From new high-rises to renovated classics, downtown living has become dynamic
By Terri L. Jones
One of the biggest attractions to city life for boomers is something it doesn’t offer. Grass. You hear it time and again: “I’m tired of mowing the lawn.”
However, for every blade of grass that doesn’t beckon outside their windows, boomers find plenty of other things that do. A folk festival a bike ride away. A four-star meal around the corner. An art walk within walking distance. A cocktail just steps from home.
Whether the kids have flown the nest or it’s simply time for a change, many folks are eager to experience the pulse of the city. “I was finding myself driving downtown quite a bit for the nightlife or for cultural events. Why not move here?” says Don Kendrick, a single boomer who went from a 2,500-square-foot home in Chesterfield to a 1,100-square-foot condo at Vistas on the James.
CAPTIVATING CONDOS
The multitude of things to do downtown is certainly seductive, but the spaces, which range from about 750 square feet to 4,000-plus, are also alluring. One entire wall of Kendrick’s living room (he’s on Vistas’ 14th floor) is nothing but view, including skyline, nesting blue herons, passing trains and even a snapshot of traffic on the bridges. Many downtown spaces find a way to capture that spectacular river or skyline view.
But new high-rises are just the half of it. To retain the flavor of many old neighborhoods, Richmond has also turned some time-honored spaces into hip new ones. The SoHo-style Manchester Pie Factory lofts feature exposed brick and other elements from their original warehouse provenance, while the stately Presidential Court Club condos, with doorman/concierge services and indoor pool, have taken up easy residence in the historic Dooley Madison property near The Jefferson Hotel. And Miller & Rhoads Residences leverage tradition and a legendary façade to stake their claim on Broad Street.
Most brand-new construction blends comfortably into the landscape. Sterling Row, a townhome community with private garages and elevators that can be installed in units, uses brick, iron and classic architecture to feel right at home in Shockoe Bottom.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
“When you drive by a building…you have no idea what’s inside nor what the lifestyle is,” says Lucy Meade, director of marketing and development for Venture Richmond. Its annual early-spring Downtown Loft Tour helps strip away some of this mystery.
From swanky lobbies with security to state-of-the-art fitness centers and even a few pools onsite, many urban spaces feel like resorts or, at the very least, a step away from reality.
This vacation-like atmosphere motivates some people to purchase a city condo as a second home, says Anna Page Campbell, a realtor for Virginia Realty and Relocation. They might keep a house in the suburbs and use their condo for weekend getaways or simply to bunk on evenings in town.
A NEW WORLD
With urban living comes an intriguing patchwork of neighbors, including young professionals, students, and people from hither and yon. Annette Wilkins, who rented with her husband, Steve Knox, in the West End while waiting for their home at Rocketts Landing to be completed, loves the nonhomogeneous nature of it all. “I don’t want to live in a neighborhood with 2.3 children. There’s a mix of people here that I really enjoy!”
While boomers may claim to have traded the burbs for the big city because of the grass, when they settle into downtown they find a whole new world of opportunities waiting for them.
Terri L. Jones is a Richmond-based freelance writer.
CAPTIVATING CONDOS 
