Libbie Mill’s development and what comes next
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Libbie Mill, a mixed-use development in Henrico's Near West End, between I-64 and Willow Lawn, has taken nearly 20 years to reach its current form, with construction ongoing today. How did it evolve and what should area residents expect in coming years? We take a look below.
February 2007: Gumenick Properties’ proposal for Libbie Mill was approved by the Henrico Board of Supervisors to include ten buildings and no more than 2,090 residential units. Only 1,096 of those units could be rentals and buildings were limited to 50-75 feet, except for two that could go as high as 175 feet. The original proposal also included single-family homes.
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August 2015: The board modified the plan to adjust the layout and design to better match the surrounding area. This included adding the Libbie Mill Library and allowing most buildings to be up to 50-60 feet except for two 175-foot buildings and one 250-foot building. The plan also dropped mention of including any single-family homes. By this point, several of the commercial/office buildings were complete and the library was under construction.
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January 2019: The board approved a request to add land at the intersection of Staples Mill Road and Bethlehem Road, extending Libbie Mill to that corner, as well as an office building at 2101 Libbie Avenue. The revised plan also adjusted how the residential and commercial sections might be laid out and raised the height of buildings along Bethlehem Road from 60-85 feet. By this point, the library, more commercial/office spaces, and several townhome/condo buildings were complete.
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October 2021: The board approved a request to incorporate 24 homes within the Westbourne subdivision, located between Libbie and Spencer Roads south of Bethlehem Road. They were designated for residential/commercial use. The revised plan also increased the total number of residential units from 2,090 to 2,114 and the total number of allowed rentals from 1,096 to 1,470, or 60% of the total development. Additionally, allowed building height along Libbie Avenue was increased from 60-85 feet. By this point, Penstock Quarter Apartments and the LL Flooring building had been completed.
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May 2022: The board approved a request to incorporate nine more homes from the Westbourne subdivision, along Indigo Road between Libbie and Spencer. This leaves only a handful of single-family homes along Spencer, though the Westbourne subdivision remains on the other side of Libbie. The revised plan also increased the total number of residential units from 2,114 to 2,123 but left the number of rentals at 1,470. At this point, Wellsmith Apartments and additional townhome/condo buildings near Coopers Walk Lane and Libbie Lake West Lane had been completed.
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November 2023: The four-story Jordans Branch Apartments is partially complete, with 14 apartments occupied and another 46 planned by sometime in 2025. Construction continues along Bethlehem from Libbie Lake East Street to Spencer Road and the single-family homes acquired along Spencer and Indigo have been demolished. Right now, Libbie Mill has about 1,500 residents and over 143,000 square feet of retail and office space, in addition to the nearly 53,000 square foot LL Flooring building.
Work began in January 2023 on the planned Harps Landing Apartments, expected to contain 398 units, as well as a 5,000-square-foot commercial building north of Libbie Lake. Gumenick has also announced that it will begin construction on Wrighthaven Square Apartments along Libbie in 2024. Wrighthaven Square is expected to contain 336 units in 15 three-four story buildings as well as a child-friendly activity area.
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As part of this expansion and plans to improve the Libbie Avenue-Bethlehem Road intersection, Henrico County will build a five-foot sidewalk where it borders Libbie Avenue and extend the existing sidewalk down Bethlehem to its intersection with Libbie. Plans also call for the restriping of the on-street parking between Indigo and Bethlehem, closure of the existing intersection at Leigh Circle (which will be removed) and provision of a new fourth leg for the intersection with Westbourne Drive. To facilitate street parking, Henrico County will not require tapered turn lanes along the east side of Libbie.
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