Adapt or die

insbrookrezonedOne of Innsbrook’s largest property owners has taken a major step toward transforming the suburban office park into a more urban environment.

Highwoods Properties has submitted a zoning application that would allow the firm to develop new office towers, apartment buildings, retail shops and streets on the 188 continuous acres it owns in Innsbrook, which accounts for about a third of the park.

Paul Kreckman, vice president of Highwoods’ Richmond office, said that Innsbrook needs to change in order to survive.

“If you are standing still, you tend not to stand still any longer but start to go downhill,” Kreckman said. “There are examples of office parks around Richmond that have been bypassed and began to decline.

“Innsbrook is too good for that.”

Highwoods is seeking permission from Henrico County to rezone their Innsbrook property under the newly created urban mixed–use designation, which allows for pedestrian-orientated development and combining multiple uses under one roof. In September, the county included the Innsbrook area as a candidate for such development in its land use plan.

Currently, the zoning for most of Innsbrook allows only for office with the exception of banks, daycare centers and light industrial facilities.

The new zoning would also allow for taller buildings, up to 16 stories in the center section of Innsbrook. The added density would enable Highwoods, which owns 1.9 million square feet in the park, to eventually develop an additional 3.5 million square feet of office space, compared with the 450,000 square feet it could build out under the current zoning, Kreckman said.

The change would also allow Highwoods to develop 415,000 square feet of retail, 1,000 hotel rooms and 6,000 apartment and condo units.

The first phase of new development could come as soon as next spring, Kreckman said.

“We are hoping to get through the zoning phase by late fall, and then we could go through our first plan of development over the winter months and be ready to start construction in the spring,” Kreckman said.

The company’s existing 25 office buildings within the proposed area would be mostly unchanged, Kreckman said. Building would take place on undeveloped land as well as on parking lots. New parking facilities will be built.

innsbrookrezoned2As the developments unfold, Kreckman said, Highwoods would be creating a new street grid, which the firm plans to develop one block at a time.

Kreckman said they are looking to start with a small office tower with ground level retail, but they will need to secure a major tenant first.

“I don’t see us being back in a speculative market. The next project you see will be specifically tied to a build-to-suit for a major user,” Kreckman said. “We are talking to some very strong prospects who are interested in coming into this kind of product.”

The prospects they are currently talking to would support a building of up to 12 stories, but the plans could be scaled up or down depending on the demand, Kreckman said.

As to whether the other property owners in Innsbrook will follow suit, Kreckman expects they will be paying close attention to Highwood’s plans.

“What we are doing is creating the template, and others will watch us go through the process and see how successful we are,” Kreckman said.

insbrookrezonedOne of Innsbrook’s largest property owners has taken a major step toward transforming the suburban office park into a more urban environment.

Highwoods Properties has submitted a zoning application that would allow the firm to develop new office towers, apartment buildings, retail shops and streets on the 188 continuous acres it owns in Innsbrook, which accounts for about a third of the park.

Paul Kreckman, vice president of Highwoods’ Richmond office, said that Innsbrook needs to change in order to survive.

“If you are standing still, you tend not to stand still any longer but start to go downhill,” Kreckman said. “There are examples of office parks around Richmond that have been bypassed and began to decline.

“Innsbrook is too good for that.”

Highwoods is seeking permission from Henrico County to rezone their Innsbrook property under the newly created urban mixed–use designation, which allows for pedestrian-orientated development and combining multiple uses under one roof. In September, the county included the Innsbrook area as a candidate for such development in its land use plan.

Currently, the zoning for most of Innsbrook allows only for office with the exception of banks, daycare centers and light industrial facilities.

The new zoning would also allow for taller buildings, up to 16 stories in the center section of Innsbrook. The added density would enable Highwoods, which owns 1.9 million square feet in the park, to eventually develop an additional 3.5 million square feet of office space, compared with the 450,000 square feet it could build out under the current zoning, Kreckman said.

The change would also allow Highwoods to develop 415,000 square feet of retail, 1,000 hotel rooms and 6,000 apartment and condo units.

The first phase of new development could come as soon as next spring, Kreckman said.

“We are hoping to get through the zoning phase by late fall, and then we could go through our first plan of development over the winter months and be ready to start construction in the spring,” Kreckman said.

The company’s existing 25 office buildings within the proposed area would be mostly unchanged, Kreckman said. Building would take place on undeveloped land as well as on parking lots. New parking facilities will be built.

innsbrookrezoned2As the developments unfold, Kreckman said, Highwoods would be creating a new street grid, which the firm plans to develop one block at a time.

Kreckman said they are looking to start with a small office tower with ground level retail, but they will need to secure a major tenant first.

“I don’t see us being back in a speculative market. The next project you see will be specifically tied to a build-to-suit for a major user,” Kreckman said. “We are talking to some very strong prospects who are interested in coming into this kind of product.”

