Bye Bye BP?

I picked this up from Richmond BizSense. There’s talk of bringing a mixed use project to the intersection of Meadow and Cary Streets. Currently a BP gas station occupies that corner, but Ed Eck (whose Eck Enterprises seems to own most all of Main and Cary Streets from Harrison to Meadow) has been pushing for a 3-5 story project of residential with first-floor retail space. From Biz Sense:

He said it probably won’t be until early 2010 before the development starts. In the meantime, Eck said he will continue to lay the groundwork by rallying community support and seeking assistance from the city.

Eck offers a simple answer as to how he manages to keep his vacancy rate low and how he continues to build in a down economy: VCU. He said the growing university creates a strong demand for housing in the area, a demand his company has successfully capitalized upon.