Redevelopment projects highlight busy year

Wherever you turned in Henrico County in 2017, signs of redevelopment were evident.

During his annual State of the County address Dec. 8 at The Westin Hotel, Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas highlighted a number of examples of the rebirth that is redefining the county's present – and setting the path for its future.

Whether it was the significant advancement of the Libbie Mill mixed-use development in the Near West End, the transformation of the former Fairfield Commons mall site in Eastern Henrico (now Eastgate Town Center), the beginning of significant "reimagination" efforts at Richmond Raceway and Regency Square Mall or the continuation of renovation projects at a number of county schools, the theme has been consistent, he said.

"Today's address is about Henrico's journey – one that has led us to places we could have never imagined – places full of possibilities," Vithoulkas said.

In painting the picture of a county in the early phases of a new era, Vithoulkas also pointed out that while much is changing, much has remained the same, too.

Henrico has continued its course as a low-tax, business-friendly locality whose conservative financial approach has buffered it from economic downturns in the past and provided opportunities as the economy rebounded, he said.

Now, Henrico is witnessing more fruits of that labor.

Businesses new to Henrico announced planned investments totaling $764 million this year, Vithoulkas said, while existing Henrico businesses announced $40 million in expansion projects. (Two-thirds of the new jobs created in the county came from existing companies, he said.)

During the second quarter of the year, Henrico was home to the second-highest number of jobs in the state – 193,390.

Mixed-use developments are taking shape in the county, too. In addition to Libbie Mill, similar projects in the Short Pump area (including Broad Hill Centre, GreenGate and Bacova) are sprouting, while the first largescale mixed-use development in the county – Rocketts Landing at the city-county border along the James River – continues to witness growth.

Henrico is working on 44 road improvement or construction projects, totaling $176 million, and is continuing to extend sidewalks in all five magisterial districts, with more than 25 miles of sidewalks either completed or planned in recent years.

And as physical changes take place in the county, the county's own face is changing, too. Henrico has witnessed a 78 percent growth in its minority population since 2000, Vithoulkas said.

"Our diversity offers incredible opportunities for outreach – for public services that improve the quality of life for all," he said.

The county's top governing body experienced change in 2017, too. Longtime Brookland District Supervisor Dick Glover died at 82 in February, just two weeks after former Three Chopt District Supervisor Dave Kaechele died. Former Deputy County Manager Harvey Hinson served as the interim replacement for Glover until Democrat Courtney Lynch won a special election to complete the final two years of Glover's term.

"This team is intact and ready to work for you," Vithoulkas said of the board, which for the first time in decades is controlled by Democrats.

The county's tourism efforts resulted in visited spending nearly $880 million in the county last year – a total that has continued to increase this year. A driving force in that total a burgeoning sports tourism appeal; the county hosted more than 135 tournaments in 2016 and likely will have hosted more than that this year.

During his address, Vithoulkas also pointed out a number of regional cooperation efforts on which Henrico and neighboring localities have partnered, including the Revive RVA regional opioid summit; a new regional emergency communications system; and the GRTC Bus Rapid Transit project.

Some county officials privately have expressed frustration that the public perception at times is that localities don't cooperate on largescale issues, when in fact they can point to dozens of such cooperative efforts. Henrico, in fact, has produced a 44-page guide entitled "Henrico County Regional Cooperation" that describes more than 100 instances of such joint efforts, department by department.

Henrico's achievements in 2017 and the changing landscape of its future have not occurred by accident, Vithoulkas said.

"What you have seen today is a result of careful, deliberate and creative decisions; consistent, effective practices; and, most of all, striving towards what could be possible even in the face of adversity," he said.

– Patty Kruszewski contributed to this article.