September 2025 Community Meeting
Hello Neighbors – thanks so much to those of you who came out to our community gathering last Monday, September 29! We enjoyed getting to meet so many of you and having the opportunity to describe our plans for bringing renewed 1836 Park Avenue back to life — and we have appreciated all the supportive follow up notes/comments you’ve sent our way since.
Following the meeting we wanted to be sure and keep everyone up to date on what will be coming next. For a closer look at what we looked at together, please see the images below; click the pink button to download traffic data; or click the pink headings at bottom for more detail on the topics listed.
Finally, we also wanted to post a brief notice that there will be some health- and safety-related work happening in the building soon. This work should last a few weeks and then conclude for a while – full construction will not begin until Spring 2026.
More to come soon – we look forward to hearing from more of you and continuing our conversations!
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We were excited to give a glimpse into some of our own and others’ ideas for what we hope 1836 Park will become:
A multi-purpose event space on the main floor hosting community gatherings, interest and hobbyist meetings, book talks, celebrations, and other programming to meet the Fan’s needs and imagination
A book and coffee shop on the main and upper floors offering new and used titles for adults and children, as well as coffee to go out the front window
A small daycare in the basement seeking to serve ~30-40 infants and preschoolers to address a childcare shortage in the neighborhood and city
A refurbished but otherwise unchanged exterior(!). The building’s historic charm will remain, in line with guidance from the VA Department of Historic Resources
We shared more details on the above. If you’re interested in learning more, please see the materials from last week’s meeting below.
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Another topic discussed last Monday was our upcoming application to amend the building’s current Special Use Permit (SUP).
The SUP will expand uses to include “childcare” and “retail/restaurant” (the formal zoning designation for the bookstore and coffee shop).
The SUP will also permit a clearly delineated set of “Events” to occur on the property. There is no formal definition of “Events” in the city zoning code, so we (like the prior owner and some other similar places in the city) setting out a plan (“Event Parameters”) to clearly delineate the size, number, timing, frequency of Events (e.g. all events conclude by 10:30pm, valet parking required for events with 75+ guests, etc.).
These Event Parameters can be part of the SUP filed by the city. Alternatively, they can be attached to the SUP as a “Special Event Management Plan” (SEMP). Recent SEMP examples include the SUPs obtained by the Branch museum and the Maymont Foundation headquarters building.
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We are updating the Event Parameters based on neighborhood input – from last Monday’s meeting, emails, 1:1 conversations, and elsewhere. Our next update to all of you will include the latest version.
We are preparing to begin the formal application process with the City of Richmond. Obtaining an amendment to the SUP requires City Council approval.
Important Note: Beginning the filing process does NOT mean that the Event Parameters are ‘locked’! There will be lots of ongoing conversation between neighbors, the broader community, the city, and us during the 6-9 month-long process that follows.
We will continue to update all of you — our Fan neighbors, and the rest of the community — throughout the process, including posting application materials once they are filed. We look forward to continued conversations.
