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

Hull Street Road Revitalization Plan
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