it would use the bonds to finance a parking deck at Manchester on the James. Johnson said that’s an awfully fine hair to split for an out-of-town developer. With an initial $8.8 million in bonds and about $22 million in requests, the city should direct its limited allocation to other, less-controversial projects, he said.

“This is to build a parking deck for apartments for a business that’s located in North Carolina,” Johnson said. “All that money is going to be going back to North Carolina. We think this is kind of a short-term deal” in terms of stimulating the local economy.

Another interesting tidbit is, normally Crosland would have until June to request a building permit or it would lose approval for Manchester on the James but the 2009 General Assembly approved a law that keeps various zoning approvals, including special-use permits, valid through July 1, 2014.

More details at Richmond.com.

From the website:

ART 180’s Open Studio Series provides an intimate glimpse at the art and ideas of young people in our fall 2009 programs.

Help us celebrate and support young artists from our fall programs as they work to create change in their community. Join us in these three intimate gatherings to see their work, hear their voices, and be inspired. Each program is free and open to the public (children welcome), so please join us and bring a friend or neighbor. Refreshments provided.

The first event is tonight and there is an event Wednesday in Church Hill and Thursday in Manchester.

Tuesday, January 12 at 6 pm
Gallery5, 644-0005
200 W. Marshall St.
(in Jackson Ward between Adams & Madison)
Comics by Friends Association for Children Mural by Henderson Middle School/Communities In Schools of Richmond (CIS)
Mixed media tapestry by Southside Boys & Girls Club
Prints by St. Andrew’s School

Read more >

[photo courtesy of flickr user swhwartzray]

A Saturday night is probably not the best night to try a new restaurant but our party of three decided to give the new Croaker’s Spot in Manchester a try and boy was the joint hopping! We bellied up to the bar for our 30 minute wait and goggled at just how slammed the servers and bartenders were. Every staff member we came into contact with was extremely friendly and they really rallied to help each other but could scarcely keep up with the crowd. We watched glass after glass of home made lemonade and limeade being laboriously hand-squeezed which probably slowed down service considerably but I’d kill to have one of those on a hot day.

And then the glorious plates of food went by.

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Did you know that the Manchester Courthouse is the only surviving public building in Manchester? RTD has pictures and more details:
The historic Manchester Courthouse in South Richmond is back in business, after a $23 million, court-ordered expansion.

City officials, judges and others gathered in Courtroom 1 yesterday to rededicate the 1872 courthouse as the Manchester General District Courts Building. The complex has three courtrooms and 58,000 square feet — more than double the previous size.

“We pray this building will be a place where justice will abound, where persons will be able to be judged, not by their color, not by their status, but rather by their citizenship,” Mayor Dwight C. Jones said.

To continue the implementation of the Richmond Downtown Plan, the City of Richmond has set a Public Meeting for a potential rezoning of the Manchester Area for Thursday, November 19, from 5PM-6:30PM Open at the Sacred Heart Center (1400 Perry Street). The purpose of the meeting is to review the rezoning proposal, ask questions, and provide additional input on the future of development and land use in the Manchester Area. If you are unable to attend this meeting and would like to be added to our mailing list, please call or e-mail the Department of Community Development at 646-6310 or askcommunitydevelopment@richmondgov.com [via] Meeting Flyer – Website – Map of Study Area

A story on NBC12 last night ties the renovation of the courthouse to a spurt of growth in Manchester. The new addition I am most looking forward to is Croaker’s Spot. Other new businesses include a bail bondsman, lawyer’s office, pizzeria, coffee shop and at least 50 apartments. Hopefully that growth will continue but I think continued growth will be more dependent on those apartments getting tenants than the new courthouse.

After more than a year of construction, the grand re-opening of the Manchester Courthouse is about two months away. Work may be winding down but it’s also sparking tremendous changes in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods.

Work began on the Courthouse nearly a year and a half ago. It’s a $29 million expansion project that appears to be spilling out into the neighborhood.

