Retrofit Atlas

Industrial sites · Virginia

Tobacco Row

Imported, unreviewedReinhabitedRetrofit builtRichmond, VA

Built retrofit with active housing construction; not available for new development. · summary, model-written

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Site profile9 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 4 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 145,697 on 95 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 2,077 units, Richmond (Independent City) census-bps · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: 95 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Strategy
ReinhabitedThis site: record · all sites with this
New use
Civic and governmentThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
HousingThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
OfficeThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field record · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtWikipedia no source
StrategyReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New usescivic, housing, office, retailWikipedia no source

Site context

Housing permits, Richmond (Independent City) (VA), 20242,077 units in 5+ unit buildings, 83 in 2–4, 380 single-family; 2023: 1,890 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby4 within 10 km, 9 within 25 km: Main Street Station mall (0.7 km); Sauer Center (1.3 km); Willow Lawn Shopping Center (8.7 km); Cloverleaf Mall (9.7 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)7,608 jobs in 767 establishments; average annual pay $40,979; employment location quotient 0.46; employment -0.1% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20221,586 jobs; 27 in retail trade, 252 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 51760020501)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 29th income percentile as adults; 5.4% incarcerated at the 2010 count (242 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 17.9%; median family income $108,571; 109 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsRichmond City Public Schools (PK-12); 7 public schools within 1 mile: Richmond Hospital Ep.; Virginia Treatment Ctr.; Chimborazo Elementary; Henry Marsh III ElementaryNCES EDGE
Elevation36 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025124 county-logged events: 59 flash flood, 30 thunderstorm wind, 24 heavy rain, 5 tornado; $142,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 23223, 2026-09median list price $342,310 (-0.8% on the year); 117 active listings; median 44 days on market; 21% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023778 establishments (-4%); 8,329 jobs (-8%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $365,737 (+2% 1 yr, +24% 5 yr); typical rent $1,604/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)145,697 vehicles a day on 95 (Interstate, 6 lanes); 14,946 trucks; 33 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Tobacco Row is a built industrial retrofit in Richmond, VA, repurposed from tobacco warehouses/factories. The retrofit is complete (status: built), with housing being the most active new use (2,077 units permitted in 2024).

Why. The opportunity score is 0.0 because the retrofit is already built (opp_reasons: 'retrofit already built, housing in the record'). Housing construction is active (2024 permits: 2,077 units), aligning with the new_use list. The site is adjacent to I-95 (6 lanes, 145,697 ADT) and the James River, within 1.3km of Sauer Center (partial status).

Where it stands. No new development is indicated; the retrofit is operational. Housing market data shows strong growth (ZHVI +24.1% over 5 years), but the record does not specify current occupancy rates for retail, office, or civic uses. The site is not a vacant opportunity for redevelopment.

For a planner

  • Adjacent to I-95 and James River
  • Within 1.3km of Sauer Center (partial)
  • Housing construction active (2024 permits: 2,077 units)

For a developer

  • Already built retrofit (not available for new construction)
  • Housing demand supported by market data
  • No current retail/office occupancy data provided

What we do not know yet

  • No current retail/office occupancy rates
  • Civic use implementation status unknown
  • No details on existing tenant mix or lease terms
  • Sauer Center status (partial) not clarified

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Sauer Center, Richmond, VA · Industrial sites · same strategy: reinhabit; also in VA; 1 km away
  • Newmarket North Mall, Hampton, VA · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in VA
  • Chesterfield Towne Center, Midlothian, VA · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in VA; 20 km away
  • Park+Ford, Alexandria, VA · Office parks · same strategy: reinhabit; also in VA

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

CountyRichmond city
Census division5 · South Atlantic
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Tobacco Row, a collection of tobacco warehouses and cigarette factories in Richmond, Virginia, was converted into loft apartments, condominiums, offices, and retail space after being vacated by tobacco companies in the late 1980s.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Tobacco Row is a collection of tobacco warehouses and cigarette factories in Richmond, Virginia, adjacent to the James River and Kanawha Canal near its eastern terminus at the head of navigation of the James River. == History == Beginning in the 18th century, many growers and shippers of Virginia's major cash-crop of tobacco maintained facilities there, as well as directly across the river at Manchester.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Sources

More in Virginia

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