A rendering of what’s referred to as Goochland Honda in planning commission documents next to the townhouses at the new Gateway Square development.
With a new mixed-use development rising next door on the Henrico side of the border, an out-of-town auto dealer is looking to pull into a spot just over the Goochland line.
Ohio-based Great Lakes Auto Group is planning a from-scratch Honda dealership at 12501 Broad Street Road, about two miles west of Short Pump Town Center.
The dealership would be the first in the Richmond area for Great Lakes, which owns 10 locations in Ohio and New York. It would be the company’s first location in Virginia and its fourth Honda dealership. It also has Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, Toyota and Genesis stores.
The company is run by President Joey Huang, who told the Goochland Planning Commission last month that he would invest $30 million into the Honda store.
Joey Huang
Huang has the 7-acre Goochland site under contract, commissioners were told last month. The dealership needs county approval for zoning amendments and a conditional use permit to allow auto sales and service on the property.
Huang was not available for comment for this story. He’s enlisted Renier Construction to handle the project should it go forward.
The Honda dealership would rise across the street from Page Automotive’s Audi Richmond, which opened about six years ago at 12592 W. Broad St.
Larry Page, head of Page Auto Group, spoke against the Great Lakes Honda project at last month’s planning commission meeting, citing mainly traffic concerns.
Page has two Honda dealerships in the region, including West Broad Honda, which is about 12 miles east of the Great Lakes site.
The future Honda site is zoned for business uses and is designated by the county for “prime economic development.” It had previously been approved for a 48-unit memory care facility that never materialized, in part due to topographical difficulties.
Huang and his representatives told the county he intends to keep that prior approval intact in case his plans for a car dealership change.
The planning commission recommended approval of the project on a 3-2 vote at its Sept. 7 meeting. The proposal now awaits consideration from the county Board of Supervisors.
The Honda site is next door to Gateway Square, a mixed-use project just on the other side of the Henrico line from local firm Markel | Eagle. That development is already under construction and will eventually house an HCA medical office and imaging center, a Henrico Federal Credit Union branch, a Virginia Veterinary Centers location, and 164 condominiums and 30 townhomes.
Correction/clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Goochland Planning Commission had deferred a vote on zoning amendments and a CUP for the proposed Honda dealership. The commission recommended approval at its Sept. 7 meeting.
A rendering of what’s referred to as Goochland Honda in planning commission documents next to the townhouses at the new Gateway Square development.
With a new mixed-use development rising next door on the Henrico side of the border, an out-of-town auto dealer is looking to pull into a spot just over the Goochland line.
Ohio-based Great Lakes Auto Group is planning a from-scratch Honda dealership at 12501 Broad Street Road, about two miles west of Short Pump Town Center.
The dealership would be the first in the Richmond area for Great Lakes, which owns 10 locations in Ohio and New York. It would be the company’s first location in Virginia and its fourth Honda dealership. It also has Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, Toyota and Genesis stores.
The company is run by President Joey Huang, who told the Goochland Planning Commission last month that he would invest $30 million into the Honda store.
Joey Huang
Huang has the 7-acre Goochland site under contract, commissioners were told last month. The dealership needs county approval for zoning amendments and a conditional use permit to allow auto sales and service on the property.
Huang was not available for comment for this story. He’s enlisted Renier Construction to handle the project should it go forward.
The Honda dealership would rise across the street from Page Automotive’s Audi Richmond, which opened about six years ago at 12592 W. Broad St.
Larry Page, head of Page Auto Group, spoke against the Great Lakes Honda project at last month’s planning commission meeting, citing mainly traffic concerns.
Page has two Honda dealerships in the region, including West Broad Honda, which is about 12 miles east of the Great Lakes site.
The future Honda site is zoned for business uses and is designated by the county for “prime economic development.” It had previously been approved for a 48-unit memory care facility that never materialized, in part due to topographical difficulties.
Huang and his representatives told the county he intends to keep that prior approval intact in case his plans for a car dealership change.
The planning commission recommended approval of the project on a 3-2 vote at its Sept. 7 meeting. The proposal now awaits consideration from the county Board of Supervisors.
The Honda site is next door to Gateway Square, a mixed-use project just on the other side of the Henrico line from local firm Markel | Eagle. That development is already under construction and will eventually house an HCA medical office and imaging center, a Henrico Federal Credit Union branch, a Virginia Veterinary Centers location, and 164 condominiums and 30 townhomes.
Correction/clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Goochland Planning Commission had deferred a vote on zoning amendments and a CUP for the proposed Honda dealership. The commission recommended approval at its Sept. 7 meeting.
Financing, not topography, was the issue in developing the memory care center. There is floodplain to the rear which limits the site’s development potential but it wasn’t the factor that stopped the initial plans for the site. I was their agent on the deal and it fell through. Shamin swept in to purchase it.
THANK GOODNESS. West Broad Honda has been and continues to be miserable to deal with. I have long wondered how WBH could have been the only dealership north of the James. Pearson Honda is absolutely wonderful, but was just too far a drive for maintenance.
Absolutely agree. Have bought several Hondas from Pearson. The WB location is also not state of the art like Pearsons
There is another Honda dealership north of the James in Mechanicsville. That is also owned by Page.
I love how Larry Page is against the new dealership because of “traffic concerns” When he also owns a Honda dealership. Maybe he should had considered moving his Honda dealership or at least updating it to compete. Shiny and new typically wins.