Hull Street Road Revitalization Plan - College of Humanities and ...

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Hull Street Road Revitalization Plan 

Acknowledgements 

The development of this plan would not have been possible without the generous assistance and 

commitments from various organizations and individuals whom we wish to acknowledge. 

For their guidance and feedback throughout the process, we thanks Brooke Hardin, Deputy Director 

of Community Development for the City of Richmond and Tom Jacobson, Director of Community 

Revitalization for Chesterfield County. 

We are also very grateful to Cary Brown of the City of Richmond Department of Economic Revitalization, 

as well as Kirk Turner, Steven Haasch and Zachary Mayo of the Chesterfield County Planning 

Department and Will Davis and Karen Aylward of the Chesterfield County Economic Development 

Department. 

We extend our thanks to all who participated in our surveys and interviews, including Hull Street Road 

business and property owners, real estate agents, and patrons and customers of Hull Street Road 

businesses. 

We also acknowledge Anita Nadal, Hispanic Liason for Virginia Commonwealth University, and Gabriel 

Gonzalez for their help with translations and surveys for the Hispanic community. 

Finally, we wish to thank the Hull Street Road community for allowing us the opportunity to spend 

several months in their area. It is our hope that you find our recommendations helpful.


contents of the plan 

Executive Summary 1 

I. Introduction 

Study Methods 4 

II. Overview of Planning Area 

Background and History 6 

Related Plans 7 

Surrounding Influences 9 

Spatial Structure 12 

Circulation 13 

Building Size and Use 15 

Zoning 17 

Hard and Soft Areas 19 

III. SWOT Analysis 

Strengths 20 

Weaknesses 21 

Opportunities 25 

Threats 27 

IV. Revitalization Plan for Hull Street Road 

Vision 28 

Development Goals 29 

Organizational Goals 37 

Physical Goals 39 

Financing Options 44 

Conclusion 45 

Sources 46



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Hull Street Road commercial corridor is situated on both sides of Chippenham Parkway, from Warwick Road in the City of Richmond to the 

Route 360 West Shopping Center in Chesterfield County. The unprecendented collaboration between the City of Richmond and Chesterfield 

County in this planning process provides an opportunity for revitalization on both sides of Chippenham Parkway. Hull Street Road is centrally 

located among major transporation routes, including Jefferson Davis Highway, Midlothian Turnpike, Chippenham Parkway, and Interstate 95, 

providing easy access to and from the corridor, but also leading many to focus on the corridor solely as a major arterial route for commuters. The 

corridor is also home to many commercial businesses who serve nearby residential neighborhoods with needed convenience goods. In addition, a 

thriving Hispanic business cluster that provides speciality goods to the growing Hispanic population is located here. 

Despite these assets, Hull Street Road faces numerous challenges. The corridor is surrounded by many shopping centers that provide goods and 

attractions that Hull Street Road does not offer. Shoppers and business owners perceive the area to be unsafe. The corridor also does not provide 

easy or safe access to shopping from nearby neighborhoods because of its lack of sidewalks and crosswalks. The most challenging aspect, 

however, is the lack of design unity between the city and county portions of the corridor. The corridor lacks landscaping, building design guidelines, 

and pedestrian-scale amenities that could create a sense of comfort and enclosure for shoppers and drivers alike. 

Despite these weaknesses, Hull Street Road has many opportunities for revitalization. The area already serves as a central location for Hispanic 

goods and services for the Richmond area. Encouraging growth of this market will increase its ability to attract shoppers from surrounding areas 

and the region. Past development patterns in the corridor have also left many undeveloped and underutilized parcels that can be used to attract 

new businesses to the area. 

A market analyis conducted for this plan revealed unmet demand for several businesses, including fast food restaurants, laundry businesses, 

tobacco products, household furnishings, entertainment goods and services, and specialty apparel, such as watches and shoes. These findings, 

conditions currently found in the area, and survey responses are the basis for the following recommendations. 

I. Development 

• Develop a Hispanic Business Cluster providing Hispanic goods, food, and entertainment, for both the local Hispanic Ccommunity and the 

surrounding Metropolitan Richmond community. 

• Develop an open-air shopping mall, surrounding a central courtyard containing design elements from Spanish Revival style. 

• Attract and foster the development of new Hispanic-run businesses. 

• Develop a public open space within the courtyard of the open-air shopping mall. 

• Develop an open-air Farmers Market that includes Hispanic food and goods among produce from local farmers. 

• Create a Hispanic Community Center. 

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• Create a thriving entertainment cluster by encouraging the placement of moderately-priced restaurants, bars and movie theater at 

opportunity sites along the corridor. 

• Identify potential development sites near intersections of major corridors to enable new entertainment venues to effectively compete. 

• Attract a small movie theater to the Hull Street Road corridor. 

• Identify potential moderately priced restaurants brands planning to start individual restaurants willing to locate to the Hull Street Road 

corridor. 

• Promote and advertise the development of an entertainment and retail activity node. 

• Create a contractor and construction services business node, making them more accessible to area residents and contracting professionals, 

and strengthening those types of businesses already found in the study area. 

• Identify one site with a minimum of 10 continguous acres that would support multiple contractor-oriented businesses. 

• Idenfity a minimum of five contractor-oriented businesses that are interested in locating along the corridor. 

• Secure redevelopment agreements with all owners of properties identified as suitable to support contractor-oriented business 

functions. 

• Provide technical assistance to all property owners to facilitate agreement with developer(s) to construct office and warehouse 

facilities for contractor business operations. 

• Develop a senior living center for residents 55 and older. A medical rehabilitation facility should be located next to the community. 

• Identify one site that would support a senior living community and rehabilitation center for residents 55 and over. 

II. Organization 

• Retain and strengthen existing businesses by providing the resources they require to remain competitive and attract customers to the Hull 

Street Road corridor. 

• Create a Hull Street Road Business Retention and Improvement Task Force. 

• Form a Business Association consisting of property owners and business owners (representatives) from throughout the Hull Street Road 

study area. 

• Work with locally owned businesses and local property owners to develop a Business Association for all businesses along the 

corridor. 

• Develop a Hispanic Business subcommittee within the Business Association. 

• Attract corporate-owned businesses to become involved in the Hull Street Road Business Association. 

• Provide assistance to businesses and developers seeking to redevelop property along the corridor. 

• Incentivize redevelopment through the creation of an expedited approval process for business owners and developers. 

• Provide technical assistance to all property owners to facilitate agreement with developer(s). 

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III. Physical/Design 

• Create an aesthetically pleasing community, uniting the corridor and establishing a sense of place within it. 

• Develop a set a guidelines for the exterior of buildings along Hull Street Road. 

• Adopt the design guidelines as an ordinance. 

• Bury overhead power lines complying with High Performance Infrastructure guidelines. 

• Develop amenities to increase pedestrian and vehicular safety throughout the Hull Street Road Corridor and surrounding neighborhoods. 

• Widen and repair the city portion of Hull Street Road to provide a wider and landscaped median. 

• Reduce the number of curb cuts along Hull Street Road. 

• Develop a landscaping pattern using native, drought-resistant vegetation on either side of the road where possible. 

• Continue the GRTC bus line to Route 360 West Shopping Center 

• Establish crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signals. 

• Construct sidewalks from neighboring communities into shopping centers and major attractions along Hull Street Road. 

• Create a safe community where both local residents and individuals from the Metro Richmond area feel safe during both the day and night. 

• All improvements along the corridor shall follow Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles. 

• Increase the police presence. 

• Hire private security to patrol commercial locations. 

• Develop community programs regarding neighborhood policing. 

• Adopt and increase environmental standards in the Hull Street Road study area and make the area a showcase for green building and 

infrastructure. 

• Employ low-impact, environmentally-beneficial landscaping and stormwater management techniques that also improve the aesthetic 

appearance of the area. 

• Require residential and commercial building construction and renovation to meet minimum LEED or EarthCraft certification levels. 

This Hull Street Road Revitalization Plan is accompanied by a technical appendix and a synopsis, both under separate covers. 

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I. Introduction 

The Hull Street Road Revitalization Plan is a tool whose purpose is to 

help to guide future development in the study area. Its recommendations 

seek to infuse a new sense of vitality into this aging regional corridor that 

is located near a number of competitive retail markets. 

At the request of both Chesterfield County’s Department of Community 

Revitalization and the City of Richmond’s Department of Community 

Development, the VCU study team examined the portion of Hull Street 

Road that spans both localities—from Warwick Road in the city to 

the Route 360 West Shopping Center in the county, and across the 

physical and psychological divide of Chippenham Parkway. See map, 

page 11. The study team strived to create a plan that would seize 

upon the corridor’s strengths, minimize or eliminate its weaknesses, 

encourage unity between the two localities and identify unique economic 

opportunities available along the corridor. Significantly, this is the first 

plan developed as the direct result of the two localities’ collaboration on 

a shared corridor. 

The study team was asked to focus primarily on design and economic 

restructuring issues. 

Study Methods 

In order to gain a greater understanding of how various stakeholders 

view the Hull Street Road corridor and how it functions economically, 

the VCU study team designed and employed a number of research 

methods. These included a series of surveys and a market analysis 

of supply and demand for goods and services in the area, as well as 

observation of design and physical elements. 

To begin, the study team designed a series of surveys that gauged 

participants’ general impressions of the Hull Street Road corridor and 

desires for change. A different survey was used for each category of 

stakeholders: 

Surveys 1 

• Customer Survey 

• Merchant Survey 

• Property Owner Survey 

• Real Estate Agent Survey 

• Pastor/Minister Survey 

This document presents the research process and the plan. The first 

section covers background and history, existing studies and methods. 

The following section provides an overview of the study area. The next 

section examines the corridor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities 

and threats in light of the existing conditions. The document concludes 

with the study team’s vision and recommendations for the future of the 

Hull Street Road corridor. 

The VCU team also conducted a market analysis of the study area’s 

larger convenience trade area. This involved drawing the trade area’s 

boundaries, conducting a windshield survey of all operating businesses 

in the trade area, collecting data on product supply and demand, and 

determining Hull Street Road’s ability to absorb additional types of 

businesses. 2 Map 1 on page 5 shows the convenience trade area. 

Page 4 

1 

Refer to Appendix C for survey instruments and quantitative results 

2 

Refer to Appendix E for detailed market analysis results and trade area


introduction 

Finally, the VCU team looked at another important aspect of the 

corridor—its design characteristics. The group made multiple trips to 

the area, surveying and assessing the corridor’s urban design features 

in a number of measurable areas. 

Urban Design Analysis 3 

• Sidewalks 

• Landscaping 

• Pedestrian Amenities 

• Signage 

• Utilities 

Map 1: Location of Hull Street Road Corridor Study Area and Convenience Trade Area. 

