RICHMOND, Va. (RichmondBizSense.com) - The City of Richmond is rounding third and heading home in a deal to acquire the Diamond.
The city is working a plan to take ownership of the aging ball field and the nine acres where it sits.
The city would own the entire area in red, with the exception of the Sports Backers Stadium sitting just south of the Diamond.
The Richmond planning commission on Monday will consider an ordinance to allow the city to acquire the property from the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which has owned the Diamond for almost 30 years.
The deal is one of the first major public steps by Mayor Dwight Jones’ office to position property holdings as it plans for a new ballpark and leaves open land for a potential mixed-use development to take the Diamond’s place.
“Since we’re in the process of moving toward building a new diamond, we worked out with the RMA that they would return the Diamond, along with the parking, to the city,” Richmond Chief Administrative Officer Byron Marshall said.