The prospects they are currently talking to would support a building of up to 12 stories, but the plans could be scaled up or down depending on the demand, Kreckman said.

As to whether the other property owners in Innsbrook will follow suit, Kreckman expects they will be paying close attention to Highwood’s plans.

“What we are doing is creating the template, and others will watch us go through the process and see how successful we are,” Kreckman said.

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Nathan Hughes
Nathan Hughes
12 years ago

It’s great to see these plans finally moving forward. Innsbrook has been stagnant for too long.

Ethan
Ethan
12 years ago

First of all, I’m all for this sort of transition/transformation at Innsbrook, and I sincerely hope that they succeed both financially and aesthetically. However, can anyone point to an example in Central Virginia in which “new urbanism” has actually worked? It’s my observation that the concept of living/working/playing all in the same general area has been around far longer than the suburbs: it’s called The City. People who live in the Fan, the Museum District, Churchill, Oregon Hill, Jackson Ward, etc. are all familiar with the idea! Trying to recreate the template in a very inorganic way in the suburbs… Read more »

Mike
Mike
12 years ago

Ethan may want to pick up a newspaper and refresh his memory re: West Broad Village. As a current homeowner of a Brownstone at West Broad Village, I can attest to the revitalization and concept of “live/work/play in a mixed-use environment. There are something like 200 townhomes and 400 apartments and the value of my house actually went up this year. My children love the Children’s Museum and REI and my wife can’t get enough of Whole Foods, La Difference and Kona Grill. The website says ACAC, Bonefish and Haligan’s are supposed to break ground soon which would add to… Read more »

Chip
Chip
12 years ago

Great in concept. However, Nuckols Road is already a mess at rush hour. You’re going to raise your allowable sq ft development for that space by 8-fold, and add retail and residential, too? That’s going to require major road improvements to even be possible. And be sure that other developers back there will probably want to make similar improvements, too.

20-year plan? Maybe. But the roads aren’t close to be able to handling it right now (never mind the 1500 workers C1 is about to add, and other growth going on back there). This will be ugly.

Bruce Milam
Bruce Milam
12 years ago

Chip, the concept of new urbanism is to lessen the impact of traffic created by the typical suburban model which bifurcated employment, retail and residential uses and caused the need for wider and wider strips of asphalt. Its difficult to make this work without mass transit, for sure, but higher densities may make mass transit uses, even on a small geographic scale, profitable. There’s no reason that Innsbrook could not become another Reston Town Center, in which thousands of residents live, work and shop within several city blocks of one another. West Broad Village has turned the corner (it appears)… Read more »

Jake
Jake
12 years ago

As Chip and Bruce indicate, how traffic is handled (or not) will be key to just how livable this place is. You need more than islands of mixed-use, new urbanist development for it to really work well, and you need them to support multiple modes of transportation, otherwise you’ll still end up with the traffic jams that Chip refers to. As it is, West Broad Village is _somewhat_ walkable within its boundaries (REI and Homegoods are not very accessible by foot), but even getting over to the next shopping center with Trader Joe’s is not easy (no crosswalks or lights),… Read more »

Ethan
Ethan
12 years ago

Look @Mike, I’m not trying to pick a fight and say mean things about WBV. Like Innsbrook, I really hope that it succeeds in the long run. Nevertheless, most of the residential units remain unsold, and it is most definitely NOT walkable enough to claim that one can leave the car parked in the deck and enjoy the whole campus. No condos/brownstones (or “Brownstones”) appreciated in value there (or anywhere else in town) in the last year, I can bet on that!

Casey Quinlan
Casey Quinlan
12 years ago

Commentary so far emphasizes the important of transit considerations for urbanism – new, old, middle-aged, whatever – of any stripe. As gas inches back up, developing really walk- and bike-able neighborhoods will be critical to developing sustainable neighborhoods. The stick-and-sheetrock-built McMansions ghettoized into “upscale” neighborhoods in the land rush that marked the pre-meltdown real estate market are the antithesis of urban planning. Being able to walk to get groceries, to meet friends for coffee or a brew, or just to enjoy being outside on a nice day are the marks of successful urban landscapes. Innsbrook has plenty of opportunity here:… Read more »

Damon Harris
Damon Harris
12 years ago

Innsbrook is well suited for successful urbanism. However it will only work if people are able to afford to actually work where they live. Urbanism is a word created by people who previously marketed the suburbs as the place to be. The place to get away from it all. Even I left the streets of Boston to move to the burbs of the Far West End. Now I am surronded by chain restaurants and box stores. With a change in many families economic status living, working, shopping and playing close to home sounds appealing again. But it has to be… Read more »

DaveM
DaveM
12 years ago

If it’s not a strip mall or doesn’t require you to drive your call, it will fail in the West End.

DaveM
DaveM
12 years ago

*car not call