3 

Refer to Appendix G for survey instruments and quantitative results 

Page 5


II. Overview of Planning Area 

Background & History 

The evolution of Hull Street Road is a classic example of rapid post- 

World War II commercial development and sprawl. While the portion of 

Hull Street Road close to downtown Richmond traces its roots to the 

commercial and industrial port activities of Manchester, the corridor’s 

westward expansion has been shaped by the rise of the automobile and 

growth of the region’s population. 

Following World War II, new buildings and businesses, as well as new 

neighborhoods and housing developments, emerged. Roadways were 

built and more public services provided as a result of this growth. The 

trend of growth continued and between 1970 and 1990, as Chesterfield 

County’s population grew from 76,855 to 209,274 people. Several roads 

and highways including Chippenham Parkway, which bisects the study 

area, were built to serve the population and to move more vehicles 

through the area. 

Figure 1: Elkhard Middle School is located in the City of 

Richmond within the central portion of the corridor. 

Aside from a small handful of important institutional buildings such 

as Ramsey Memorial United Methodist Church located at 5900 Hull 

Street or Elkhardt Middle School at 6300 Hull Street, there are very few 

buildings within the study area that are more than 40 years old. 

Figure 2: Ramsey Memorial Church is one of the most 

historic buildings along the corridor. 

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overview of planning area 

Related Plans 

The Hull Street Road corridor is referenced in several area plans 

produced by both the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County. These 

plans provide insight into the goals each jurisdiction has for the corridor 

as well as goals for the area as a whole. The City of Richmond has 

three plans that discuss the Hull Street Road corridor; Chesterfield 

County has one plan. 

City of Richmond’s Master Plan 2000 – 2020 

Richmond’s current comprehensive planning document, the Master Plan 

2000 – 2020, presents the city’s overall mission statement as well as 

goals, strategies and directions areas. While the plan does not mention 

Hull Street Road in any great detail, it suggests further analysis of all 

areas of the corridor. Hull Street Road is the dividing line between the 

Midlothian and Broad Rock planning districts. Each district’s plan is 

discussed below. 

Broad Rock Planning District Plan 

The Broad Rock area plan is a subsection of the city’s master plan. The 

plan identifies Hull Street Road as a mostly commercial corridor that 

features mainly marginalized businesses, although several development 

opportunities along the corridor exist due to vacant land. It identifies the 

interest of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in widening 

Hull Street between Elkhardt and Dixon Roads from four lanes to six 

lanes. Bike routes are also planned for the corridor. 

multi-family residential (medium density), and a housing opportunity 

area. The housing opportunity area (HOA) is located at the southeast 

corner of Hull Street Road and Warwick Road, which the city states is 

appropriate for higher density residential development, such as town 

homes, if done properly. 

The Broad Rock Planning District Plan suggests further study of Hull 

Street Road. 

Midlothian Planning District Plan 

Hull Street Road forms the southern boundary of the Midlothian Planning 

District in the City of Richmond. This area plan focuses on the north 

side of the corridor. Current land uses along this side of the corridor 

include commercial, single family residential, office, public land, as well 

as a considerable amount of vacant land. In the Midlothian district, 

the expansion of commercial uses is seen as a threat to the adjacent 

residential neighborhoods. The plan calls for future land uses of 

community commercial, single family residential, mixed use and public 

uses. Elkhardt Middle School is on this side of the corridor. The plan 

proposes a new road as well as bike routes, and additional lanes along 

Hull Street Road. 

The Midlothian Planning District Plan also suggests further study of Hull 

Street Road. 

While the primary focus of the Broad Rock plan is on Jefferson Davis 

Highway, it does have some suggestions for the southern side of the 

Hull Street Road corridor which forms the northern boundary of the plan 

area. One of the goals is to resolve land use conflicts along the corridor; 

another is to develop the corridor’s vacant land. A need for public park 

space in the area is identified. Future land uses planned for the corridor 

include community commercial, single family residential (low density), 

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overview of planning area 

Chesterfield County’s Route 360 Corridor Plan 

Chesterfield County’s 1995 (reformatted in 2006) plan for the Hull Street 

Road corridor seeks to create a “quality mixed use business corridor.” 

The plan addresses several major goals for the corridor, such as: 

• Provide for future demands on business and residential 

conversion of land to new uses 

• Minimize traffic congestion 

• Improve access for motorists and pedestrians 

• Implement aesthetic enhancements 

One of the major elements of the plan is the creation of a new corridor 

center at the northeast corner of Hicks Road and Route 360 (Hull Street 

Road). This commercial center would serve motorists and nearby 

residents. This concept was presented following the Route 360 Market 

Trends Study. 

The plan presents several recommendations for the corridor. Some of 

the recommendations include: 

• Focus on mixed-use development 

• Cluster development, especially in the corridor center area 

• Create a convenience goods niche because of nearby 

competition 

• Encourage a pedestrian system linking key locations 

• Create design guidelines 

• Upgrade transportation systems by closing crossovers that do not 

have signals and installing up to four more traffic signals 

• Widen the Chesterfield section of Hull Street Road 

Current land uses along Hull Street Road in Chesterfield County include 

residential, commercial, office, and open space. The county has four 

major objectives for the corridor, with several strategies under each: 

• Maintain vitality and attractiveness as a mixed use corridor 

• Enhance the potential for prosperous commerce 

• Enhance public facilities and services to encourage infill 

development 

• Provide a safe, efficient transportation system 

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Overview of planning area 

Surrounding Influences 

The Hull Street Road study area is influenced by a number of nearby 

uses, such as shopping centers, schools, residential neighborhoods and 

its close proximity to a number of major arterial roads. 

Schools 

Schools located in the Hull Street Road area impact traffic patterns when 

they open and close. Within the Richmond study area of the Hull Street 

Road corridor, there is Elkhardt Middle School, and two elementary 

schools, G.H. Reid and J.L. Francis Elementary. Chesterfield County 

has four schools in close proximity to the study area of Hull Street Road, 

including two middle, Manchester Middle and Providence Middle, and 

two elementary schools, Chalkley Elementary and Davis Elementary. 4 

Hospitals 

Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center is located at 1201 Broad 

Rock Boulevard in the Richmond side of the study area. It contains 427 

beds and acts as a tertiary care center. The services are available to 

over 200,000 veterans who travel to the facility from over 52 cities and 

counties across central and southern Virginia, as well as parts of North 

Carolina. 5 

Roads 

Chippenham Parkway (Route 150) bisects the Hull Street Road 

commercial corridor at the city/county line. It is a major arterial road 

connecting city and county residents to I-95 while bypassing the City 

of Richmond to the southwest As a major arterial road, Chippenham 

Parkway connects many of the minor arterial roads extending out from 

the City of Richmond. Chippenham Parkway provides easy accessibility 

to residents and drivers to both enter and leave the Hull Street Road 

commercial corridor. 

Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (I-95) connects Canada to Miami, 

Florida traveling up the east coast of the United States. It provides easy 

access for travelers from far distances into the Hull Street Road corridor. 

It is a major arterial road for transporting goods. 

Midlothian Turnpike (Route 60) is an east-west corridor that branches off 

of Hull Street in the City of Richmond and runs parallel to the Hull Street 

Road commercial corridor. The Midlothian Turnpike contains a mixture 

of retail, office, and residential space, similar to that of Hull Street 

Road. However, in recent years Midlothian Turnpike has received more 

development and investment than Hull Street Road, and with its close 

proximity, Midlothian Turnpike has the potential to continue siphoning off 

potential investors from Hull Street Road. 

Neighborhoods 

Overall, the neighborhoods surrounding the study area are older, 

established single-family residences and several multi-family apartment 

complexes. Field observations indicated that these two types of 

residences were generally well-kept. Problems such as visible dwelling 

deterioration and substandard yard maintenance were not observed; 

however, there is a trailer park visible from Hull Street Road within the 

Richmond section of the study area that appears to be in poor condition. 

4 

See Appendix B additional schools information 

5 

See Appendix B for additional hospital informtion 

Broad Street (Route 250) is an east-west corridor that runs from 

Richmond to Sandusky, Ohio. In the Richmond region, it parallels I-64 

and serves as a major commercial corridor. Broad Street is home to 

numerous shopping centers, including Short Pump Town Center; its 

variety and convenience combine to draw customers from across the 

central Virginia region. 

Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1) is a north-south corridor that 

parallels I-95 and provides easy access in and out of the metropolitan 

area. It follows the coast, connecting Key West, Florida to Canada. In 

Richmond and Chesterfield, the Jefferson Davis Highway is surrounded 

by older neighborhoods, commercial buildings, and manufacturing. It is 

an area prone to blight and is therefore a focus for revitalization efforts. 

Page 9



Surrounding Shopping Centers 

The closest and perhaps most significant 

influence on the Hull Street Road 

commercial corridor is Southside Plaza, 

located about one mile east of the study 

area. This shopping center has a range 

of goods and services from general 

convenience stores, hair salons, fast food, 

and auto repair shops to check cashing, 

clothing and rent-to-own furniture and 

appliance stores. Many of the businesses 

within the Hull Street Road corridor study 

area offer these same goods and services. 

Map 2: Surrounding shopping centers. 

Other shopping centers worth noting 

include: Chippenham Square (3 miles west), 

Beaufont Shopping Center (3 miles north), 

Meadowbrook Plaza Shopping Center (4 

miles south), Chesterfield Towne Center (6.5 

miles west) and Stony Point Fashion Park 

(9 miles north). Several shopping centers 

such as Chippenham Square, Beaufont 

Shopping Center and Meadowbrook Plaza 

offer many of the same convenience goods 

and services found within the study corridor. 

Retail centers such as Chesterfield Towne 

Center and Stony Point Fashion Park offer 

a greater number of stores and selection of 

upscale shoppers’ goods, such as clothing, 

books, jewelry and dining. 

Page 10

Map 3: Hull Street Road spatial structure. 

Page 11



Spatial Structure 

Location/Concentration of Uses & Adjacent Uses 

Commercial structures and uses dominate the landscape of Hull Street 

Road; however, there are pockets of residential development found 

along the corridor in the City of Richmond. One of the houses appears 

to be vacant, but the others are occupied. There is also an assisted 

living or group home located at the intersection of Linwood Avenue and 

Hull Street Road. In addition, there is a small mobile home park located 

across from the vacant Pinebrook Estates apartment complex, as well 

as Chippenham Place Apartments. 

Some concentrations of related businesses are evident along the 

corridor. Uses at the intersection of Warwick Road and Hull Street Road 

are primarily convenience retail, including a Walgreens Pharmacy, 

Valero gas station and convenience store, and Dollar General store. 

A short distance west of the Valero station is the Salvage Barn, a 

large warehouse-type store on the north side of Hull Street Road, and 

some smaller adjacent businesses. Just past this intersection as one 

travels west on Hull Street Road is a small cluster of motor vehiclerelated 

businesses. These include Departure Bike Works immediately 

behind the Valero station on the north side of Hull Street Road and 

Hoyt’s tire shop, a short distance west on the other side of the street. 

