Sports reporters David Teel, of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael McCleary, of the Wisconsin State Journal, talk about the March Madness matchup between the University of Wisconsin and James Madison University on Friday.Â
The one-story building – the size of 24 football fields – will be next to the new, $185 million, 800,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center that Autozone is building by that same interchange.
Buc-ee’s, a Texas-based convenience store chain, is also planning a large 70,000-plus-square-foot outlet at the interchange, with more than 100 fueling stations.
The developer of the new warehouse, Scannell Properties of Indianapolis, also plans a 7,400-square-foot trailer maintenance building, a 3,500-square-foot transportation building and a guard post at the site.
Its site plan for the 612-acre parcel includes parking spaces for 210 vehicles: 66 for office workers, 138 for the warehouse and six for the trailer maintenance shop.
The plan also says the facility will need 93 spaces for loading trucks.
Occupant is unclear
It does not say who will occupy the facility. A Scannell representative did not reply to a question about the operator. County officials would not say.
The land was zoned for industrial development in 2009, county records show.
It has been owned by SPF Investments of Richmond, which acquired it in 2004 for $5.9 million, county tax records show.
The land is assessed at $7.1 million. Richmond developer Fred Shaia is listed as member or manager of the limited liability company in State Corporation Commission records.
I-64 is fueling rapid growth in New Kent, which saw its population grow by 4.7% last year, the 10th biggest percentage increase in the nation.
Along I-64 on the other side of the metro area, Goochland County’s population rose almost 4%.
Scannell specializes in developing commercial and industrial-zoned land, privately owned land, and land needing reclamation because of issues such as flooding or waste.
The company says it develops and invests in projects built to suit the eventual operations as well as speculative projects. These include warehouses, e-commerce fulfillment centers, truck terminals, light industrial plants, cold storage facilities and laboratories.
VDOT plans to rebuild the Route 106 interchange as part of the first phase of the $756 million project to widen I-64 through New Kent to York County from four lanes to six.
Work on the exchange is needed to clear the way for the Buc-ee’s store to be built, which is why its expected opening in 2026 or 2027 will be later than originally planned.
A whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former worker alleges that Richmond city officials routinely violate the Freedom of Information Act by denying, delaying, or charging exorbitant amounts for public records. The problems extend beyond city hall, with the Richmond Police Department and Richmond Public Schools also facing criticism for their lack of transparency.Â
The first phase of the I-64 widening will add one eastbound and one westbound lane to the highway from mile marker 204.9, just west of the Bottoms Bridge exit, to marker 215.6, just east of the New Kent Courthouse — Providence Forge exit.
It will be the first of three phases that will widen I-64 from Bottoms Bridge to mile marker 234 in York County. I-64 has six lanes or more from there east.
The new lanes will be in what’s now the median of I-64, within the existing right-of-way.