Diradour still swinging for baseball at The Diamond

By John O’Connor  for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, originally published HERE.
Published: July 3, 2009

A man approached Charlie Diradour and shook his hand outside The Diamond yesterday.

“Keep up the good work, Charlie,” he said.

Replied Diradour: “Thank you very much for coming out.”

Diradour, who arranged the appearance to announce the launching of his revamped Web site, looked as if a politician were the centerpiece. Diradour is not a politician — at least not yet.

Diradour, 45, a graduate of Trinity Episcopal School and Virginia Commonwealth University, began a public crusade to keep baseball on the Boulevard soon after the Shockoe Center proposal was released in October. Yesterday, he reiterated his belief that a transformation of The Diamond is the most sensible fiscal measure.

In so doing, Diradour re-raised the question that surfaces each time he makes the pitch: What is this guy’s motivation?

Diradour owns and operates a local real estate development firm that mainly deals with properties in Richmond’s Fan District. “I want this known far and wide,” he said. “I have no interests along the Boulevard corridor.”

He said he endorses the Boulevard location because a ballpark is already there with good access and parking.

Diradour said he opposed the Shockoe Center proposal “to make sure the citizens’ tax dollars weren’t mishandled.” That proposal was withdrawn last week. Yesterday, he emphasized the need for Richmond-area residents, regardless of ballpark-site preference, to embrace the Double-A franchise set to come next season.

“This is not some self-aggrandizement setting up for doing anything,” Diradour said. “This is pure. And people have responded to it.”

Diradour says he was in a barbershop a few days ago, and a couple of men there praised his support of The Diamond. They told him he needed to take his common-sense approach into government.

“Do I? Or am I more effective doing it this way?” Diradour said. “That’s a question I’m wrestling with right now.”

Yesterday, Diradour beseeched the city administration to at least meet with Peter Kirk, the chairman of Opening Day Partners, who early last month submitted to area officials a $28 million proposal to transform The Diamond.

Kirk’s plan would remove the roof and the upper deck, expand the lower bowl, add a berm, a play area (with bumper boats, a carousel and skateboard park) and a conference center. New retail would be built adjacent to the stadium.

Kirk has not heard from area leaders about setting up a meeting.

“Economically at this time in this country’s history, it makes even more sense now to use adaptive reuse technologies to bring this site back to life,” Diradour said of The Diamond.

Diradour was a supporter of the unsuccessful campaign for Richmond mayor by William J. Pantele, a former City Council president. Yesterday, Pantele stopped by The Diamond to support Diradour.

Pantele called Kirk “brilliant” and said attendance dropped during the Richmond Braves’ final few years not because of the stadium or its location, but because of “poor management of the facility and a lack of promotion.”