Businesses around Hoyt’s include a used-car sales lot located to the 

west and a general auto repair shop across the street. Traveling west 

along Hull Street Road, a sporadic pattern of auto repair shops and 

automotive sales lots is found between Warwick Road and Chippenham 

Parkway. In the Chesterfield portion of the corridor study area, a similar 

automotive business cluster is found at the intersection of Hull Street 

Road and Tacony Drive. Each of these light-industrial businesses 

operates in close proximity to residential areas just off Hull Street Road. 

The map on page 10 shows the locations of these concentrations and 

buildings. 

From Linwood Avenue west to Berrywood Road, uses remain generally 

inconsistent and feature several light-industrial businesses. These 

include Neat Sweep Chimney Sweep, located in a Cape Cod-style 

house on the south side of Hull Street Road with a large, paved 

employee and company vehicle parking lot behind it. Farther west, on 

the north side of the road, is a Flowers bakery store, with an attached 

distribution center for the company’s products. This is evidenced 

by a large warehouse and loading dock with several delivery trucks 

present. Just beyond the Flowers store are offices and workshops for 

both Comfort First Heating & Air Conditioning and Adams Heating & Air 

Conditioning. These heating and air conditioning companies are within 

100 yards of each other, though Adams occupies a significantly larger 

parcel and building. 

Infrastructure 

There is a noticeable lack of pedestrian amenities throughout the 

corridor, including sidewalks, seating, lighting and buffers between 

pedestrians and the street traffic. However, there are sidewalks, 

crosswalks, and crossing signals present at the intersection of Hull 

Street Road and Warwick Road. This location represents some of the 

newer development in the corridor, and the sidewalks are in excellent 

condition and include curb ramps to permit full access for those with 

disabilities. The crossing signals were observed to function properly, 

though the crosswalks are badly faded and in need of repainting. 

The sidewalks end approximately a half mile west of the Warwick Road 

intersection. The next occurrence of a sidewalk is on the south side of 

Hull Street Road where a short spur connects the Chippenham Place 

Apartments to a bus stop at the Orcutt Lane intersection. This provides 

pedestrians with a relatively safe and direct path to a GRTC bus shelter 

located at the end of this sidewalk. There are no sidewalks for the 

remainder of the corridor as one proceeds west into Chesterfield County. 

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Other observations: 

• There is open drainage from Warwick Road extending one half 

mile west along Hull Street Road. 

• Overhead utility lines are present along the entire length of the 

corridor. 

• Chesterfield possesses turning lanes and a well-marked median; 

owever, there do not appear to be any sidewalks in the area. 

• Signage throughout the entire corridor is varied and shows no 

planned design continuity. 

Connectivity 

Within the study corridor, there are few major intersections and many 

more minor ones. Major intersections include Warwick Road at the 

east end of the corridor, followed by (proceeding west) Elkhardt Road, 

Chippenham Parkway, and Turner Road. Many of the minor roads 

intersecting Hull Street Road are collectors and meet the corridor as a 

T-intersection; in several cases, minor roads meet Hull Street Road on 

opposite sides of the corridor in close proximity to one another, creating 

an “offset intersection”. This creates potentially dangerous turning 

situations from these minor streets onto Hull Street Road. 

The lack of pedestrian amenities along Hull Street Road extends into the 

neighborhoods found just off the corridor. With the exception of a short 

sidewalk segment that connects the Chippenham Place Apartments to 

the corridor, no other sidewalks connect neighborhoods with Hull Street 

Road. GRTC bus service does not extend into these neighborhoods, 

and designated bike lanes are nonexistent in the area. 

Circulation 

Road Network 

Hull Street Road is classified as a principal arterial highway throughout 

the length of the study corridor. It is four lanes wide from Warwick Road 

to Elkhardt Road. At Elkhardt it expands to six lanes and remains that 

width through the Chesterfield side of the study corridor. 

From a traffic-engineering standpoint, the primary intent of this section 

of Hull Street Road is to move large volumes of traffic in an efficient 

manner. Zoning ordinances direct development in which shoppers must 

drive to their destination, park and shop, then get back in their car to visit 

other destinations along the corridor. The heavy traffic volumes moving 

at a high rate of speed make it difficult and inherently dangerous to 

travel along the corridor as a pedestrian. 

The road surface appears to be in good shape along most of the 

corridor. In the Chesterfield section, shoulders consist mainly of curbs 

with occasional cuts to allow vehicle access to driveways and parking. 

There is a well-maintained grassy median that runs down the center of 

the right-of-way. On the Richmond side, however, poorly defined gravel 

shoulders and parking lots contribute to uncertain boundaries between 

public and private space. In several instances on the Richmond side, 

there is a noticeable trend of decay where the road edge meets the 

business property. Many poorly maintained parking lots consist only of 

loose gravel and are full of potholes, and the pavement appears to stop 

at the street line. Many business lots are not labeled or marked clearly; 

consequently it is difficult to tell if they are open. The center median 

on the Richmond side of the corridor is narrow and poorly marked. 

There are also many curb cuts through the median that create small 

gravel islands, contributing to a design that appears poorly planned and 

hazardous. 6 

6 

See Appendix A for additional maps of street hierarchy. 

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Traffic Counts 

Pedestrian Network & Alternate Transit 

In the City of Richmond, the average annual daily traffic volume for the 

section of the Hull Street Road corridor between Belt Boulevard and 

Hey Road is 24,000 vehicles, while the volume between Hey Road and 

Chippenham Parkway is 33,000 vehicles per day (with 97% being two 

and four tire vehicles). Both sections of the Hull Street Road commercial 

corridor within the city received the lowest annual average daily traffic 

quality rating of “F”. Within Chesterfield County, the corridor averages 

37,000 vehicles per day between Chippenham Parkway and Walmsley 

Boulevard Of these vehicles, 92% were two or four wheeled vehicles 

and 6% were trucks with trailers. 7 

Parking 

There is no on-street parking along the Hull Street Road corridor. All 

parking is privately owned and associated with particular businesses 

or shopping centers. Since there is little or no shared parking, there 

are a high number of parking spaces observed along the corridor. 

The condition of the parking depends on the property owners and 

maintenance performed by them. Additionally, there are few connections 

in either locality between adjacent businesses unless they both front a 

shared access road. Since businesses are widely spread throughout the 

corridor, there is no shared parking. 

There is a noticeable lack of a pedestrian network throughout the Hull 

Street Road corridor. Sidewalks are few; in their absence, pedestrians 

are forced to use improvised footpaths along the shoulders throughout 

the corridor. Pedestrians must also cross Hull Street Road without the 

aid of crosswalks or signals. This most often results in pedestrians 

crossing one direction of traffic and then waiting in the narrow medians 

to cross the other lanes of traffic. Observations of the corridor have 

also indicated that pedestrians do indeed traverse the street with some 

regularity. 

The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) serves Hull Street 

Road with a regular schedule. The end of the Hull Street Line is at 

Haynes Plaza; GRTC does not serve Chesterfield County as shown 

on the map below. There are several GRTC stops along Hull Street 

Road within the study corridor; distance between bus stops in this area 

generally reflects placement according to stop spacing standards for a 

suburban area (600-2,500 feet). In many cases, bus stops in the study 

area are placed on narrow shoulders, forcing customers to walk along 

improvised footpaths next to the road, and most lack amenities such as 

benches, trash cans, and shelters. 

Map 4: Ttraffic volumes on Hull Street Road and surrounding roads, as well as locatioins of GRTC bus stops and traffic lights along the corridor. 

7 

See Appendix A for detail on traffic counts for the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County 

Page 14



Building Size & Use 

Structures in the Hull Street Road corridor study area are predominantly 

commercial and feature a mix of large, medium, and small “one story” 

sizes. Although the buildings are functionally one story, many have 

parapet walls that make them appear taller. The median size of all 

buildings in the study area, measured in building square footage, 

is 3,419 square feet. The largest structure is Haynes Plaza at the 

Chippenham Parkway intersection. Other large structures include the 

Food Lion, Skateland rollerskating rink, Elkhardt Middle School, and the 

Route 360 Shopping Center. Residential buildings fronting Hull Street 

Road mainly include one-story ranch-type homes, although there are a 

few two-story structures, as well as a trailer park and a vacant apartment 

complex. 

acres. Two other large parcels surround Elkhardt Middle School. The 

smallest parcel is 0.16 acres in area and is located at the southwestern 

end of a small, partially vacant strip mall across from the Food Lion. 

For the Chesterfield portion of the Hull Street Road study area, the 

median size of all the commercial and residential parcels is 1.57 acres. 

The largest parcel, encompassing 11.17 acres, is owned by the Kemlake 

Corporation of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is located at the Hull Street 

Road and Turner Road intersection. This parcel is behind the Bliley 

Funeral Home at 7000 Hull Street Road. The smallest parcel in the 

Chesterfield section of the study area [0.06 acres] is located at the 

intersection of Hull Street Road and Goodes Bridge Road and is owned 

by the Commonwealth of Virginia. 8 

Building Condition 

For the Richmond portion of the Hull Street Road corridor study area, 

the average size of all commercial and residential parcels is 2.53 acres, 

with the largest parcel located at the southeastern corner of the Hull 

Street Road and Warwick Road, encompassing approximately 24.71 

Building conditions were assessed using criteria developed by Peter 

Dunbar and Associates. 9 Most of the commercial structures appear to 

have been built in the post-World War II period, and many date back to 

the 1970s based on design elements and building appearance. They 

Map 5: City of Richmond and Chesterfield County land uses. 

8 

See Appendix A for map of corridor parcels and existing buildings 

Page 15 

9 

See Appendix C for Dunbar criteria and results



are, for the most part, in relatively good condition and are primarily 

masonry, with very few structural defects. Most of the non-structural 

design elements are outdated, and in need of maintenance and repair. 

Property surrounding the structures in the corridor, including landscaping 

and parking lots, are generally in poor condition. 

The relatively few residential structures in the study area consist mainly 

of detached single family homes with the exception of the mobile 

home park and the abandoned apartment complex called Pinebrook 

Estates. Chippenham Place Apartments are located near the Hey Road 

intersection. Taken as a group, the residential structures appear to 

require fairly substantial upgrades. 

Most of the commercial structures along Hull Street Road, especially 

in the City of Richmond, appear qualify as inner-ring suburban 

development. For the most part, these buildings are in good structural 

shape but the buildings’ aesthetics have declined since construction. 

