Proposed redesign for Lakeside would trade car traffic for bike lanes in attempt to attract more business

Henrico’s current Lakeside corridor, or “cheap Bellevue” as some residents call it, is a unique mix of antique shops, breweries, and small businesses run out of people’s homes – and a place where you will see many more cars than people on the streets.

But despite being a quieter neighborhood, Lakeside’s prime location right in the center of Henrico County and just north of uptown Richmond makes the corridor an opportune area for more business and even some more housing, said planner Mike Watkins, who was recruited by Henrico County to help create a redesign proposal for the corridor.

On Thursday, Watkins hosted the final night of Henrico’s four-day Lakeside design charrette to envision the community's long-term future and presented a not-so-final proposal to local residents and business owners. A design proposal likely will not be finalized until Nov. 1, according to Henrico Planning Director Joe Emerson.

Watkins’ proposal includes a somewhat controversial measure for residents: reducing the four-lane areas of Lakeside Avenue to only two lanes, which would allow for new bike lanes, a median with small trees, some street parking, and more continuous sidewalks with trees planted for shade. The intersection of Lakeside Avenue and Timberlake Avenue also would be a perfect place to connect new bike trails to the corridor, Watkins said.

Four-way crosswalks would be added to two of the major intersections, with Watkins suggesting a floral-colored design that would help Lakeside rebrand itself as Henrico’s “garden district.” A new archway entrance near Bryan Park and an additional small park where Trumpet Branch River crosses Lakeside Avenue would also help set the tone for the garden district.

Live-work units could help redevelop pockets of Lakeside

The proposal also includes a new town square or civic space that would replace some of the parking lot in front of Lakeside Avenue’s CVS Pharmacy, which would require moving the Lakeside Farmers Market closer to the road. A two- or three-story parking deck is also proposed for the area behind the current parking lot. 

Watkins also proposed that certain older, one-story commercial buildings be replaced with live-work units that consist of a business on the first story and residences on the top two stories. He also suggested new townhouses for the corridor to complement a more walkable and bikeable area.

Many Lakeside residents would be thrilled to have a small grocery store or coffee shop open in the corridor. But small businesses and mom-and-pop shops only open in areas with enough character and walkability to attract customers, Watkins said.

“There’s not sufficient character here to distinguish this busy, frankly high-speed traffic corridor as a place of character where you might want to locate a business,” he said. “Restaurants and shops gravitate towards places that have some buffer from all that busyness.”

Some business owners opposed to redesign concepts

Some residents and business owners, however, are concerned that the redesign would take away from the already existing character and charm of Lakeside. 

“I think we’re changing now too much,” said Russell Bell, who works at a realty firm on Lakeside Avenue. “We’re making Lakeside even more gentrified and less funky. And we need funky communities, that’s what keeps us Richmond.”

For many businesses, fewer cars traveling down Lakeside Avenue also could mean fewer customers – and adding more bikes might not make up that loss.

“I think it would be awful. I’ll be moving my business out of Lakeside if they put bike lanes down Lakeside Avenue and close two lanes of traffic,” said Don Bottoms, who owns Vintage Glass & Pottery. “I sell glassware and pottery, who’s going to put that on a bike?”

“I have people that come into the place I volunteer who say, ‘I’ve been driving past your shop for a couple weeks or a couple months or sometimes even a year, and I finally got the chance to stop in,’” said Elizabeth Miller, who volunteers at Aggie’s Attic. “So it does give us visibility to some people that might not know that we’re there. And people aren’t going to come on their bike and get an armload of what we sell.”

The redesign could be partially funded by the county through the Henrico Investment Program, Watkins said, as well as some state and federal funds, because Lakeside is part of the Henrico County Enterprise Zone. But an estimated cost has not been presented for the proposal, and some residents are skeptical about how the project would be fully funded.

“There were a lot of things I liked. But we’re all kind of curious about where these funds are coming from,” said local resident Abram Jackson. “And then also going into the future, who's paying for the maintenance that’s going to be needed on sidewalks and trees. Sometimes you see these projects done, and it all looks beautiful right after they do it and then maintenance is not done and it all just kind of falls apart again.”

The project also would depend on the support of certain property owners in the corridor as well as the Virginia Department of Transportation, which manages Lakeside Avenue. The proposal may also be impacted if VDOT decides to close nearby Exit 80 off of I-95 North.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.