Biz Beat Roundup: Local auto dealership changes hands

BUSINESS ACTIVITY

• Radley Automotive Group late last month purchased the Shirlie Slack Mitsubishi dealership on U.S. 1 in Spotsylvania County. Radley Mitsubishi adds to the company’s portfolio of dealerships selling new Acuras, Volkswagens, Cadillacs and Chevrolets.
• A public hearing is scheduled May 19 in front of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors regarding the proposed Buc-ee’s project off Exit 140 of Interstate 95. The Stafford Planning Commission recommended approval of the required conditional-use permit last month.
• O’Reilly Auto Parts has opened a new store at 200 Centreport Parkway in Stafford. The store is at the location of an O’Reilly’s distribution center.
• The University of Mary Washington (UMW) officially broke ground on its new theatre project last week. The Marshall and Russell former residence halls are being demolished as part of the project. The new theatre will have 300 seats, including a 100-seat balcony, and the new facility will have a studio theatre of 150 seats, classrooms, a costume shop and study spaces housed together. As an academic building, it will also serve as a practice space and stage for theatre students and faculty. The existing Klein Theatre in duPont Hall will be renovated to serve as a music recital and performance hall once the new theatre is done in a few years.
• Virginia Business: reports Florida-based defense contractor L3Harris Technologies last week announced plans for a $1.27 billion expansion of its rocket motor production operations in Orange County that will more than double manufacturing space and create more than 350 jobs over five years.
• The Graceful Garden Collection — which offers handmade candles, soaps and teas — recently opened at 612 Caroline St. in downtown Fredericksburg.
• The University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors last week increased undergraduate and graduate tuition for the 2026-27 academic year by 2.6 percent. The Board also voted to increase comprehensive fees by 4 percent, and housing rates by 2.5 percent. The dining rate will remain unchanged.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

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  Anne Little

  Tree Fredericksburg Co-founder Anne Little is the guest on this week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast.

• Fred Books in Spotsylvania and Caroline is the subject of this week’s Biz Beat Clips video.
• The Woman’s Club of Fredericksburg has named Anita Crossfield as its Woman of the Year. Crossfield owns Anita’s Cafe & Dessert Bar downtown and serves on a number of area boards including the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority.
• 93.3 WFLS-FM, a Connoisseur Media radio station serving the Fredericksburg region, is a finalist for the Service to Community Award (Radio – Medium Market) by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation.
• An April 30 grand opening is scheduled for Open Horizon Journeys, a boutique travel advisory founded in August 2025 by Christina Driskill. The event will occur at 4 p.m. at 1701 Fall Hill Ave., Suite 106, in Fredericksburg.
• The summer concert series in downtown Fredericksburg’s Market Square will return May 1 this year with a new name: FAM Downtown Sounds. The Fredericksburg Area Museum’s concert series had previously been called Sounds of Summer. Eighteen concerts are planned Friday nights in May, June, August and September, in addition to one July 4.

REAL ESTATE REVIEW

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  Here is a rendering of the proposed townhouses behind and adjacent to the 25-30 Espresso building in downtown Fredericksburg, courtesy of JON Properties. The final design could be altered during the ARB review process.

  Fredericksburg-based JON Properties is seeking to build five townhouses behind and adjacent to the 25-30 Espresso building at 400 Princess Anne St. near the downtown train station. A major site plan was recently submitted for review to the City of Fredericksburg. City Council approved a special-use permit for the project last year. The 25-30 Espresso building would remain as part of the project, which still needs approval on the detailed architectural design from the Fredericksburg Architectural Review Board.

• There were 95 home sales in the Fredericksburg region last week, including seven for more than $1 million, according to this week’s report from the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors. Check back weekly for the past-week data.
• Accessory dwelling units — examples of which could be a tiny house on another home’s lot, a garage-turned-apartment, a carriage house, or an “in-law suite” — will be easier to build beginning next year, following Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s signature of a new law last week.
• A special-use permit has been requested for a 633-acre data center campus with substations at the northwest intersection of Benchmark Road and U.S. 17 in Spotysylvania. The project is called the Crossroads Technology Campus. The applicant is RCK Digital Crossroads LLC.
• Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer reports the following recent lease transactions in the Fredericksburg area:
  • RGN-Fredericksburg I LLC, 12,758 square feet of office space at Central Park Corporate Center, 1320-1440 Central Park Blvd., in Fredericksburg (renewal)
  • We Rock The Spectrum Kids’ Gym, 8,352 square feet of retail space at Breezewood Shopping Centre, 10600-10697 Courthouse Road, in Spotsylvania
  • Great Day Improvements, 7,200 square feet of industrial space at 10935 Pierson Drive in Spotsylvania
  • HomeServices Insurance, 6,429 square feet of office space at Central Park Corporate Center, 1320-1440 Central Park Blvd., in Fredericksburg
  • Kadosh Nails, 5,860 square feet of industrial space at 109 Juliad Court in Stafford
  • FX Clinical Research, 5,100 square feet of office space at Silver Professional Park, Building 1, 1219-1239 Central Park Blvd., in Fredericksburg
  • Victorious Believers Church, 3,300 square feet of space at Longwood Two, 11001 Houser Drive, in Spotsylvania
  • Benfield Electric Company of Virginia Inc., 3,000 square feet of industrial space at Longwood Industrial, 230 Industrial Drive, in Spotsylvania (renewal)
  • Northwestern Mutual Virginia, 2,973 square feet of office space at 100 Riverside Pkwy. in Stafford

Biz Beat Roundup runs every Wednesday and includes a roundup of business news from around the Fredericksburg region. Send submissions to: bill.freehling@fredericksburgfreepress.com