After delays, Westhampton Pastry Shop redevelopment gets council go-ahead

A rendering of the proposed building at the corner of Patterson and Libbie avenues. (City documents)

After multiple delays, the planned transformation of the Westhampton Pastry Shop site has received the city’s blessing.

Last night Richmond City Council voted to approve the development of a four-story mixed-use building at 5728 Patterson Ave. 

The project will see the 1940s-era building, which currently houses Westhampton Pastry Shop at Libbie and Patterson avenues, razed and replaced by a structure with three floors of office space above ground floor retail. 

The Robins family, known for their ties to the University of Richmond, have owned the property for decades and are leading the redevelopment with local investor Tyler Currie. The development team has previously said the pastry shop would be retained as a tenant in the new building. The fate of existing retailer Gild and Ash, which also operates in the building, is unclear. 

The new building is planned to include around 29,000 square feet of office space plus 3,400 square feet of retail on the ground floor, plus outdoor dining areas and 24 covered parking spaces. 

The project has drawn pushback from some locals in the Libbie-Patterson area since plans were first filed in late 2023.

The building’s top three floors would be office space.

At a February Planning Commission meeting, multiple residents showed up to oppose the project, including members of the Westhampton Citizens Association. Common concerns were the building’s height and the impact it might have on parking and traffic in the area. 

The Planning Commission ultimately recommended approving the development in early February, but council had since delayed making a decision multiple times. At Monday’s council meeting, only one citizen spoke against the development, claiming that it would adversely affect traffic in the area, and that it could displace local residents.

Speaking in favor of the proposal, Currie said the development’s design has changed multiple times in the course of its life based “entirely on community feedback.” Among those changes was the decision to make the building’s parking lot available to the public during off-hours and weekends. He added that if the city decides to install brick crosswalks at the Libbie-Patterson intersection, the development team would donate the bricks needed.

After about 15 minutes of discussion, Council voted 8-0 to approve special-use permit for the project. Councilwoman Reva Trammell was not present. 

Attorney Jennifer Mullen of law firm Roth Jackson represented the developers in the SUP effort. The project’s designer is 510 Architects. 

The post After delays, Westhampton Pastry Shop redevelopment gets council go-ahead appeared first on Richmond BizSense.