Many commercial structures display a strip-mall construction of masonry 

with metal awnings hanging over the sidewalk. Very few buildings have 

any form of maintained vegetation, including parking lot screening or 

ornamental landscaping. Several buildings in the study corridor are 

vacant and have overgrown vegetation, which includes grass sprouting 

through the cracks of the parking lot asphalt. Other buildings appear to 

be in use for other activities not associated with the former business. 

There is an overall lack of unifying or identifying landscaping along 

the corridor. There are no street trees, aside from those found on 

vacant wooded lots creating feeling of exposure for both drivers and 

pedestrians. Some of the buildings are not oriented to the street and 

are often separated from the street with parking lots of varying size. 

These parking lots do not have any screening to enhance the view from 

the street. The small strip mall fronting the Pinebrook Estates property 

graphically illustrates these deficiencies; it is difficult to see the business 

from the westbound lanes. The corridor is lined with mismatched 

signage that creates visual clutter. Some signs remain for commercial 

buildings that are no longer standing. 

Page 16



Zoning 

As shown on the map below, the predominant zoning classification 

throughout the corridor study area is commercial (Chesterfield) or 

business (Richmond), which are roughly equivalent to one another in 

their standards and applications. Within the Chesterfield County section 

of the study area, these commercial uses comprise all but two parcels, 

whereas residential uses of varying intensity are interspersed among the 

business uses throughout Richmond’s portion. 

According to the C-5 (General Business District) zoning in Chesterfield 

County’s ordinance, the purpose and intent is: “... to provide areas 

primarily for motor vehicle use…that ensure maximum compatibility with, 

and minimal impact on, existing and future residential development.” 

For example, the C-5 district includes uses such as: 

• Special contractor businesses 

• Automotive repair services 

• Restaurants 

• Commercial parking lots and 

• Limited light industrial uses 

The exceptional parcels in this portion of the corridor are an R-7 parcel – 

the Elkhardt Baptist Church – and a C-3 parcel that comprises half of the 

Cloverhill Motors vehicle storage lot. There are no explicitly prescribed 

design standards for Chesterfield’s C-5 zoning category. 

The Richmond portion of the Hull Street Road study area contains 10 

distinct zoning categories, with the majority of parcels zoned as either 

B-2 (Community Business District), or B-3 (General Business District). 

Map 6: City of Richmond and Chesterfield County zoning. 

Page 17



The B-2 designations allow for uses such as: 

• Auto service centers 

• Restaurants 

• Wholesale/distribution centers 

• Professional office centers 

The B-3 category allows for more varied uses such as: 

• Plant nurseries 

• Drive-in theatres 

• Gas stations 

• Recreational areas 

A small cluster of RO-1 (Residential Office) zoning is located near the 

intersection of Hull Street Road and Orcutt Lane, and is located just east 

of a group of parcels zoned as R-3 (Single-Family Residential District) 

and R-48 (Multi-family Residential District) The RO-1 designation allows 

for the following uses: 

• Professional offices 

• Day care facilities 

• Home businesses (appropriate as accessory uses) 

• Multi-family dwellings up to 10 units per lot 

The other two residential zonings are more restrictive in their allowances 

and are designed with more exclusive residential allowances in mind. 

Other notable exceptions to the commercial zonings in this portion are 

Elkhardt Middle School and the residential node formed by the mobile 

home park and Pinebrook Estates. 10 

10 

See Appendix A for additional zoning maps 

Page 18



Hard and Soft Areas 

This section distinguishes structures or uses on the corridor that are 

unlikely to change in the forseeable future-- so called hard areas-- from 

structures or uses whose highest and best use is not clear, and which 

present opportunities for redevelopment--so called soft areas. 11 

Hard Areas 

Although the Chesterfield portion of the study corridor has some vacant 

and underutilized properties, including the large, unimproved Kemlake 

parcel, overall it is fairly well developed. As such, this area will likely see 

little in the way of physical or economic overhauls. The Route 360 West 

Shopping Center forms a stable economic anchor at the westernmost 

end of the corridor study area. Similarly, the Elkhardt Baptist Church 

and the recently built commercial structures across Hull Street Road– 

namely, the stretch from the Advance Auto Parts to the Wendy’s – are 

structures and parcel uses that are unlikely to see redevelopment. One 

existing structure that may be considered for redevelopment is Goodes 

Bridge Center. 

The structures in the Richmond section appear to be significantly older 

than those within the Chesterfield portion, and there are noticeably 

more vacant parcels; therefore, the hard areas on the Richmond side 

are more separated and thus less definable. The parcels bordering the 

intersection of Hull Street Road and Warwick Road – at the easternmost 

end of the corridor – form a small commercial node featuring a Valero, 

Dollar General (or Family Dollar), and Walgreens. Further west is the 

Food Lion and another Family Dollar. Finally, the intersection of Hull 

Street Road and Chippenham Parkway features the Haynes Shopping 

Center and the Elkhardt Middle School, although the future of the school 

is undetermined at this point and if it were to move, the land parcel 

would make an attractive residential or commercial property. 

Soft Areas 

The Goodes Bridge Shopping Center is currently underutilized and when 

combined with smaller surrounding parcels, represents an excellent 

opportunity for development in line with the existing commercial uses 

at Route 360 West Shopping Center. There are also VDOT-owned 

parcels adjacent to the Chippenham Parkway on- and off-ramps that 

are currently unimproved. Finally, there are two industrial parcels that, 

while technically compatible with existing uses according to the zoning 

ordinance, seem out of place within a commercial corridor. 

The Richmond portion of the Hull Street Road corridor contains more 

opportunities for redevelopment. Beginning at the Warwick Road 

intersection and heading westward, a potential redevelopment node 

is encountered at the Pinebrook Estates apartment complex and 

neighboring mobile home park. These properties, including the forested 

lot abutting the western edge of Pinebrook, are large, underdeveloped 

parcels that offer an opportunity for residential development. Another 

soft area with redevelopment potential is the parcels encompassing 

Elkhardt Middle School; plans to shutter the school would make a 

significant amount of land available. Across Hull Street Road from the 

school is another unimproved, forested lot that could be developed in 

conjunction with the revitalization efforts around it. 

Taken altogether, these elements of the Hull Street Road corridor 

interact with one another to influence consumer perceptions of the study 

area and its ability to compete with local markets. 

Page 19 

11 

See Appendix A for map of hard and soft areas.


III. SWOT Analysis 

Based on an examination of the Hull Street Road’s physical conditions 

and competitive market potential as well as preferences of shoppers, 

merchants and property owners, a SWOT analysis was constructed. 

This analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the study 

area, as well as opportunities for new development and threats to the 

corridor’s future viability. The goals and objectives at the end of the 

document are based upon the information presented in this section. 

Strengths 

The Hull Street Road corridor study area has several significant 

strengths upon which to build. These include: 

• Central location and proximity to arterial highways. The corridor 

study area is located between downtown Richmond and highgrowth 

areas of Chesterfield County. The corridor straddles a 

major highway intersection at Hull Street Road and Chippenham 

Parkway, an artery which connects the area to both Midlothian 

Turnpike and Interstate Route 95. This connectivity makes the 

corridor a prime area for developing destination shoppers’ goods, 

such as a furniture cluster. The corridor also has a large amount 

of traffic that passes through it daily. Annual Average Daily Traffic 

Volume (AADTV) values for Hull Street Road indicate that the 

most-traveled section of the corridor – Walmsley Boulevard to 

Chippenham Parkway – sees 37,000, whereas Chippenham 

brings 75,000 through its intersection with Hull Street Road. 

both single-family and multi-family residences that provide a 

strong existing customer base for commercial businesses along 

the corridor. Housing in these neighborhoods is generally 

affordable, but in good condition, so the neighborhoods are likely 

to remain strong. 

• Presence of Hispanic business cluster. The corridor study 

area possess a unique demographic advantage in that it has a 

Hispanic business cluster located within the City of Richmond. 

The main node for this commercial center is the Happy Mart in 

the middle of the corridor near the Food Lion. These thriving 

businesses illustrate a significant demand among the Hispanic 

population from the surrounding area and beyond for Hispanic 

goods and services that cannot be found elsewhere in the region. 

• Existing commercial anchors/infrastructure. Haynes Plaza 

and Route 360 West Shopping Center provide existing retail 

infrastructure and surrounding well-traveled shopping options for 

businesses looking to move into the corridor to take advantage 

of the area’s low rents. The Route 360 West Shopping Center in 

particular serves as a fairly stable retail anchor. 

• Well-used public-transportation routes. Although GRTC bus 

routes currently terminate at Haynes Plaza, the presence of this 

mass transit system means a reduction in auto dependence is 

possible. Currently, the #63 and #67 lines run to the Chippenham 

Parkway intersection of Hull Street Road. 

• Strong customer base in surrounding communities. The existing 

businesses already attract residents from many nearby residential 

neighborhoods for convenience goods. The Hull Street Road 

corridor is surrounded by established neighborhoods that contain 

Page 20 

Figure 3: The 360 West Shopping 

Center serves as an anchor for the 

corridor. 

Figure 4: Hispanic business cluster 

along the corridor.


SWOT ANALYSIS 

• Comparatively low commercial rents. Commercial rents along 

the Hull Street Road corridor are significantly cheaper than rents 

along the more developed corridors nearby, such as Midlothian 

Turnpike and western Hull Street Road. This should attract a 

variety of commercial retail businesses that sell both discount 

and higher-value merchandise to locate along Hull Street Road. 

These businesses, especially those selling discount goods and 

services, supply the surrounding residential neighborhoods with 

necessary convenience goods that are within their price range. 

• City/County financial incentive programs. Hull Street Road has 

been designated an Enterprise Zone by the City of Richmond 

and an Enterprise Sub-zone by Chesterfield County. These 

designations offer financial assistance for businesses relocating 

to, or already located in, the corridor from the localities and the 

Commonwealth of Virginia. Incentives offered by Richmond City 

for businesses in these areas include a special tax abatement 

program, the Brownfields Assessment Grant Program, and 

rebate programs. State incentives include grant programs for 

job creation and real property investment. East of Chippenham 

Parkway, Hull Street Road is also designated as an Extra CARE 

area for the City of Richmond that is jointly administered by 

the Department of Economic Development and the Richmond 

Economic Development Authority. This designation encourages 

revitalization of the area and seeks to return economic vitality 

by supporting commercial investment along the corridor. Extra 

CARE areas seek to accomplish this goal by forming partnerships 

between local merchants, residents and the city. 

Weaknesses 

It is apparent the Hull Street Road corridor has several strengths; 

nevertheless, the area remains economically and aesthetically 

depressed. Some weaknesses of the corridor include: 

• Run-down appearance of corridor.This is especially characterisitc 

of the central segment of the corridor study area. Many 

structurally-sound buildings in the corridor appear dilapidated. 

There are also many vacant structures along the corridor that 

do not positively contribute to the overall design of the corridor 

and which project an areawide sense of neglect. Aesthetic 

improvements are needed most; a majority of the buildings are 

post-World War II and thus are in good structural condition, but 

their appearance has declined since construction due to lack of 

maintenance. 

