Residents of West Broad Village

First off, this place is going to be awesome!  ACAC has a great vision with the West Broad Village location and they’ve got great people executing on that vision.  Construction will continue into December and they hope to open before the new year’s resolution rush.  Though they are still months away, ACAC is making its mark on West Broad Village already with the opening of the Express Club earlier this week.  It doesn’t stop there, VP of Development Chris Crater and his team have been working with Short Pump businesses to come up with a new members packet with coupons to great local shops such as 3Sports and Mimi’s Cafe.  Mr. Craytor said, “the ACAC is very much looking forward to getting involved with the community.”  He said they are even looking to host a 5k to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project similar to the 4 the Wounded 5k they sponsor in Charlottesville each summer.

The parking deck is being modified with a new vehicle entrance on the backside of the building that will direct members to the main entrance between the ACAC and the Aloft buildings.  Members will be welcomed into the lobby before proceeding on to the children’s area, locker rooms, and multiple water areas including a wellness pool, lap pool, and hot tub.  Kids can climb the rope ladder to the second floor play area – the rest of us will have to take the stairs where we’ll be welcomed by rows and rows of cardio equipment and weights.  There is a mezzanine level where there will be more workout equipment and studios.  The 3rd floor is where you’ll find squash and racquetball courts before making your way to the rooftop terrace complete with pool, hot tub, tanning deck, bar, and platform tennis.

So this won’t only be a place to come and work out this will be a great place to bring the kids or just come out and relax in the summer.  The ACAC will get an ABC license so you can layout on the tanning deck while sipping a pina colata.  Or grab a beer and take in the great views of West Broad Village and the surrounding area.

In preparation for the December opening of the new West Broad Village location, ACAC is opening it’s Express gym and sales center in the retail space in between the construction site and 3 Sports.  The gym is about 5,000 square feet and occupies the space previously planned for the Jon Ric Spa. The ACAC will provide members with personalized scanned tags allowing them 24 hour access to the Express club. Once the main gym opens at the end of the year, the Express Club will close and all equipment and offices will move to the new facility.

Even though this is a temporary gym, ACAC is doing it right.  Each piece of cardio equipment has it’s own TV or web enabled tablet for checking email or Facebook.  The free weights area is stacked with dumbbells, medicine balls, and other machines.  It doesn’t cost anything to check it out – go see for yourself and you’ll be impressed.

To sign up go to the ACAC website or visit the club.

THROUGH JUNE 30, 2012:

• Express Facility Individual Membership: $29/month until main club opens, then Charter Member dues at 15% off standard membership rates
• Express Facility Couple Membership: $49/month until main club opens, then Charter Member dues at 15% off standard membership rates
• Charter Membership Reservation: $50 deposit per household to reserve your Charter Membership, then dues at 15% off standard membership rates once main club opens

North Carolina based Diamonds Direct is taking one of the last available outparcels in West Broad Village. The diamond importer and engagement ring authority is taking the space between the Wells Fargo and REI leaving just two remaining outparcels between Kona and Bonefish.

Diamonds Direct currently has four other stores throughout the South with locations in Austin, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Raleigh. The new Richmond location will be about 6,000 square feet and is expected to open before the holiday season.

West Broad Village welcomes Which Wich? Superior Sandwiches!  The fast growing sandwich shop opened it’s first area location in between Mix It Frozen Yogurt and The French Boutique.  Which Wich? is best known for its unique ordering system where customers select a brown paper bag and customize their sandwich from an expansive list of toppings.

So far, we’ve been twice and both experiences have been great.  The first time we dined in and were greeted at the door with instructions of how the ordering process works and given suggestions.  The space isn’t large  by any means but offers enough seating to support a good lunch rush plus a few patio tables.  The second time we ordered online and picked up.  The process is pretty much the same as ordering from Jimmy John’s online without the delivery option.  But with them being just a short walk away for residents, delivery won’t be necessary for us.

Mix It Frozen Yogurt & Juice Bar opened in mid-April and has been a huge hit. Mix It offers self service frozen yogurt much like Sweet Frog in Downtown Short Pump or Very Berry in neighboring Short Pump Station.  What separates Mix It from those other shops is they also offer cereal by the bowl, yogurt bowls, smoothies, coffee, and fresh squeezed juices.

They leased 2,021 square feet on the first floor fo the Aloft Hotel in between Which Wich and 3 Sports.  The space is quite large with seating for about 50 patrons.  In addition to the store front they also offer catering packages.

Whats been done since we met last year

• Mary Raper appointed to board as resident member
• Finished landscaping between Geese Landing and Three Chopt Rd
• Tot lot is now open
• Geese Landing now connects to Liesfiield

What will be done in the next 6 months

• Repaying Liesfiield in front of club house
• Gathering place to open next week as ACAC structure is completed
• Hope to start making improvements on median strip down Old Brick Rd to include a kiosk, additional seating, and mini elevated area for concerts
• New landscaping on broad in front of Wells Fargo
• Repair brick pavers at entrance this fall
• More dog stations to be added as neighborhood is built out
• Lighting around pond hopes to be installed in the next 6 months
• Need 40 residents to sign up for recycling at $7/month – Joyce to send out email to everyone soon

Ongoing Activities

• There are now 193 of 545 townhomes sold
• Still looking at new ways to encourage visitors to use parking decks instead of gravel lots and residents parking
• Outside lights are not being replaced by homeowners so the HOA to look into taking ownership of this process
• HOA will ask POA to post speed limit signs
• HOA will bring up completion of roughed in baby pool to POA

Master Yi’s Taekwondo and Martial Arts currently has one location in Bon Air and is now adding a second location in Short Pump.  The new location will be between the Ledo’s and Children’s Museum close to the neighborhood entrance.

Construction is currently underway to convert the empty space into a gym similar to the Southside location.

The Aloft Hotel in West Broad Village is hosting a wine tasting event on Thursday, March 8th from 6:30p to 10p.

The tasting will feature an assortment of wines from James River Winery as well as appetizers.

Unofficially of course…

Hot on the heals of the successful opening of Spirited Art in November, All Fired Up opened its doors yesterday in West Broad Village.  The grand opening celebration will be held in March.

All Fired Up

Get in touch with your creative side at All Fired Up, Richmond’s original paint your own ceramics studio. From piggy banks to candlesticks, dog bowls to dinnerware, we have hundreds of pieces waiting for you to transform into a work of art. Come in and relax with a friend, paint with a child or celebrate with a party. Have your paint brushes ready, because All Fired Up is Richmond’s fun spot to be!

Spirited Art

Spirited Art® is an optimistic, creative class for folks who want to learn the basics of acrylic painting in the company of great friends and good wine. In each class we will show you step-by-step how to create your own masterpiece that you can be proud of and take home at the end of the night. Don’t worry if you can’t even draw a stick person. We believe it’s easier to learn when you’re having fun; and if you know your letters, shapes and colors then you are prepared to learn how to paint!