Henrico to buy 18 acres from Richmond Raceway for new fire training facility

The 18.5-acre site on Richmond Henrico Turnpike south of Azalea Avenue is outlined in yellow. (County documents)

A deal between Henrico and Richmond Raceway is revving up plans for a new fire training facility and replacement of a county firehouse near the intersection of Azalea Avenue and Richmond Henrico Turnpike.

Henrico supervisors this month authorized the purchase of 18.5 acres south of the Valero gas station for a replacement of the nearby Fire Station 1 and construction of a new fire training facility that stems from the county’s 2022 voter-approved bond referendum.

The county will pay Richmond Raceway, which owns the site, $1.5 million for the land, which is part of a 45-acre parcel the raceway has previously used for overflow parking.

The funds are included in the approved bonds, and the purchase is set to close next March, said Nate Madden, a spokesman for Henrico’s Division of Fire.

The existing Fire Station 1 at 110 Azalea Ave. (Image courtesy Henrico County)

The site was selected over three others for its proximity to the existing Fire Station 1 at 110 Azalea Ave. and the ability to co-locate the training facility there. Both projects are included in Henrico’s 10-year Capital Improvement Program, which puts the station replacement at $16 million and the training facility at $18 million.

A preliminary layout shows the new firehouse directly across from the Hummingbird Road entrance to the nearby Meadowood subdivision. A mixed-use training area and Candidate Physical Ability Testing building would be located farther south in the site, which would be accessed from three points along Richmond Henrico Turnpike and include 180 parking spaces.

According to a report recently presented to the Henrico Planning Commission, the new firehouse would total 13,000 square feet with 1,200 square feet of mezzanine space and four apparatus bays with a 24-foot minimum clearance.

The training area would include three buildings replicating a three-story townhome, three-story apartment and four-story mixed-use-style structure for training fire, police and sheriff’s office personnel in various response scenarios.

Exercises could involve simulated indoor smoke, water spray, movable wall systems, and door, window and ventilation props to replicate forcible entry scenarios.

A preliminary layout shows locations for the firehouse and three training center buildings.

The report recommended some alterations to the site layout to minimize impacts to Meadowood and other neighborhoods, and the Planning Commission approved its finding of the site being “substantially in accord” with the county’s comprehensive plan.

Construction of the firehouse is scheduled in the Capital Improvement Program for fiscal year 2026. The training center is slated for construction in FY27.

The site is southwest of the massive Amazon distribution center on the turnpike and across the Azalea intersection from the Azalea Flea Market site, which had been floated for a data center development by Atlanta-based DC Blox. A rezoning request for that project was recently withdrawn after the Planning Commission recommended denial.