Figure 5: Vacant and run-down structures dot the corridor. 

Page 21


SWOT ANALYSIS 

• Visual clutter. Signage and overhead utilities along the corridor 

are visually disorienting and aesthetically distracting. Nearly 

every commercial structure uses large signage, but these signs 

vary in height, design, and size, resulting in an incoherent 

streetscape. Additionally, there are signs remaining from some 

commercial buildings that are no longer standing or are currently 

vacant. Overhead utility lines on both sides of Hull Street 

Road contribute to this visual confusion and distract from the 

streetscape. 

• Lack of design continuity. This weakness, which is exacerbated 

by corridor buildings’ rundown appearance, is particularly 

noticeable in the city. There is an overall lack of unifying or 

identifying landscaping along the entire corridor. There are 

almost no street trees, aside from those found on vacant wooded 

lots, which produces a feeling of exposure for both drivers and 

pedestrians. There is no apparent architectural style that defines 

structures within the study area. Some of the buildings are not 

oriented to the street and are often separated from Hull Street 

Road with parking lots of varying depths. These parking lots do 

not have any screening to soften the view from the street. 

• Poor vehicular circulation in the city portion. Gravel shoulders 

contribute to poorly defined boundaries between public and 

private space. Many parking lots are poorly maintained. The 

center median on the Richmond side of the corridor is narrow 

and poorly marked. There are also many curb cuts through 

the median that allow vehicles to turn, but which also create 

dangerous traffic conditions. There are also several “offset 

intersections” where minor roads meet Hull Street Road. This 

creates potentially dangerous turning situations from these minor 

streets, and contributes to automotive congestion. 

Figure 6: Large signs contribute to the visual clutter. 

Figure 7: There is no common design between Richmond 

and Chesterfield sections of the corridor. 

Page 22


SWOT ANALYSIS 

• Lack of pedestrian amenities. This creates dangerous conditions 

for the substantial pedestrian traffic observed along the road. 

There are very few sidewalks; in fact, only two stretches exist the 

city. In the absence of sidewalks, pedestrians are forced to use 

improvised footpaths along the shoulders, often in close proximity 

to fast-moving traffic. The lack of pedestrian amenities along Hull 

Street Road extends into the neighborhoods found just off the 

corridor. With the exception of the sidewalk near Chippenham 

Place Apartments, no other sidewalks connect neighborhoods 

with Hull Street Road. GRTC bus service does not extend into 

these neighborhoods, and designated bike lanes are nonexistent 

in the area. Another obstacle to pedestrian circulation is the 

lack of crosswalks and crossing signals within the corridor. 

Pedestrians generally cross Hull Street Road without the aid of 

crosswalks or signals. This often results in pedestrians crossing 

one direction of traffic and then waiting in the dangerously narrow 

medians to cross the other lanes of traffic. Observations of the 

corridor have shown significant numbers of pedestrians crossing 

Hull Street Road on a daily basis. 

• Small parcels create obstacles to attracting large businesses. 

The majority of parcels fronting Hull Street Road are too small to 

attract larger businesses. Combining parcels into an area that 

is big enough to attract some desired businesses would involve 

negotiating with several different land owners simultaneously and 

arranging a sale or lease to the same business or property owner. 

Furthermore, the disjointed nature of the land uses and zoning 

along Hull Street Road presents a challenge to the creation of 

continuous commercial districts and a sense of cohesive design. 

• Lack of retail variety. The majority of businesses are convenience 

retail who serve the surrounding neighborhoods but do not 

provide any destination shopping goods or services that attract 

people to the corridor from outside the area. Additionally, 

shopper-intercept surveys highlighted a distinct lack of clothing 

stores, restaurants or entertainment options. This may hurt 

convenience retailers, as shoppers make convenience purchases 

in other business districts closer to the wanted shoppers’ goods. 

Page 23 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Figure 8: Pedestrian footpaths connect 

neighborhoods with shopping centers. 

Figure 9: Poorly defined 

boundaries between public and 

private space. 

• Resident and shopper dissatisfaction. As indicated by shopperintercept 

surveys conducted during the study, residents are 

generally displeased with several key aspects of the corridor, 

including a lack of adequate shopping selection and specials, the 

absence of restaurants, and entertainment options. Shoppers 

most often make single-destination trips into the corridor, most 

often for necessary convenience goods. 

• Crime in the area. Crime statistics from Chesterfield County 

and the City of Richmond indicate a higher rate of crime in the 

residential areas surrounding the Hull Street Road corridor than 

elsewhere in the city and county. The areas measured for these 

statistics, however, are far larger than the corridor study area and 

therefore it would be incorrect to conclude that the corridor itself 

is unsafe. Still, corrdor users perceive the area to be unsafe, and 

this perception is bolstered by the run-down appearance of the 

buildings and infrastructure, and the presence of many vacant 

structures. This perception of crime is strongest within the City 

of Richmond, and is most likely influenced by crime that takes


SWOT ANALYSIS 

place along the corridor farther east in the city and in surrounding 

residential neighborhoods. Shopper-intercept surveys indicated 

that this perception actually discourages residents of the county 

from patronizing businesses in the city, further complicating 

revitalization efforts. 12 

• Psychological barrier of Chippenham Parkway. Shopper-intercept 

surveys indicated that this highway effectively functions as a 

barrier between the city and county that very few people are 

either willing or able to cross. Many survey respondents who 

live in Chesterfield County do not want to go to the city, and 

respondents living in the city cannot use mass transit to get to 

shopping options in the county, since GRTC lines do not run into 

the county. This weakness could present significant challenges 

for implementation of planning recommendations. 

• Apathy towards improving the corridor. Based on survey 

responses, particularly those relating to merchants’ attititudes 

toward a possible business association and shoppers’ overall 

perception of the corridor, there exists a lack of concern over 

progress. This apathy poses a barrier to the success of any 

redevelopment plans along the corridor, since residents and 

business owners must “buy in” to the idea of a redeveloped Hull 

Street Road corridor and be willing to actively participate in the 

process. Although many of the plan’s recommendations address 

action items for the City and County, private businesses and 

residents will be key partners in the implementation of these 

proposals. 

• Lack of historic identity. The majority of the development along 

Hull Street Road has taken place since World War II, resulting in 

the lack of an historical identity that could assist in marketing the 

corridor or building on its background to engage residents and 

business owners. Furthermore, the few older structures that do 

exist, such as Elkhardt Middle School, are churches or schools 

and, as such, would be unlikely to function as incentives for 

commercial development. 

Page 24 

• No current corridor business association. There are no existing 

business associations, either corridor-wide or industry-specific, to 

help organize and empower existing businesses and attract new 

businesses. This lack of organization also means that there is 

no association to collect funds in order to implement any of the 

recommendations for businesses along the corridor. Merchant 

surveys have indicated only minimal interest in establishing 

such an association, with the lone exception being the Hispanic 

business cluster. 

• Current City district plans do not address the corridor as a single 

entity. Hull Street Road serves as the dividing line between the 

Broad Rock and Midlothian District Plans. The Broad Rock plan 

contains the southern side of Hull Street Road and the Broad 

Rock plan contains the northern side. These plans focus on other 

corridors within their districts and simply prescribe further study 

of Hull Street Road. Neither plan identifies a specific character 

for the corridor and in some cases, they propose differing 

recommendations for adjacent areas. 

• History of poor City/County cooperation. This joint planning effort 

marks an important step forward for Richmond and Chesterfield. 

But as our surveys revealed, much work needs to be done before 

residents and shoppers will see the area as one corridor. 

12 

See Appendix A for detailed crime statistics


SWOT ANALYSIS 

Opportunities 

Despite the aforementioned weaknesses, several development 

opportunities exist. They include: 

• Unused right-of-way in the city. This opportunity is particularly 

applicable to the Richmond portion of the corridor study area. 

The amount of unused land in the public right-of-way provides 

the opportunity to widen the road, thereby creating a boulevard 

design similar to that already existing in Chesterfield County. A 

continuous landscaped median throughout the entire corridor 

would establish visual continuity. This would have the added 

effect of improving traffic circulation via the incorporation of 

turning lanes, and enhancing pedestrian circulation by providing 

those crossing the street with a safe stopping point. This would 

include adding new travel lanes. Planting landscaping along the 

roadway would make it more aesthetically appealing and provide 

greater definition of the change between public and private 

ownership. 

• “Blank slate” for incorporating design recommendations. The 

existing conditions of the corridor provide the opportunity for a 

number of relatively easy design recommendations that could be 

implemented fairly quickly. The corridor is mature, so very few 

recommendations can be made for existing buildings. Despite 

this obstacle, many aesthetic improvements could be made to the 

roadway or City- and County-owned property that would allow for 

a more attractive and cohesive appearance that would not involve 

extended labor or changes to existing policies. These changes 

could be made within a relatively short period of time and possibly 

provide the impetus for private investment along the corridor. 

• Redevelopment on underutilized and/or undeveloped parcels. 

There are many of these properties along the corridor, especially 

within the City of Richmond. Vacant structures represent an 

obvious chance for redevelopment, even on the smaller parcels. 

In addition, there are a number of large parcels available for 

development/redevelopment, such as the land at the corner of 

Hull Street Road and Warwick Road within the City of Richmond. 

This parcel has been designated a Housing Opportunity Area 

(HOA) by the City and is zoned for multi-family use. The City 

believes this parcel is appropriate for the type of higher density 

residential development seen in the surrounding community. 

Some objectives for housing on this lot are access to the site 

without increasing traffic volume along Hull Street Road, creating 

an objective method of design review, and adequate buffering 

between new constructions and existing residential development. 

Figure 10: Pinebrook Estates has redevelopment potential. 

• Target businesses suggested by market analysis. Several of the 

above opportunities were identified through surveys of corridor 

shoppers; a market analysis was performed to examine the 

viability of these suggestions. This analysis involved examining 

commercial business that were currently in the convenience 

trade area and comparing this to the amount of businesses 

that the trade area could support, as determined by national 

trends is spending habits of various household income groups. 

