Please move around the map and use street view to see what Short Pump looks like in real life.
Short Pump: A Commercial Monster
By: Anna Friesen
Short Pump, VA was originally a small town frequented by travelers. The main attraction was a Tavern with a water pump where travelers would stop for a drink and a bite to eat. Many roads developed around this popular stop to make it more accessible. But that was in 1815. It then developed into farmland, Short Pump Plantation, and stayed like that for a while. Today, Short Pump, VA is a commercial monster with new storefront and apartments at every corner.
Short Pump, VA began developing in the 1980’s when the neighboring area, Innsbrook, was growing. A school, a few stores, and some auto parts stores turned into a Walmart. That grew into a Target then restaurants then a mall. Short Pump became a commercial hotspot. There was excitement in the air for the new chains coming to town. Richmond’s food and fashion palettes, as well as wallets, began to expand. Short Pump brought careers and services that Richmond didn’t have before.
In the 2000’s, some Richmonders began to see Short Pump as more destructive than opportunistic. The beautiful Short Pump Plantation shrank each year. In 2003, Short Pump Town Center opened. Two stories of 140 stores surrounded by more stores and restaurants. That just started it all. Now there’s a Kroger Marketplace, West Broad Village, and an entirely new complex opening in 2016.
The three-mile stretch of West Broad Street called Short Pump could be considered as one of the worst places to drive in Virginia (outside of Northern Virginia). From 2011 – 2012, there were 601 accidents resulting in 314 injuries. Four out of five were fender-benders. This number can only go up with the new developments coming this year. 50,000 cars a year will turn into 80,000 cars a year in the blink of an eye.
Richmond is developing into the new Northern Virginia. Short Pump Town Center is upping its rent; pushing out small stores, bringing in designer stores such as Michael Kohrs and Kate Spade. Although that doesn’t mean full storefront. Four out of fifteen shopping centers don’t have any empty storefront.
More shopping centers doesn’t mean more profit or opportunities. It means more empty space, customers and owners losing money, more traffic, and so much more. Do we really need another grocery store or Mexican restaurant?
This story was created for my Data Journalism course in Spring 2016.
