Meels on Wheels

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Depending on your geographic location, catering trucks go by a slew of different names. There’s the seemingly ubiquitous taco truck or the less-desirable roach coach.

Most days the local chuck wagon comes by Rocketts Landing around noon.

But for Juan and Veronica Lopez, who serve piping hot Mexican food from the window of the mobile eatery, the day starts earlier in the morning. Typically, the couple fills the truck’s food containers at a local restaurant and preps food for quick delivery, on demand. Then they drive to construction sites in the vicinity of downtown.

Most chuck wagons service particular parts of the Metro Area, sticking to established routes to develop a consistent customer base, Juan said.

“We usually serve around 40 to 50 meals at lunch,” Juan told me when I stopped by for a soft-shell taco (heavy on the onions) earlier in the week.

For the laborers, it’s a chance to get a hot meal, cold soda and a bit of friendly chit-chat (usually in Spanish).

If you don’t have the means to track down Juan and Veronica’s chuck wagon, they also told me that they are preparing to open a restaurant near the corner of Staples Mill and Glenside. Like the catering truck, the restaurant will serve traditional Mexican food.

Please send the name of your favorite Mexican restaurant to captainsblog@rockettsvillage.com.

First community association meetings

Thursday, February 21, 2008

This week names get matched to faces. Each building at Rocketts Landing has a condominium association, and all are meeting this week for the first time. The Master Homeowners Association, which will manage communal amenities like the pool and fitness center, will meet on Monday, February 25. (Right now Rocketts Landing is supporting the associations, but when each building is 75 percent sold, the associations become independent of the developer.)

For the residents at Rocketts Landing, Amanda Madden needs no introduction. They’ve already popped into her office to ask for an extra set of keys. Or called when the water gets cut off (par for the course as the buildings go up). Or read a mass email asking residents not to put mops and brooms in the trash chutes. Or where to pay the association fees and when they are due.

I stopped in this week to learn more about how Madden handles all that goes into building a new community.

By keeping a checklist on her at her at all times, I learned. In addition to handling 25 calls and 25 emails a day from new residents, she’s also working on plans for the pool and adding a recycling station. 

“The key is to prioritize my day,” Madden said. “But, honestly, sometimes I get anxious while I am getting ready for work just thinking about all the things I’ve got to do.”

“The key is to carry a notebook and keep a list of the things I’ve missed.”

We’ve got a list, too, for cool story ideas. To add one, please email captainsblog@rockettsvillage.com

One if by sea; two if by….bike?

Thursday, February 14, 2008

When construction at Rocketts Landing wraps up in a few more years, residents and visitors will be able to get to and away from the multi-use development by a multitude of conveyances.

I’ve already blogged about the marina, which allows for easy access to the James River waterway. But for those who favor two wheels over a keel, the Virginia Capital Trail offers a health (as well as environmentally) conscious alternative.

The 50-mile path will eventually stretch from Williamsburg to Richmond, connecting the state’s first capital with its current one. The multi-use path, as it’s being called (roller blades, equines and even unicycles are welcome), will meander past old plantations along Route 5, and then hug the James River as it snakes past Rocketts Landing.

The project is being constructed piecemeal, with sections in downtown Richmond near Bottom’s Up Pizza and parts near Chickahominy and in Williamsburg already in place. The final route should be open to the public around 2012.

“This is going to be really cool,” said Beth Weisbrod, executive director of the Capital Trail Foundation. “Richmond is taking a major step in the direction of a bicycle/pedestrian friendly city, which has big benefits for everyone.” The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is handling the paving and bridge-building. The Foundation is raising money for other amenities, such as signs, benches and outreach education. To learn more about volunteering, click here.

In May, 1,000 bikers will pedal the route to raise money for the Foundation. The event, called the Capital to Capital Bike Ride, is sponsored by Rocketts Landing, who will also construct the section of the trail that passes through the property.

For those who prefer a longer ride, say…crossing the entire nation, the Capital Trail will also be part of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. Yes, it’s for real, and yes, it passes through Richmond. I met a California-bound bicycler last year in the Fan.

If similar trails are any indicator, the Virginia Capital Trail will likely be a boon to area hospitality-related businesses and an asset that promotes Richmond as a historic tourism destination.

The Virginia Creeper Trail, a bike trail in Southwest Virginia, draws throngs of bike-enthusiasts. It connects Damascus with Abingdon along what used to be a railroad track. It’s a delightful ride, since the railroad grade is always gentle, which makes for easy pedaling. Inns and bike shops have sprung up in the area, and the Virginia Creeper Trail even graces the ubiquitous state tourism map.

Please email captainsblog@rockettsvillage.com with bike stories, especially ones of your worst fall.

New uses for bygone parcels

Friday, February 01, 2008

Developers from around the country are turning abandoned urban landscapes -- including mothballed airports, outdated power plants and dormant factories -- into thriving villages.

Steve Filmanowicz from the Congress for the New Urbanism, says that it’s a growing trend and “part of rediscovery of cities, a rediscovery of urban fabric.”

In a recent phone interview, he told me, “It’s the most authentic, character-rich fabric out there, these existing city buildings. They were created at time when warehouses were made incredibly solid. Transportation of the day really emphasized good urban buildings.”

I cruised around the internet and found other adaptive reuse projects that share the Rocketts Landing’s virtues (traditional neighborhood design, walkability, proximity to downtown …)

Check it out:    

Pointe East      

A defunct coastal Maine power plant is now upscale housing with a marina. This one isn’t necessarily close to a booming metropolis, but it is creating its own downtown, with big city amenities to match.

A local reporter described it, “The site for development used to be a coal-fired, then oil-fired electric generating plant that closed in the early 1990's. The large brick building that once housed massive Westinghouse turbines will remain, transformed into an office/retail space that includes the marina and boatworks. Where towering oil tanks stood (three of them to be exact) will now be the scene of homes and condominiums, an underground garage, and open land.”

American Locomotive Works:

Along the Woonasquatucket River in Rhode Island, the American Locomotive Works sits

just outside downtown Providence (which reminds me of Richmond in a lot of ways). The 18.5 acre site is poised to be Providence’s newest neighborhood with homes and shops.

The website describes it, “Casual dining, retail shops, loft-style offices, a charming diner, and brand new river front residences combine to create the city's newest destination.”

Shoal Point:

A former oil plant turned mixed-use development in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada).

“The project involves the re-development of a former Chevron bulk oil plant into an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable mixed-use development. The Canadian Government has recognized the project as a model for sustainable building design in Canada. Shoal Point has received numerous local and provincial design awards.”

Mueller

A former airport in Austin is getting turned into a mixed-use development with parks and bikes paths. “In the spirit of traditional Austin neighborhoods, Mueller's neighborhoods will include a wide range of housing types, contributing to a diversity of lifestyles.”

Airports tend to make neat urban planning experiments because they include so much land – all the better for adding those extra amenities like parks and golf courses. 

Finally, if you like checking out cool renderings, click here to see some award-winning urban design projects from around the world.

Please send comments or other examples of adaptive reuse to captainsblog@rockettsvillage.com.