Although these results do not preclude incorporation of the 

aforementioned commercial proposals, they do highlight some 

discrepancy between shoppers’ preferences and the corridor’s 

Page 25


SWOT ANALYSIS 

ability to support them. This market analysis identified necessary 

businesses that could form an important foundation for further 

economic revitalization supporting some of the more ambitious 

suggestions. The businesses generally include: fast food 

restaurants, laundry, and tobacco products, as well as minor 

support for clusters of household furnishings, entertainment 

goods and services, and specialty apparel such as watches and 

shoes. 13 

• Hispanic business cluster. The aforementioned demographic 

patterns resulting in the location of a Hispanic business 

cluster provides the opportunity for growth among specialized 

businesses that provide Hispanic goods or services. The 

Hispanic merchants interviewed during the study demonstrated 

a higher satisfaction with the corridor than other merchants and 

indicated a desire to continue operating, and possibly expand, 

in the area. In particular, there are several large parcels, such 

as those adjacent to the western edge of the Pinebrook Estates 

property, that would be capable of supporting construction of a 

Hispanic business cluster. Beyond serving to consolidate the 

Hispanic commercial uses in a single location, thus engendering 

locational synergies, the corridor could function as a destination 

for those interested in Hispanic culture. Encouraging the Hispanic 

Chamber of Commerce, currently located along Midlothian 

Turnpike, to relocate to the corridor study area would establish 

a base for commercial revitalization. Other recommendations 

would include attracting additional cultural anchors, such as 

the Hispanic Academy & Cultural Center, or encouraging the 

expansion of institutions such as the Latin Ballet of Virginia, 

currently operating in Glen Allen on Hull Street Road. 

• Market demand for entertainment uses. Both shopper-intercept 

surveys and a quantitative market analysis have revealed unmet 

demand for entertainment options on the corridor, which in 

turn would generate more vehicular traffic for businesses. The 

corridor presently has a good location for this proposed district 

adjacent to the existing Skateland business. The largely vacant 

Page 26 

parcel on which it is located has the possibility of supporting 

an independently-owned movie theater catering to the local 

population, and could show second-run movies, foreign films 

(especially Spanish-speaking), and older, black-and-white 

films. In addition, the neighboring Food Lion property has two 

outparcels located along Hull Street Road that could support the 

construction of several sit-down restaurants, which were regularly 

mentioned as a desired business by respondents of the shopperintercept 

surveys 

• Creation of senior housing developments. Retention of the area’s 

substantial senior population through provision of affordable 

housing and the increased development of entertainment 

options should be an important goal. The local population’s older 

demographic indicates that having affordable housing in the area 

should be an attraction for them to remain near the Hull Street 

Road corridor study area, thereby increasing the population 

which is able to support additional businesses. 

• Flexibility to “upzone” corridor parcels. Many of the residential 

areas surrounding, and along, Hull Street Road are not 

completely developed or are underdeveloped, leaving the 

opportunity for the upzoning of residential parcels. Increased 

residential density surrounding the corridor could provide a 

greater population base for stores already in the study area and 

those considering moving to the Hull Street Road area. 

• Cloverleaf Mall “spillover effect”. Although redevelopment of 

Cloverleaf Mall at the nearby intersection of Midlothian Turnpike 

and Chippenham Parkway to the north would appear to be a 

threat, it also represents the opportunity for a positive “spillover 

effect.” In addition to the added traffic that such development 

could bring to the area, this project could bring renewed attention 

from developers to the potential that older commercial corridors 

have for redevelopment. 

13 

Please see Appendix E for quantitative market analysis resuts


SWOT ANALYSIS 

• Extension of GRTC line to Chesterfield County. As previously 

mentioned, the two existing mass transportation lines currently 

end at the City/County line in Haynes Plaza. The presence of 

the Route 360 West Shopping Center, however, provides an 

ideal location for the transit organization’s first extension into 

Chesterfield County. Beyond providing county access to residents 

from the city, this recommendation has the potential to serve as 

an immediate action that the municipalities can take to promote 

their cooperation and show how serious they are about improving 

the corridor. 

Threats 

• Development in the County. There has been continuing 

commercial development to the west of the study area in 

Chesterfield County and along nearby corridors, such as 

Midlothian Turnpike to the north and Jefferson Davis Highway 

(Route 1) to the east. Some of the largest developments have 

occurred around the Swift Creek Reservoir area and along Route 

288 in Chesterfield County. This growth consists of mainly 

residential, but also some commercial, property development 

along the major roadways. Additionally, much of Chesterfield’s 

planned growth, which is projected to be rather significant, will 

occur in the southern and western portions of the county, drawing 

shoppers away from the Hull Street Road corridor study area. 

Although the Hull Street Road corridor has the potential for many new 

commercial opportunities and design improvements, there are a couple 

of looming obstacles which threaten to hamper revitalization including: 

• Business leaving the corridor. Hull Street Road has long been 

the location of multiple furniture stores that established a small 

cluster; however, several of these businesses are closing and 

leaving the corridor. These represent some of the only shoppers’ 

goods, or destination retail, that has existed along the corridor. 

Continual loss of more furniture stores, especially a large 

anchor business such as Haynes, poses a serious threat to 

redevelopment efforts. Independent stores with older owners are 

particularly vulnerable to closing or relocating. 

Figure 11: Development continues along the 

western end of Hull Street Road in Chesterfield 

County 

The foregoing analysis provides the framework on which to build the 

Hull Street Road Revitalization plan. To revitalize the Hull Street Road 

corridor, the city, county and community at-large must build upon the 

corridor’s strengths, address and overcome its weaknesses, seize 

opportunities and address looming threats. 

Page 27


IV. Revitalization Plan for the Hull Street Road Corridor 

Vision 

Hull Street Road evolved from an 18th Century commerce route into 

a modern arterial highway moving thousands of area residents from 

their homes to jobs and back again. This is the Hull Street Road of 

tomorrow: a corridor brimming with a diversity of residents, visitors, 

and destinations. Residents of all ages are able to benefit from ample 

housing options that are well-designed, well-built, and affordable. 

Convenience shopping, from grocery stores to pharmacies, continues 

to meet the needs of the surrounding residents and commuters, while 

visitors from throughout Richmond, Chesterfield, and the surrounding 

counties stop along Hull Street Road to enjoy all that it has to offer. 

It is a destination that offers unique goods and services, delicious 

food, exciting opportunities for cultural exchange, and one-of-a-kind 

entertainment options. 

Hull Street Road still ably manages a tremendous amount of daily traffic, 

but does so in a way that poses no unwarranted danger to residents 

and visitors. New sidewalks, landscaped medians, and logically-placed 

curb cuts clearly define vehicle and pedestrian spaces. These, combined 

with shared parking, ample crosswalks and complementary businesses 

placed close to one another encourage residents and visitors to 

reach their destinations on foot. Throughout the corridor, unified site 

requirements and building design combined with new streetscape and 

landscaping elements create a sense of place and enclosure throughout 

Hull Street Road. 

The Hull Street Road of tomorrow has fulfilled its promise and is 

constantly redefining itself to meet new demands thanks to its 

passionate and engaged residents, merchants, and visitors. It is a 

place that residents and merchants are proud to call home, and it is a 

destination for the region. 

The following goals, objectives, and implementation strategies will help 

to bring this vision to reality. 

Figure 12: The future of Hull Street Road hinges on maintaining 

existing businesses and attracting new ones. 

Page 28


goals and objectives 

Development Goals 

New business development along Hull Street Road will build upon the 

study area’s strengths and opportunities to serve the needs and wishes 

of local residents while improving economic returns for area merchants 

and attracting visitors from outside the study area. 14 (Please see 

development concept map on page 36.) 

Goal 1: Develop a Hispanic Business Cluster where Hispanic 

businesses can be formed and flourish, providing Hispanic goods, 

food, and entertainment, for both the local Hispanic community and 

the surrounding Metro Richmond community. 

• Objective 1: Develop an open-air shopping mall surrounding a 

central courtyard. This building should contain design elements 

from the Spanish Revival style. (Please see map on page 30.) 

Why: This new shopping center will provide a destination for 

individuals to travel to purchase Hispanic goods and experience 

Hispanic food and cultures. 

Where:The new shopping center should be located in the lots 

adjacent to and across the street from the Pinebrook Estates 

in Richmond (on the north and south sides of Hull Street Road, 

respectively). 

Who: Private Developers in cooperation with the City of 

Richmond Departments of Economic Development and 

Community Revitalization. 

When: Development should occur in two phases. Phase One 

on the north side of Hull Street Road should begin immediately. 

Phase Two on the south side of the road should begin within five 

years. 

• Objective 2: Attract and foster the development of new Hispanicrun 

businesses. 

Why: The present large concentration of Hispanic businesses 

makes this location along Hull Street Road an ideal place for new 

Hispanic businesses to flourish. 

Where: Centrally locate new Hispanic businesses within the new 

open-air shopping mall. 

Who: Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Innovative 

Bank, and the City of Richmond Departments of Economic 

Development and Minority Business Development. 

When: Efforts to attract and develop new Hispanic businesses 

should start immediately. 

• Objective 3: Develop a public open space within the courtyard 

of the open-air shopping mall. This space should be a mixture of 

green space and masonry. 

Why: A public space will provide a place for recreation, 

socialization, and displaying public art. Located within the 

courtyard, this new public space will have ample natural 

surveillance and activity during the day. 

Where: The open space should be contained within the new 

open-air shopping mall. 


Richmond Departments of Economic Development, Parks, 

Recreation and Community Facilities. 

When: This public space should be completed within two years. 

14 

Please see Appendix E for detailed results of the retail market analysis and Appendix F for reports on the development potential analysis 

Page 29

Map 7: Proposed Hispanic Business Cluster 

Page 30



• Objective 4: Develop an open-air farmers market that includes 

Hispanic food and goods among produce from local farmers. 

Why: The farmers market can be quickly established and 

implemented as a weekly event on Hull Street Road. It will serve 

the local communities by supplying fresh food in close proximity 

to their neighborhood as well as bring people to this section of 

Hull Street Road for unique Hispanic foods that can only be found 

in this area. 

Where: Develop on site of the open-air shopping mall. 


Richmond Departments of Economic Development and Minority 

Business Development. 

When: The farmers market should be in operation within one 

year. 

• Objective 5: Create an Hispanic Community Center. 

Why: The community center will be a place where members of 

the Hispanic community can learn English, gather resources for 

their business, and hold special events; and where members 

of the non-Hispanic community can learn more about Hispanic 

culture. 

Where: Within the Second Phase of the Hispanic Business 

Cluster on the south side of Hull Street Road. 

Who: Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Cooperation 

with the City of Richmond Department of Park, Recreation and 

Community Facilities. 

When: The Hispanic Community Center should be operational 

within seven years. 

Goal 2: Create a thriving entertainment cluster in the study area by 

encouraging the placement of moderately-priced restaurants, bars, 

and a movie theater at opportunity sites along the corridor. 

• Objective 1: Identify potential development sites near the 

intersections of major corridors, yet far enough away from 

existing activity nodes to enable the new entertainment venues to 

compete effectively. 

Why: The various surveys, market analysis, and consideration of 

existing restaurant locations show a market demand for primarily 

fast-food restaurants, and to some extent moderately-priced sitdown 

restaurants. 

Where: Parcels adjacent to Skateland and two small out-parcels 

in front of Food Lion in the City of Richmond. 

