Henrico officials envision new tournament-level baseball complex in Glen Allen
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In an effort to meet growing demand for baseball tournaments in the county, Henrico sports tourism officials are marketing a 21-acre site at Glover Park in Glen Allen as the potential location of a new multi-field tournament-level youth and college baseball complex.
The Henrico Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 27 to transfer the land (which sits on the southeast corner of the site, near the Woodman Road extension and adjacent to the existing multi-sport fields at the park) to the newly formed Henrico Sports and Entertainment Authority, a county agency.
On Thursday, the SEA issued a request for interest, inviting developers to express their desire to build and operate a four-field turf baseball complex at the site. Submissions are due by Nov. 30.
Last year, the county hosted 47 youth baseball tournaments that involved more than 500 teams, according to SEA data – but it had to turn away a number of others because it lacked available fields.
“Henrico cannot meet many tournament requests each year due to lack of existing facilities and the fragmented supply across the county,” SEA officials wrote in their RFI. “The development of a baseball complex that could meet some of those needs and further create partnerships with local universities and new sports clients is of paramount interest to Henrico to better meet the demand and desire of tournament promoters to operate events here.”
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In keeping with a recent Henrico philosophy, SEA officials envision a public-private partnership, through which a development group would lease the site from the county, then develop, finance, operate and maintain a four-field baseball complex for a period of 20 to 30 years.
The county has entered into similar agreements with The First Tee at Belmont Golf Course in Lakeside; the YMCA at the Frank J. Thornton Aquatic Center in Eastern Henrico; and NOVA Aquatics of Virginia, Thalhimer Realty Partners and the Rebkee Company at the NOVA swimming facility at Regency.
In a post online, the SEA called the Glover Park site (which is located within a day’s drive of half the U.S. population) “[t]he perfect location in one of the hottest new sports tourism corridors on the East Coast. This is an opportunity to partner with the HSEA to create another gem in the #RVA sports crown.”
Glover Park is being built in phases; it currently includes several multi-sport fields and has one vehicular access point, at 11217 Greenwood Road. But future phases of the park, including the potential baseball complex, also would have an access point from the newly completed Woodman Road extension to the east.
The four baseball fields envisioned by SEA officials at Glover Park would be full-size fields – 330 feet from home plate to both the left- and right-field foul lines and 400 feet from home plate to center field. The RFI calls for a “mutually agreed upon number and type” of seats at each field, as well as other features to be provided by the developer, including:
• in-ground concrete dugouts;
• backstops;
• electronic scoreboards with video and graphics capabilities;
• bullpen areas for pitchers;
• a dedicated admissions gate;
• a maintenance and storage building;
• a building located in the center of the four fields to house a concession stand, restrooms, press box and scouting tower;
• LED sports lighting for all fields;
• live-streaming infrastructure and equipment.
The county would be responsible for extending roads to the site and building parking lots, as well as erecting permanent signage; implementing and managing a landscaping plan for the facility’s perimeter; and implementing and maintaining any adjacent amenities, such as trails, paths or parking connections, according to the RFI.
The county would extend water, sewer and power to the property line, and the developer would be responsible for connecting each utility to the new complex.
Henrico would require a 25-foot transitional buffer between the site and abutting residential sites, and no games could start later than 9 p.m. The RFI also calls for careful evaluation of lighting and parking facilities, in order to further limit disturbances to nearby homes.
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Annual sports tourism spending in Henrico amounts to about $60 million dollars, according to the SEA. The county attracts more than 164,000 sports tourism visitors annually and hosts nearly 190 tournaments each year, but those totals could be much higher, officials believe.
“[W]ith Henrico’s central location and tourism infrastructure, such as hotels, restaurants and other visitors amenities, the growth potential for sports tourism is significant,” SEA officials wrote in the RFI. “The development of new athletic facilities will not only maintain Henrico’s trajectory in sports tourism but will also provide more opportunities for local youth to play recreational sports and for residents to stay healthy, and the increased tourism activity will play a pivotal role in supporting businesses and schools in the region.
The SEA, led by executive director Dennis Bickmeier (the former president of Richmond Raceway) was formed to oversee the county’s sports and entertainment venues – the newest of which will be an indoor arena at Virginia Center Commons that should be completed by next September.
