A rendering of the Project Rocky fulfillment center approved last year for the northeastern part of Goochland County. (BizSense file images)
A massive industrial development approved for Goochland’s Rockville area is no longer moving forward, county officials have confirmed.
The codenamed “Project Rocky” fulfillment center, approved last year for a 60-acre site off Ashland Road, is no longer being pursued by the developer, said Sara Worley, Goochland’s economic development director.
Worley said the developer, California-based Panattoni Development Co., informed the county in mid-November that it would not be closing on the site. She said the company “made a business decision that eliminated the site at this time.”
A call Monday to Bill Hudgins, Panattoni’s senior development manager for the Mid-Atlantic region, was not returned.
Described by county staff as both a fulfillment center and a distribution center, Project Rocky was said to be similar to “Project Speedway,” the 2.6-million-square-foot facility that Hillwood Enterprises developed for e-commerce company Amazon north of Richmond Raceway.
While Panattoni’s industrial developments have also served Amazon – its Virginia I-95 distribution complex includes a distribution center for the company – the end-user for Project Rocky was never revealed.
An aerial view shows the multistory building and parking areas with one of the two nearby quarries visible in the distance.
Despite opposition from area residents who argued that the development would negatively impact area roads and the environment, Panattoni secured zoning and permit approval for the project last summer from county supervisors.
The center was to be built off a 650,000-square-foot footprint, the same footprint as the raceway facility, and the conditional-use permit allowed a building height of up to 120 feet. The center would have operated 24-7 and employed about 1,000 workers.
The development was approved for just over half of a 105-acre at 1990 Ashland Road, between the Martin Marietta and Luck Stone quarries north of the Interstate 64 interchange. A county staff report stated the investment in the site would have been “well over $500 million.”
The project site consists of four parcels owned by successor trustees for Nancy Bailey and James Nuckols Jr. The county has assessed the parcels at $6 million collectively.
Worley said the county plans to work with the owners to market the property, which she said remains a viable economic development site.
“The Economic Development department is working with the landowners to actively market the site to new users,” Worley said in an emailed response to questions from BizSense.
A site plan shows the development’s planned layout off Ashland Road.
“The site is still very well situated for a new user,” she said, adding that the 105 acres remain zoned for industrial use and are located in a designated growth area for Goochland.
“Public utilities are readily available and most of the engineering and road design work has been completed. We look forward to working with a new project on this site,” Worley said.
Two other industrial buildings remain in the works near the Project Rocky site.
Axial Industrial, a division of North Carolina-based Crescent Communities, secured approval this summer to develop two spec buildings totaling 350,000 square feet of space at 2212 Ashland Road, just east of the Lanier Industrial Park and Rockville Commerce Center.
Meanwhile, the Amazon facility at the raceway, referred to by the company as its RIC4 fulfillment center, is now operational after opening in October. The massive robotics fulfillment center is located along Richmond Henrico Turnpike.
Note: This story has been updated with the opening date of the Amazon facility at the raceway supplied after publication.
A rendering of the Project Rocky fulfillment center approved last year for the northeastern part of Goochland County. (BizSense file images)
A massive industrial development approved for Goochland’s Rockville area is no longer moving forward, county officials have confirmed.
The codenamed “Project Rocky” fulfillment center, approved last year for a 60-acre site off Ashland Road, is no longer being pursued by the developer, said Sara Worley, Goochland’s economic development director.
Worley said the developer, California-based Panattoni Development Co., informed the county in mid-November that it would not be closing on the site. She said the company “made a business decision that eliminated the site at this time.”
A call Monday to Bill Hudgins, Panattoni’s senior development manager for the Mid-Atlantic region, was not returned.
Described by county staff as both a fulfillment center and a distribution center, Project Rocky was said to be similar to “Project Speedway,” the 2.6-million-square-foot facility that Hillwood Enterprises developed for e-commerce company Amazon north of Richmond Raceway.
While Panattoni’s industrial developments have also served Amazon – its Virginia I-95 distribution complex includes a distribution center for the company – the end-user for Project Rocky was never revealed.
An aerial view shows the multistory building and parking areas with one of the two nearby quarries visible in the distance.
Despite opposition from area residents who argued that the development would negatively impact area roads and the environment, Panattoni secured zoning and permit approval for the project last summer from county supervisors.
The center was to be built off a 650,000-square-foot footprint, the same footprint as the raceway facility, and the conditional-use permit allowed a building height of up to 120 feet. The center would have operated 24-7 and employed about 1,000 workers.
The development was approved for just over half of a 105-acre at 1990 Ashland Road, between the Martin Marietta and Luck Stone quarries north of the Interstate 64 interchange. A county staff report stated the investment in the site would have been “well over $500 million.”
The project site consists of four parcels owned by successor trustees for Nancy Bailey and James Nuckols Jr. The county has assessed the parcels at $6 million collectively.
Worley said the county plans to work with the owners to market the property, which she said remains a viable economic development site.
“The Economic Development department is working with the landowners to actively market the site to new users,” Worley said in an emailed response to questions from BizSense.
A site plan shows the development’s planned layout off Ashland Road.
“The site is still very well situated for a new user,” she said, adding that the 105 acres remain zoned for industrial use and are located in a designated growth area for Goochland.
“Public utilities are readily available and most of the engineering and road design work has been completed. We look forward to working with a new project on this site,” Worley said.
Two other industrial buildings remain in the works near the Project Rocky site.
Axial Industrial, a division of North Carolina-based Crescent Communities, secured approval this summer to develop two spec buildings totaling 350,000 square feet of space at 2212 Ashland Road, just east of the Lanier Industrial Park and Rockville Commerce Center.
Meanwhile, the Amazon facility at the raceway, referred to by the company as its RIC4 fulfillment center, is now operational after opening in October. The massive robotics fulfillment center is located along Richmond Henrico Turnpike.
Note: This story has been updated with the opening date of the Amazon facility at the raceway supplied after publication.