Lt. Governor Sears tours Henrico's GreenCity

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears visited Henrico Aug. 10 to tour the site at which construction for GreenCity – the county’s new commercial and residential district between Parham Road and I-95 – is underway.

The tour was preceded by several presentations from county officials and Michael Hallmark of GreenCity LLC that highlighted the economic impact and sustainability goals for the area. Attendees gathered in the lobby of the former Best Products headquarters, an unorthodox, art-deco style building that will be redeveloped as a sustainable office space.

GreenCity’s economic impact is expected to be $1.3 billion annually, according to an analysis conducted by county officials. In addition to the residences and businesses that will make up the ecodistrict, the analysis considered the economic impacts of sports tourism to be generated by the 17,000-seat-arena in the development’s core.

“That’s why we say there’s a lot of green in GreenCity,” County Manager John Vithoulkas  joked.

The new indoor arena will put Henrico on the map, serving as a destination site similar to others on the East Coast like Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center or New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hallmark said. It will provide a venue not only for sporting events but for concerts and entertainment as well, he said.

In addition to sports tourism, Hallmark and others who worked on GreenCity’s design have several lofty goals for the site related to sustainability and environmentally conscious practices.

By creating an all-electric design, installing district-wide rooftop solar panels, ground source heat pumps and effective energy monitoring systems, the designers of GreenCity hope to create a zero-net energy district, meaning the city will only use as much energy as it can produce.

“Carbon neutrality is a goal,” Hallmark said, adding that his team has spoken with Dominion Energy about creating an urban solar farm that would occupy 20 acres of rooftop space.

GreenCity developers intend to create 90% waste diversion in the district by 2035 by treating organic waste onsite and implementing “smart bin” technology.

After its redevelopment, the city planners intend for the Best Products building to be declared as a “living building,” a title granted by the International Living Future Institute to buildings that achieve net zero energy, water and waste.

The developers hope to turn the building into a sustainable role model for development and redevelopment elsewhere, Hallmark said.

The county hopes that GreenCity will be an attractive site for companies seeking to reduce carbon emissions.

“GreenCity creates a niche for companies who want to be as green as possible but can’t afford to go and build their own campus. It’s the same for living here,” Hallmark said. “As far as people looking for a place to live, it’s a great compromise for people who want the conveniences and walkability of city life but don’t necessarily want to live in downtown Richmond.”

To promote a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, GreenCity will be what Hallmark called a “20-minute living community,” meaning that shops, offices, and residences will all be a 20-minute walk from each other.

The developers have plans to develop the Garden City Trail, which will include a pedestrian bridge and connect to the Fall Line Trail. Virtual renditions and a physical model of the bridge were shown to county officials and affiliates during the presentation.

Just a few miles from GreenCity, the county is building a new indoor athletic and events center at Virginia Center Commons. That facility will be 185,000 square feet in size, with 115,000 square feet of playing space. It will have 12 basketball courts that can be converted into volleyball or other styles of indoor courts when needed. According to Henrico Sports and Entertainment Authority Executive Director Dennis Bickmeier, parts of the center can be sectioned off to create a 3,500-seat arena, which will allow Henrico high schools to host their graduations there.

The facility will be one of several under the umbrella of the authority, which Henrico supervisors intend to formally create as a public body and political subdivision of the county at their Sept. 13 meeting.

The role of the sports and entertainment authority, as presented by Henrico County Attorney Andrew Newby at a work session, will be to acquire, lease, operate, and maintain sports and entertainment facilities in the county and to develop and foster sports and entertainment tourism in the county. A major part of these responsibilities will involve the GreenCity arena and the VCC facility, which is planned to open in September 2023, Bickmeier said.