Who: Chesterfield County Department of Community 

Revitalization; Chesterfield County Department of Economic 

Development; City of Richmond Department of Community 

Development; City of Richmond Department of Economic 

Development; Greater Richmond Partnership. 

When: Parcels capable of development for these uses will be 

identified should within one years. 

• Objective 2: Attract a small movie theater to the Hull Street Road 

Corridor. 

Why: A quantitative market analysis of the defined trade area 

revealed a demand for a small theater, equipped with as many as 

four screens. 

What: A theater that caters to the Hull Street Road corridor’s 

residents could succeed by offering a mix of second-run movies, 

old films, and Spanish-language films at reduced ticket prices. 

Page 31



When: Within five years 

Where: In the Entertainment Cluster 

Who: Hull Street Road Merchants’ Association; Richmond 

Chamber of Commerce; Chesterfield County Chamber of 

Commerce; Greater Richmond Partnership; Chesterfield County 

Department of Economic Development; City of Richmond 

Department of Economic Development. 

• Objective 3: Identify potential moderately-priced restaurants, or 

individuals planning to start independent restaurants, who are 

willing to locate on the Hull Street Road corridor. 

Why: Targeted recruitment is more likely to be successful, as 

some types of restaurants are more suitable than others for the 

market’s study areas. 

What: The marketing program should utilize brochures and other 

advertising strategies to emphasize the area’s suitability for 

business development with its proximity to major transportation 

corridors, the abundance of nearby moderate-income households 

requiring everyday goods and services, and existing 

economic development programs. 






When: The marketing program should be operational within two 

years. 

Where: Regionally, statewide, and nationally. 

Who: Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association; Virginia Small 

Business Association; Richmond and Chesterfield Chambers 

of Commerce; students from culinary training programs (such 

as those offered by local community colleges or vocational 

schools intending to open new restaurants; Chesterfield County 



When: Negotiations with potential restaurant owners or 

franchises will begin within five years. 

• Objective 4: Promote and advertise the development of an 

entertainment and retail activity node. 

Figure 13: Attract moderately priced restaurants. 

Why: To generate interest and excitement among entrepreneurs 

and business owners for opening locations in the Hull Street 

Road study area. 

Page 32



Goal 3: Create a contractor and construction services business 

node in the Hull Street Road study area, thereby making these 

businesses more accessible to area residents and contracting 

professionals, and strengthening similar businesses already found 

in the study area. 

• Objective 1: Identify one site with a minimum of ten contiguous 

acres that would support multiple contractor-oriented business 

operations without negatively affecting neighboring businesses or 

residences. 

Why: Locating multiple contractor business operations near one 

another would create a convenient one-stop- shopping experience 

for potential customers requiring the goods and services these 

businesses provide. 

businesses offering plumbing and lighting fixtures, cabinetry, and 

stone products, such as countertops. 

Where: Businesses with offices and showrooms both in and 

outside the Richmond Metro area may have interest in opening 

an additional location in the study area. 

Who: Chesterfield County Department of Economic 


Development. 

When: Efforts to identify new businesses should begin 

immediately. 

Where: The strip shopping-center site and nearby undeveloped 

property on the south side of Hull Street Road between Goodes 

Bridge Road and Turner Road would provide a high-visibility 

location for this type of development. 





Development. 

When: Redevelopment negotiations with the property owner(s) 

should begin within five years. 

• Objective 2: Identify a minimum of five contractor-oriented 

businesses that are interested in opening new locations in the 

Hull Street Road study area. 

Figure 14: Attract contractor services businesses to the corridor. 

Why: There are a number of goods and services offered by 

various contractor-oriented companies that are currently not 

represented in the Hiull Street Road study area. These include 

Page 33



• Objective 3: Secure redevelopment agreements with all owners 

of properties identified as suitable to support contractor-oriented 

business functions. 

Why: Property owner cooperation is essential for this type of 

redevelopment to succeed. There may be multiple property 

owners in the study area who wish to make their properties more 

economically viable but who have not considered this option. 

Where: Efforts should begin with owners of properties south of 

Hull Street Road between Goodes Bridge Road and Turner Road. 





Development. 

When: Redevelopment agreements will be secured within eight 

years. 

• Objective 4: Provide technical assistance to all property owners 

to secure agreement with developer(s) to construct office and 

warehouse facilities for contractor business operations. 

Why: Some property owners in the study area may be interested 

in redeveloping their properties for these types of uses but may 

be unfamiliar with developers who specialize in constructing 

these types of facilities. Providing assistance with contacting and 

negotiating with suitable developers would save busy property 

owners time and money. 





Development. 

When: Technical assistance should begin upon securing 

redevelopment agreements with property owners, and will remain 

an ongoing effort. 

Figure 15: Contractor services need large sites to cluster. 

Page 34



Goal 4: Develop a senior living center that supports their 

independence, community involvement and overall wellbeing. 

through their participation in health programs and 

services, and A medical rehabilitation facility should be 

located next to the center. 

• Objective 1: Identify one site that would support a senior living 

community and rehabilitation center for residents age 55 and 

over. 

Why: To cater to an elderly population in the area and intensify 

the use of and economic returns from existing, undeveloped land 

and add diversity and character to the corridor. 

Where: City of Richmond, Hull Street Road corridor. Over 21 

acres exist on the south side of Hull Street Road, east of Warwick 

Road. It is mostly wooded and is currently zoned for office, 

but the Broad Rock Plan suggests that this area is a Housing 

Opportunity Area (HOA). 

Who: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, City 

of Richmond Department of Community Development, City of 

Richmond Department of Economic Development, The Economic 

Development Initiative. Special Project Congressional Grants are 

available and authorized each year. 

When: Development should occur within five years. 

Figure 16: Potential site for senior housing 

development at the intersection Hull Street Road and 

Warwick Road. 

Page 35

Map 8: Proposed Redevelopment 

Page 36


Goals and objectives 

Organizational Goals 

Organizing Hull Street Road businesses will provide them with a unified 

voice that works to help current businesses thrive and prosper, to attract 

new businesses to the area, to pursue financial assistance for property 

improvements and expansion, and to advertise the corridor’s unique 

businesses and attractions throughout the Richmond Metropolitan area. 

Goal 1: Form a Business Association consisting of property 

owners, and business owners (representatives) from throughout 

the Hull Street Road study area. 

• Objective 1: Work with locally owned businesses and local 

property owners to develop a Business Association for all 

businesses along the corridor. 

Why: The business association will unite stakeholders of the 

area behind a common goal of improving the area. 

Where: The association should meet in a central location such 

as Elkhardt Middle School. 

Who: All local commercial property owners and business 

owners. 

Hispanic Community Center. 

Who: The association should include owners of Hispanic 

Businesses from throughout the corridor in cooperation with the 

Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 

When: The Hispanic Business Association will be formed within 

two years. 

• Objective 3: Attract corporate-owned businesses to become 

involved in the Hull Street Road Business Association. 

Why: The established business association should invite the 

many corporate owned businesses to become involved in the 

neighborhood, requesting them to send representatives to the 

meetings. 

Where: The association should meet in a central location such as 

Elkhardt Middle School. 

Who: The new Business Association 

When: These efforts will begin upon formation of the Hull Street 

Road Business Association and will remain ongoing. 

When: The Hull Street Road Business Association will be formed 

within one year. 

• Objective 2: Develop an Hispanic Business Subcommittee 

within the Business Association. 

Why: The Hispanic Business Association would work to unify the 

Hispanic Business Community and help members work together 

to improve their businesses, attract like businesses, and attract 

more customers. 

Where: The association would locate an office in the new 

Page 37 

Goal 2: Retain and strengthen existing businesses by providing the 

resources they require to remain competitive and attract customers 

to the Hull Street Road study area. 

• Objective 1: Create a Hull Street Road Business Retention and 

Improvement Task Force. 

Why: Successful businesses already located in the study area 

are the key to attracting new businesses that complement the 

goods and services already offered. Additionally, nearby residents 

with limited transportation options are dependent on the goods 

and services these businesses provide. In order for the study


Goals and objectives 

area to sustain and increase its vitality, it is essential that existing 

businesses remain in the area. 

Who: The Hull Street Road Business Retention Task Force will be 

comprised of two Richmond business owners, two Chesterfield 

business owners, one representative from the Richmond 

Department of Economic development, one representative from 

the Chesterfield Department of Economic Development, and one 

representative from the Greater Richmond Partnership. 

What: The Task Force will provide Hull Street Road merchants 

with current information about Various incentive programs 

for improving and upgrading their business operations and 

properties. The Task Force will also provide technical assistance 

to merchants for creating activity nodes of complementary 

businesses that in turn create cross-shopping opportunities for 

potential customers. 

When: The Task Force should be created within one year. 

Goal 3: Provide assistance to businesses and developers seeking 

to redevelop property along the corridor. 

• Objective 1: Incentivize redevelopment by creating an expedited 

approval process for business owners and developers seeking to 

do business in the Hull Street Road study area. 

When: The expedited approval process should be in place within 

five years. 

• Objective 2: Provide technical assistance to all property owners 

to secure agreement with developer(s) to construct entertainment 

facilities. 

Why: Some property owners in the study area may be interested 

in redeveloping their properties for these uses but may be 

unfamiliar with developers who specialize in constructing 

these types of facilities. Providing assistance with contacting 

suitable developers would save busy property owners time and 

money. 




Department of Community Revitalization; Chesterfield County 


Department of Community Development; City of Richmond 


When: Technical assistance will begin immediately and remain 

an ongoing effort. 

Why: A frequent complaint of business owners and developers is 

the perceived sluggishness of municipal approval processes. An 

expedited approval process would encourage businesspeople to 

redevelop properties and open businesses in the study area. 





Development. 

Page 38 

Figure 17: Existing businesses along Hull Street Road should be 

retained and new businesses brought in.



Physical/Design Recommendations 

High-quality standards for urban design help to create environments that 

are both aesthetically pleasing and exceedingly functional. The following 

recommendations will aid in achieving consistency in building design 

and streetscape elements to create a sense of enclosure and place 

along the corridor. These recommendations will also assist in creating 

conditions that ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists as they 

travel throughout the Hull Street Road study area. 15 

Goal 1: Create an aesthetically pleasing community, uniting the 

corridor and establishing a sense of place within it. 

• Objective 1: Develop a set of design guidelines for the exterior of 

buildings and signage along Hull Street Road. 

Why: Front yard setbacks and signage requirements currently 

vary between Chesterfield County and Richmond City. Creating 

similar requirements will help to provide a sense of enclosure 

and provide unity throughout the corridor while directing the 

appearance and aesthetics of future development. 

What: A complete set of design guidelines should take care to 

include at least the following: 

• A minimum front yard setback of 15 feet and a maximum 

front yard setback of 40 feet. 

• Buildings should front Hull Street Road or appear to. 

