For years the West End of Henrico County has claimed all of the glory for new developments, office parks, restaurants and retail in the Greater Richmond area. However, as the West End continues to prosper, eastern Henrico has gathered the necessary support, resources and plans to aggressively follow suit. The eastern Henrico County board has a lot on its plate for the next few years, and residents are waiting anxiously at the table.
The announcement of the White Oak Shopping Center in eastern Henrico County was met with enthusiasm and excitement. More importantly, however, is that while the development of eastern Henrico County currently centers around the White Oak Shopping Center, residents can expect even more changes to their community in the next few years, including more retail, more housing and more office space.
“Henrico residents recognize that they deserve a break. These people have had to drive all the way to Colonial Heights and Mechanicsville to go shopping, so this plan was very well received by residents,” said Ralph “Bill” Axselle, attorney and Forest City representative. Axselle also explained that residents immediately embraced White Oak Shopping Center as a multi-beneficial opportunity for their community. “White Oak Shopping Center has been great because it relieves environmental challenges, turning vacant space into a great opportunity. It also represents the vibrancy coming to the eastern part of the county,” explains Axselle. Residents have enthusiastically attended public meetings regarding the enhancement of eastern Henrico, voicing concerns regarding new traffic patterns. Officials reassure residents that they are taking proper measures, such as stoplights and turn lanes, to aid traffic flow.
Eastern Henrico residents are anxiously awaiting the details of the stores and restaurants in White Oak Shopping Center. Maximizing the abandoned land formerly occupied by a large Viasystems plant, the new shopping center presents a variety of retail opportunities, including spaces for a Target, Lowes, Kohl’s and many others, as well as opportunities for highly sought-after, sit-down restaurants. White Oak will create 2,300 jobs during its construction and then offer 2,100 part/full-time jobs upon completion. County officials project that the shopping center will also generate $80 million in revenues over the next 15 years. White Oak Shopping Center is not the only exciting news for eastern Henrico County. In addition to White Oak Shopping Center, community developments such as Rockett’s Landing and Wilton Farms will contribute to the renaissance of eastern Henrico’s retail, residential and professional developments. Rockett’s Landing offers brand new housing and retail, as well as riverfront restaurants and a large marina. “We haven’t seen anything like this yet in the Richmond area, and it is truly exciting,” said Axselle. Rockett’s Landing is located near the rapidly expanding Infineon plant, historic parks and battlefields, as well as the Richmond International Airport. It includes hundreds of townhomes and condominiums with prices ranging from $150,000 to $1.3 million.
Wilton Farms, a new, highly anticipated development, which is also in the design and engineering phase, will provide eastern Henrico with a unique, pedestrian-oriented community. This planned community, which emphasizes open, green space, includes exciting new housing opportunities as well as ample office space for local businesses. HHHunt, the well-recognized developer for Wilton Farms, projects that the development will total 1,185 acres on the former Wilton Farms site along the James River. Carefully phased planning includes 3,200 houses, townhomes and condominiums, a 30-acre town center, 275 acres of private parks and open space and an additional 240 acres donated to Henrico County for a new park along the James.
Retail Incentive
With a wide range of upscale retailers to offer to the community, the West End continues to grow and establish itself as an area of potential and development. Retailers spend months and even years trying to find the right homes for their stores. Western Henrico County not only addresses retailers’ current needs but can also accommodate their future ambitions. The West End of Henrico County continues to provide the demographics, growth potential and necessary space for these highly desired retailers. With establishments like Short Pump Town Center and the refurbished River Road Shopping Center, retailers of all shapes and sizes are still flocking to the West End.
Vice President of Merchandise and Retail Operations at the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C., Dan Butler, explained, “Retailers look hard at demographics and volume. They look at both what the area currently offers and at what the area can offer in the future. Retailers allow plenty of time to evaluate the potential of an area before deciding to open up there.” Butler, who formerly worked in retail in the Richmond area, explained how the West End’s growth and potential appeals to upscale retailers.
Retailers pay close attention to sales volume and square footage, which are directly proportional to one another (as sales increase, the square footage of the retail space increases). These quantitative factors determine the categorical “rank” of the retailer (A-E, 1-5, etc) but not the qualitative classification of upscale, specialty, discount, big box, etc. For example, Wal-Mart may be classified as a 1 (or A) retailer based on sales revenue, but no consumer would label Wal-Mart as an upscale retailer. Butler adds, “The technical classifications have nothing to do with how the consumer relates to the retailer. These are just figures handed off between sales executives. Retailers define themselves based on their company direction and their customer.” In other words, upscale retailers are synonymous with locations and populations that the retailers believe to be upscale. Clearly, western Henrico has managed to turn some heads.
As a result of demographics and great growth potential in the West End, well-respected players, including Brookstone, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters and Plow & Hearth, have recently joined Short Pump Town Center’s already sophisticated roster of retailers. With even more development plans being put into action for the Short Pump area and with the increasing demand for high-end stores, residents can anticipate the upscale retail trends to continue. Thus, within western Henrico, any shopper on a holiday mission or a weekend splurge can find style and class.
