RICHMOND, Va. — Henrico County has begun demolishing the former Best Products site in Glen Allen, marking the start of a redevelopment project that county leaders say will transform the 93-acre property into a mixed-use destination.
Fairfield District Representative and Board Chair Roscoe D. Cooper III operated the excavator himself Tuesday morning to take the first swing at the vacant structure — more than a month after demolition was announced.
Watch: Henrico to demolish Best Products HQ; hopes to lure new arena to Virginia
"There is a sense of exhilaration and excitement because of what this represents," Cooper said.
The county first purchased the Best Products site in 2011 for $6.2 million, with initial plans to retrofit and renovate the building to relocate county administrators. Andrew Larsen, managing director of the county's Department of Economic Development, said that path would have been costly.
"From an actual usage standpoint, the building was not in great shape for the past five six seven years. The building has been vacant for more than 10 years," Larsen said.
Larsen outlined what the redevelopment is intended to achieve.
"That's what it's about, reducing as much risk as possible for our partner to do a re-anchored mix-use development which will be a 93-acres. There is a lot of room to do some really transformational things," Larsen said.
Cooper said the vision for the site is ambitious.
"Our goal is to have an arena, hotels, restaurants, retail as well as housing, so I'm thrilled beyond measure about what is taking place right now," Cooper said.
Watch: Residents weigh in on former Best Products property redevelopment plan
As demolition gets underway, county leaders are warning nearby residents and drivers to expect noise and detours for the next three months. Cooper acknowledged the disruption but said it is necessary.
"There are residents around here whose lives are being interrupted; we've had to close some streets off, but we're in constant contact with them," Cooper said. "Sometimes you have to be inconvenienced for progress to occur, and that's the goal for this project."
Early fall is the timeline for when the 300,000-square-foot structure is expected to be fully cleared and ready for real estate developers to determine what will be built on the site. The county says it will keep the public and nearby drivers updated on how traffic and noise continue to be impacted.
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