The Sixth Street Marketplace opened September 18, 1985. Located in the heart of downtown, the Marketplace was the result of years of work by Richmond City Council, Mayors Henry L. Marsh III and Roy A. West, Richmond Reanaissance (which was founded in 1982) and Enterprise Development Company, the developer of the 6th Street Marketplace. At it's completion, city leaders felt strongly that this development signaled the beginning of a new era in Richmond. It was claimed by leaders that the Bridge symbolically united the races over Broad Street, which for years had served as the boundary line between the black and white communities.
Unfortunately, the new era that seems to have been inaugurated is the era of big business interests determining how public money is to be spent on commercial development. Nevermind, that there are REAL needs in this city. Just recently, City Council refused to grant the School Board the funds it requested; yet the city has also agreed to pay up to $3 million each year to repay bonds if Broad St. CDA projected revenues fall short. The amount requested by the School Board was $3 million.
One of thing that makes me angry about the plan to destroy Sixth Street Marketplace is that it is a perfectly fine structure. It has space for 80-85 shops according to articles written at the time of its opening. With proper management the city could finally make a success out of the 6th St. Marketplace. Why would the City want to tear down the Marketplace within a year of opening the brand new $160 million dollar Convention Center that is one block away? It's ridiculous. The building isn't even 18 years old. It's one of the few public spaces downtown. And it could actually be generating money in the form of rents and sparking tourism. But the current plan is to make it into a street.
The Marketplace cost $25 million to construct ($15 million of that was public money), it would cost closer to $40 million to build today. The Marketplace is also schedualed to be paid off within a couple of years whereas the new plan plunges the city into 30 years of debt.
And the more you look in to the plan, the more clear it becomes that this action is being taken under the pretense of the Broad Street "Community." The 6th Street Marketplace is a part of the community. It's failure was due to the closing of Thalhimers and Miller & Rhoads, poor management by the city afterward, and poor economic conditions in general in the immediate area. However, the people that continued to use Broad Street were POOR and AFRICAN AMERICAN.
The Broad Street Community Development Authority (CDA) was created by unanimous vote by council. Only three citizens spoke in opposition, and 11 people from Richmond's economic community spoke in support of it. This is the group that has hatched the plan to destroy the Marketplace. To quote Mr. Will's paper, "Of the five [members that make up the CDA], four were developers and landowners who will directly profit from the work of the CDA." The fifth member is the assistant director of Richmond Renaissance, the same group that spearheaded the Sixth Street Marketplace development.
The Sixth Street Marketplace belongs to the people of the city. It is a valuable asset, and a treasure to the community. It does not belong to City Council or Richmond Renaissance to do with what it likes.
Fellow Citizens, the only thing we can do, because we don't have money, is contact our elected officals and let them know: "This is not what we want. This is not good for our community."
