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Movement in developing Boulevard property, possibly for Flying Squirrels

Posted at 12:35 AM, Oct 23, 2012
and last updated 2012-10-23 12:32:31-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--We now know where the Redskins will practice but here is Richmond’s perpetual question; where will the Flying Squirrels play ball in the future? 

Richmond city leaders have been looking at a few sites for quite some time but now they're seriously considering one particular spot.

Monday night, city council members unanimously approved of a plan to clear off a 60-acre property right next door to the Diamond.  The spot sits right between the Bow-Tie movie theater and the Diamond. 

Right now it's being used by the city for fleet maintenance and the school system for storage space.

 City council members approved of a plan to move those services to another part of the city, making this space available for either mixed-use development or a new ballpark.

 Richmond’s chief administration officer, Byron Marshall said that this vote was crucial to the Boulevard's future.

 “It’s one of the largest contiguous sites that is undeveloped, or not fully developed that the city owns,” he said. “It sits at 95 and 64. It’s a well-traveled area and an area of the city that’s ripe for development.”

Marshall says they’ve been focused on Shockoe Bottom and Manchester for a new ballpark but that clearing off this site along the Boulevard makes that location a viable option.