It’s been announced that the 54-year-old Richmond Coliseum will be demolished. After giving a thumbs-down to the Navy Hill development, Richmond City Council decided to move forward with what is now the City Center project. That vision is far from what I — and many others I’ve spoken with — believe would be a good use of the heart of downtown Richmond. 

There’s actually proof that the Coliseum structure could be salvaged and upgraded. Two examples come to mind: Baltimore and Charlotte. Both have older arenas with smaller seating capacities than the Richmond Coliseum, yet both have been upgraded and are thriving. For years, the Baltimore arena has hosted the CIAA basketball tournament and remains a busy venue. Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte has a hockey team and, much like Richmond, benefits from a growing downtown population that frequents the facility for sporting and entertainment events. 

Frankly, I’m not convinced there aren’t private developers eager to invest in upgrading the Richmond Coliseum and capitalize on a booming downtown population hungry for an arena experience. Pair that with an upgraded 6th Street Armory and development along 2nd Street that could become what Beale Street is to Memphis, Tennessee, and the potential is enormous. Our business and political leaders need to do better with central downtown Richmond. City Center development too often feels like an exclusive office park, with limited appeal to the public, tourists and entertainment traffic that could truly provide an economic boost to the area. 

STUART SPEARS 

Richmond