At Regency site, things are going swimmingly

Deep in the former Macy's South store, a seemingly subterranean corner of the old Regency Square mall is humming with activity.

Bucket trucks and scissor lifts ring a giant concrete cavity flanked by two smaller holes, while 50-odd members of various construction crews swarm through the area with ant-like precision.

Right now, the space resembles a dusty wasteland, punctuated randomly by lengths of pipe bristling from the wall like porcupine spikes.

But in just over two months, this yawning cavern of a space will begin welcoming streams of visitors – an estimated 400,000 of them a year.

No, not shoppers.

Swimmers.

Drawn from across the state and nation to compete at NOVA's Olympic-sized aquatics center with 50-meter pool, twin 25-yard warm-up pools, and viewing area, the swimmers will come with thousands of parents, fans, siblings, coaches and assorted spectators in tow.

But the ability to host large regional and national meets is only a part of what NOVA's new facility will bring to the community, said executive director Ann McGee during a recent hard-hat tour of the space.

One of the biggest benefits of the new pool is that it will greatly expand the nonprofit's accessibility to the general public, by boosting capacity for programs such as NOVAFit, senior nights for the elderly and adult lap swim and fitness opportunities for adults – programs currently held at NOVA's smaller Gayton Road facility.

Best of all, she said, it will allow NOVA to participate in Henrico's county-wide initiative to incorporate swimming skills into the school curriculum and insure that every second grader learns basic water safety.

With drowning a leading cause of accidental death for children as well as adults, the value of an essential skill like swimming cannot be overstated, McGee said.

"It's such a beautiful sport," she pointed out. "A lifetime sport. And the only sport that can save your life."

Varsity programs
Drew Hirth, a former NOVA swimmer who is now the age group coach as well as manager of operations, noted during the tour that another long-awaited benefit of the Regency pool is access for high school swim teams. Once available at only a few schools (among them Mills Godwin and Douglas Freeman), swimming can now move from club sport to varsity level, and the new facility undoubtedly will lead to additional teams.

What's more, said Hirth, after-school swim programs can expand once the Regency pool opens on July 5. Not only will dozens of prospective swimmers be able to move off wait lists and take lessons at Gayton, but classes and practices at both sites will be able to wind up at a more reasonable hour.

"Right now [at the Gayton location] we have to shut down lessons at 4 o’clock to make room for the team," Hirth said. "The new pool allows us to get everyone home earlier."

Search for space
Established in 1987, NOVA's Gayton Road club has developed a loyal following among swimmers of all ages, and – no small feat in such limited space – a reputation for producing top-notch competitors. The club has already won multiple championships in 2021, including Short Course titles in the Virginia Swimming Age Group Championships, Virginia Swimming Senior Championships, Junior Nationals Women and Junior Nationals Team Combined. The team consistently ranks number one in the state and number five in the U.S., McGee pointed out – despite having long ago outgrown its training facility.

So it's not surprising that NOVA members have dreamed of expansion for the last decade – or that a long-course, 50-meter pool is at the top of their wish list.

At first, their plans focused on an addition to the Gayton site; but the land turned out to be unsuitable due to underlying pockets left by old mines.

Forced to look elsewhere for an expansion site, NOVA officials eventually zeroed in on Regency, whose owners were seeking to upgrade and reinvent the space. Retailers and malls had been on a downward slide for some time, said Hirth, and the trends were only accelerating.

"Just fast-forward," he said with a shrug, "to online retail – and the pandemic."

According to Hirth, Henrico County's approval of a mixed use permit for the mall was the impetus that kicked the transformation into high gear. He pointed to the residential piece of the Regency project: an apartment development rising on what was formerly the Sears loading dock and garden pickup area.

"The mixed use permit made the numbers work for everybody," said Hirth, speculating that it won't be long before other mall owners begin to copy projects like Regency's. "The great big-box retailers won't ever come back completely," he said, adding that "experiential retail" like Regency's trampoline park, restaurants, and swim club will take the place of stores.

"It's really a one-of-a-kind reinvention," he said admiringly. "A pretty cool adaptive reuse project."

'Trifecta'
To McGee, the NOVA Regency story is a perfect example of what visionary leaders can accomplish when they have a passion for investing in the community.

"Henrico County does a really good job with public-private partnerships," she said, calling the $18 million project – funded with contributions from NOVA, the county, and Regency owners Rebkee Co. and Thalhimer Realty Partners – a "trifecta" of benefits for all three parties.

"We get more space; we get partners," she said. "The mall gets money to repurpose space they've already bought. The county gets swim lessons for second graders, and high school swim teams."

Visitors to the swim club will stimulate business at the mall, she added, and swim meets will boost tourism.

"It's a win-win-win," she said. "Isn't it great when government and community can join together?"

In a video update about the new site, McGee recalled the years when she had three young children and often brought them to Regency for a romp in the mall playground.

It saddened her later to watch the mall decline and stores close, she said – but that makes it all the more gratifying to witness Regency's transformation and revitalization.

"It makes my heart jump to see it."