Local Manchester business Scoot Richmond is given some help from CNNMoney.com. The premise is great. A small business wants to grow and has some challenges. CNNMoney comes in and helps identify and solve the current challenges. Very interesting read and CNNMoney will be checking back in to see how things worked and so will we.

Understandably, she also worries about hiring. She needs help establishing a reliable interview and evaluation process that will let her spot issues that could cause trouble down the road.

In addition, Lahmers wants to expand her customer base. She currently draws a funky urban clientele. She would like to add suburbanites to the mix, but she doesn’t “know who these people are or how to reach them.”

From last week’s  Style Weekly we have the tale of a sculpture by Ray King with no home.

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There is an article in the RTD this morning pitching the idea of a baseball stadium in Manchester. I love the idea and think the location is great. Then I read the article. There are no real plans it just another pie in the sky idea. What is also depressing are the comments (I really need to stop reading the comments on RTD) which are so negative. I think it is an interesting idea but at this point baseball in Manchester is only an idea.

Image is from the RTD article CB RICHARD ELLIS

Reynolds Packaging Group has mentioned to city officials informally the possibility of a minor-league baseball stadium in South Richmond.

The stadium site would be part of a 17.5-acre property between the Manchester and 14th Street bridges, with a clear view of the river and downtown skyline.

And the next section really makes me wonder RTD is running a story at all.

However, Richmond officials say they didn’t consider the casual conversation a pitch for a new stadium site and that they don’t have any formal proposal to consider.

“Unequivocally, we are not considering any proposal for a baseball stadium on that site,” Tammy D. Hawley, the mayor’s press secretary, said yesterday.

I for one hopes that some real news develops soon. The owner of the property in question is hoping to pick from as many as 30 potential buyers by Labor day.

Saw this on the Woodland Heights Yahoo Group and thought some others might want to know about the meeting as well.

Kickoff Meeting
Saturday, June 27, 2009
9:00 am – 11:30 am
Sacred Heart Center
1400 Perry Street

To begin the implementation of the Richmond Downtown Plan, the City of Richmond is pleased to announce the Kickoff Meeting for a potential rezoning of the Manchester Area.

Read more >

Richmond.com has posted about Manchester’s Fourth Fridays tonight from 7-10pm. What an easy date night out! Even if you’ve got ankle biters. Head out for an early dinner and than get your culture on by checking out their new art shows!

Art Works will be opening six new art shows tonight. Featured this month are artists: Diane Clement, Chrisana Reveley, Cheryl Clayton, Mark Shively, and Ray Abell. Sarah Masters juries this month’s All-Media Show. Plus, live music, refreshments, and bellydancing!

Besides the previously mentioned gear swap there are a ton of events going on in honor of Earth Day on the south end of Mayo Bridge on Saturday from 10 – 4.  Some highlights include; learning about seeds, compost workshop, music and much more.  Schedule of Events

You should never need a reason to visit Artspace but I will give you two. The first reason is the show is by local artist Dan Mouer, resident of Woodland Heights and it is important to support your local artist. The second reason is the photos include local haunts Crossroads and the now shuttered Ms. Hathaway’s Cafe.

Coffee at the Crossroads

The show opened on March 27th and will be running through April 19th. The official Opening Reception is Friday the 4th and will feature music by Gypsy Roots.

Dan speaks to why he chose coffee shops in this excerpt from his Artist’s Statement.

As an anthropologist—a student of human culture—I’m fascinated by both the continuity and innovation in contemporary café life. In comfy shared quarters today we can find young radicals plotting the next big thing in art or politics and, at an adjacent table or sofa, salesmen hover over their glowing laptops or work deals on their cell phones. In another corner, young parents gather for mid-afternoon chat while their children play nearby. As a visual artist, I’m excited by the huge variety of colors, textures, and spatial designs today’s café owners are creating. And, as a dyed-in-the-wool coffee fanatic, I feel duty-bound to taste every shot of espresso I can get my lips around. As a result, my camera and I have spent a good bit of time (and probably too much money) in the coffee houses and cafe’s of my home town.