• A sign area between 50 and 75 feet. 

• A sign height between 10 and 20 feet. 

• Color limitations for new signage. 

• Landcaping around signs less than 20 feet in height. 

• Provide gateway signs indicating arrival at the Hull Street 

Road Corridor in both locatlities next to Chippenham 

Parkway. 

Figure 18: Develop Design Guidelines for the Hull Street 

Road Corridor. 

Who: The City of Richmond Department of Community 

Development, Urban Design Committee, Architectural Review 

Board and the County of Chesterfield Department of Planning. 

When: Within two years. 

• Objective 2: Adopt the design guidelines as an ordinance. 

Why: An ordinance will require by law new development and 

major renovations to follow the design guidelines. 

Where: Throughout the Hull Street Road corridor. 

Who: The City of Richmond Architectural Review Board and the 

Chesterfield County Planning Department 

When: Ordinance will be adopted by both municipalities within 

three years. 

Where: Throughout the Hull Street Road corridor. 

• Objective 3: Bury overhead power lines complying with High 

Performance Infrastructure guidelines. 

15 

Please see Appendix G for design aesthetics and design guidelines recommendations 

Page 39



Why: Burying the power lines greatly improves the aesthetic of 

the corridor. 

Where: Along Hull Street Road. 

Who: Dominion Virginia Power; City of Richmond Department of 

Public Utilities; Chesterfield County Department of Public Utilities. 

When: Burying overhead utilities should begin within five years 

and will remain an ongoing effort. 

Goal 2: Increase pedestrian and vehicular safety throughout the 

Hull Street Road corridor and surrounding neighborhoods. 

• Objective 1: Widen and repair the city portion of Hull Street Road 

to a minimum of 5 feet in order to provide a landscaped median. 

Why: A wider median will promote safety and create unity through 

a like design between the city and the county portions of the road. 

Where: City of Richmond section of Hull Street Road 

Who: City of Richmond Department of Public Works; Virginia 

Department of Transportation. 

When: Road and median widening should begin within seven 

years and completed within 10 years. 

• Objective 2: Reduce the number of curb cuts along Hull Street 

Road. 

Why: Reducing the number of curb cuts will increase the safety 

of the corridor by decreasing the frequency of stopping and 

decreasing the number of potential impact sites throughout the 

corridor. 

Where: Along Hull Street Road throughout the City of Richmond 

and Chesterfield County. 

Who: City of Richmond Department of Public Works, Virginia 

Department of Transportation, Chesterfield County Department of 

Transportation. 

When: Curb-cut reduction will take place concurrently with 

road widening on the Richmond portion of Hull Street Road. In 

Chesterfield County this work will begin within five years and 

remain an ongoing effort. 

• Objective 3: Develop a landscaping pattern using native, 

drought resistant vegetation on either side of the road where 

possible. 

Figure 19: Widen and repair medians and plant 

landscaping throughout the corridor. 

Page 40 

Why: This will act as a traffic buffer between pedestrian, 

storefronts, parking lots and Hull Street Road. It will also aid in



identifying where the curb cuts are. 


and Chesterfield County. 







When: Crosswalks and pedestrian signals should be installed 

within four years. 

When: Installation of landscaping should begin within two years 

and should remain an ongoing effort. 

• Objective 4: Continue GRTC bus line to Route 360 West 

Shopping Center in Chesterfield County 

Why: Extending the bus line will permit residents of the city 

to safely cross from the city to the county and vice versa. The 

extension of the bus line will aid in unifying the corridor. 

Where: Along Hull Street Road from the Haynes Plaza to Route 

360 West Shopping Center. 

Who: GRTC in cooperation with Chesterfield County Department 

of Transportation and the management of Route 360 West 

Shopping Center. 

When: Bus service should be extended within one year. 

• Objective 5: Establish crosswalks and pedestrian crossing 

signals. 

Why: Crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signals will help 

pedestrians to safely cross Hull Street Road, and direct 

pedestrians to cross at specific locations. 


and County of Chesterfield. 

Figure 20: Continue GRTC bus line into Chesterfield County 

• Objective 6: Construct sidewalks from neighboring communities 

into shopping centers and major attractions along Hull Street 


Why: New sidewalks will encourage pedestrian activity by 

creating a safe route to walk along. 

Where: To key residential neighborhoods adjacent to Hull Street 

Road, key re-development areas, from residential neightborhoods 

to major intersections and convenience goods along Hull Street 



Department of Transportation, Chesterfield County Departments 

of Planning and Transportation. 

Page 41



When: Sidewalk construction should begin within three years and 

be completed within eight years. 

Goal 3: Create a community where both local residents and 

individuals from the metro Richmond area feel safe during both the 

day and night. 

• Objective 1: All improvements along the corridor should follow 

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) 

principles. 

Why: By following CPTED principles, new improvements will 

decrease the potential for criminal activity to occur. 

• Objective 3: Hire private security to patrol commercial locations 

after dusk. 

Why: Increased security will make shoppers feel safe at night. 

It will also deter criminal activity. Merchants have noticed a 

decrease in customers after dusk and an increase in crime. 

Where: Throughout the corridor. 

Who: Hull Street Road Business Association. 

When: Private security should be added within three years. 

Where: Along Hull Street Road and the neighboring communities 

throughout the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County. 

Who: City of Richmond Architectural Review Board and Planning 

Department, Chesterfield County Department of Planning, and 

Chesterfield Police CPTED planners 

When: CPTED guidelines should be continually incorporated into 

all physical improvements made to the corridor. 

• Objective 2: Increase police presence. 

Why: The increase of patrols will make residents and shoppers 

feel safe. It will also deter criminal activity. 

Where: Along the Hull Street Road Corridor and the surrounding 

neighborhoods. 

Who: City of Richmond Police Department and the Chesterfield 

County Police Department. 

When: Increased police patrols should begin within one year. 

Page 42 

Figure 21: Create a safe community with greater security 

presence 

• Objective 4: Develop community programs for neighborhood 

policing. This includes setting up a neighborhood watch for the 

corridor and surrounding neighborhoods. 

Why: Educate the public on how to reduce crime in the area and 

the importance of being proactive. This will aid in decreasing 

both crime and the fear of crime. 

Where: These programs should be developed for the corridor 

and for the neighborhoods adjacent to it.



Who: Richmond Police Community Care Unit, Chesterfield 

County Police, Neighborhood Associations, and Business 

Association. 

When: These programs should be operational within three years. 

Goal 4: Establish environmental standards in the Hull Street Road 

study area that make the corridor a showcase for green building 

and infrastructure. 

• Objective 1: Employ low-impact, environmentally-beneficial 

landscaping and stormwater management techniques that also 

improve the aesthetic appearance of the study area. 

Why: Current stormwater management methods found in 

the corridor are either open drainage ditches or roadway 

curb-and-gutter systems used for decades in most localities. 

While efficient, these systems direct stormwater flow, typically 

containing high percentages of pollutants such as motor oil 

and other vehicular fluids, directly into nearby waterways. 

Open drainage ditches, if not properly maintained, often fill with 

standing water and become stagnant breeding grounds for 

mosquitoes in summer. Both types of systems pose significant 

risk to human and environmental health. 

What: Low-impact stormwater management and landscaping 

installations generally contain a mixture of stone, weedy 

vegetation, shrubs, and highly permeable soil. These systems 

may also include or wholly consist of large ponds that slowly 

allow water runoff to infiltrate the ground or drain to filtration 

facilities. 

Where: Various locations throughout the corridor, including 

open drainage ditches near Hull Street Road’s intersection with 

Warwick Road; around the wetlands areas near the intersection 

of Hull Street Road and Hey Road; and west of Chippenham 

Parkway where curb-and-guttering is most prevalent. 

Who: Chesterfield County Department of Public Works; City of 

Richmond Department of Public Works; Virginia Department of 


When: Installation should begin immediately and remain an 

ongoing task. 

• Objective 2: Require residential and commercial building 

construction and renovation to meet minimum LEED or EarthCraft 

certification levels. 

Why: Buildings are significant energy consumers, and many 

wasteful and environmentally detrimental techniques are 

employed in traditional building practice. 

What: Applying LEED and EarthCraft rating systems to various 

aspects of building construction produces structures that require 

fewer natural resources to build and are energy-efficient and 

aesthetically pleasing. 

Where: Throughout the study area. 

When: Ordinances specifying adherence to LEED and EarthCraft 

building standards should be adopted in both localities within 

five years. 

Figure 22: Employ low-impact landscaping 

and stormwater management. 

Page 43


Financing options 

There are numerous goals presented in this plan in order to help 

revitalize the Hull Street Road corridor. Many of these would require 

capital to achieve. Realizing that developers, business owners and 

homeowners do not always have the funds necessary to embark on 

these projects, many organizations have made capital available to 

those who qualify. For example, much of the Hull Street Road corridor 

lies in an Enterprise Zone, a specific geographic area targeted for 

economic revitalizing. Enterprise Zones encourage economic growth 

and investment in distressed areas by offering tax advantages and 

incentives to businesses locating within the zone boundaries. Funds 

from this program could be used for existing and new businesses alike. 

In addition, there are incentives available from other agencies such as 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). With 

the accessibility of these financing tools, the Hull Street Road corridor 

has the potential to become a thriving social and business community. 16 

Table 1 below lists the key goals suggested in this plan and sources of 

public capital that could help finance their realization. 

Table 1: Financing Options for development goals. 

Goal TIF BEZL MDLP EZ CARE Brown RE Tax LIHTC 202 

Hispanic Business Cluster X X X X X 

Entertainment Cluster X X X X X 

Contractor and Construction Services 

X 

Senior Living Center X X X X X 

Retain and Strengthen businesses X X X X 

Form a Business Association 

Create pleasing aesthetics X X X 

Pedestrian and vehicular amenities X 

Legend 

TIF : Tax Increment Financing 

BEZL : Business Enterprise Zone Loan 

MDLP : Microenterprise Development Loan Program 

EZ : Enterprise Zone Incentives 

CARE : Commercial Area Revitalization Effort 

Brown : Brownfield and Land Revitalization 

RE Tax : Real Estate Tax Abatement Program 

LIHTC : Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program 

202 : Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 

16 

Please see Appendix H further information regarding financing options 

Page 44


Conclusion 

Conclusion 

There are many steps that must be followed for Hull Street Road to achieve its full potential. These steps will involve a significant 

amount of time and energy from many people, but the results will be well worth their efforts. Hull Street Road did not reach its current 

condition overnight, and it will not achieve revitalization overnight. Implementing the preceding objectives and working to achieve these 

goals are the keys to unlocking the full potential of the Hull Street Road study area. When this occurs, Hull Street Road will fulfill the 

expectations of its residents and merchants and will be an attractive destination for new visitors from throughout the region. 

Page 45


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Page 46

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