A six-story apartment building, with a convenience store and gas station, is planned near the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.

The Belvidere project would be built at the northwest corner of Belvidere and West Grace streets, where an existing BP gas station is.

"It will be a tremendous improvement to what is there today," said Steven Uphoff, owner of the Uppy's Convenience Stores chain. "It will be a first-class and state-of-the-art building."

Plans call for the current gas station to be demolished once Uppy's receives the necessary special-use permit from the city. That should be completed in about two months.

Construction would then begin and take about nine months.

"We're ready to go," Uphoff said. "We're bidding it out right now."

The five upper floors would have a total of 25 apartments: 13 one-bedroom units; 10 two-bedroom units; one studio; and one penthouse loft with 792 square feet. The apartments would have balconies.

An Uppy's convenience store with 2,788 square feet would take up the first floor. A Dominic's of New York Café, with about 16 seats inside, would be part of the 24-hour convenience store.

Four gas pumps would replace the seven that are there now. Uppy's had supplied gasoline to the location since 2005; in September, it bought the station.

Uphoff said he had a choice of simply rebuilding the site with another bigger convenience store or to do something different.

"There is such a need for apartments in that area with the growth of VCU," he said. "Why not try to do more of a contemporary urban setting with multiple uses so the property can serve as many needs as possible."

For the economics to work, Uphoff said the project needed five floors of apartments.

Uphoff admits The Belvidere is an ambitious project -- and something his company hasn't done before.

"I think people are excited about having something new at the gateway to VCU," he said.

His children are. Two daughters are graduates, including one who received her degree on Saturday. His son is an engineering student there now.

"They're all mad at me for not building this before now so they could have lived there," he said.

Oliver Creative sold

Oliver Creative, a Henrico County Web design and development company, is being sold.

CRT/tanaka, the public-relations firm based in South Richmond, is buying Oliver Creative. The announcement is to be made today.

The acquisition is part of CRT/tanaka's strategy to build its interactive and creative design businesses.

Kyra Oliver, the founder and president of Oliver Creative, will join CRT/tanaka as vice president overseeing its interactive division. Oliver Creative's employees will move into CRT/tanaka's offices in early 2008.

Oliver Creative won international recognition recently for its education efforts about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome through its support of the Hayes Hitzeman Foundation.

Oliver created the foundation to raise awareness about SIDS in 2002, four days after her infant son, Hayes, died of SIDS.

Sweater discount

Looking to get a 30 percent discount on a regular-priced sweater at Banana Republic?

The retailer is working with Goodwill Industries to give the discount when customers bring in their gently worn sweaters.

Customers can drop off their sweaters until Wednesday at any Banana Republic store. They will receive one coupon per sweater donated -- limit three coupons per customer -- for 30 percent off regular-priced sweaters, excluding 100 percent cashmere sweaters.
Contact Gregory J. Gilligan at (804) 649-6379 or ggilligan@timesdispatch.com.