Biz Beat Roundup: Fredericksburg re-development project progressing

BUSINESS ACTIVITY

• The re-development of the former Mary Washington Healthcare properties along Fall Hill Avenue near U.S. 1 in Fredericksburg is progressing:
  • Construction has begun on eight Mary’s Landing townhouses fronting Fall Hill Avenue. Builder DRB Homes previously completed 16 townhouses along Germania Street as part of the 63-unit project.
  • Preliminary interior demolition work has started on the conversion of the three-story Medical Arts Building at 2301 Fall Hill Ave. into a 30-unit apartment building. The site plan is nearing approval.
  • The site plan was submitted this week for the redevelopment of the 280,000-square-foot former hospital at 2300 Fall Hill Ave. into 242 apartments and about 10,000 square feet of commercial space (a daycare center and coffee shop are being pursued). Richmond-based developer Rebkee was in front of City Council on Tuesday night to discuss a possible tax incentive that is expected to come before Council and the Economic Development Authority (EDA) in June.
    
• POUR by Fifth Scents Candle Co. is moving from its current home at 1011 Caroline St. in downtown Fredericksburg into a larger space down the block at 900 Caroline St. by late June or early July. The children’s-oriented retail store FORT, which used to be at 900 Caroline, is moving to 417 William St. (formerly home to Joshua Lawrence Salon).
• MAHJ FXBG, “Fredericksburg’s first dedicated American Mahjong studio,” will open in late July or early August at the current home of POUR at 1011 Caroline St. The studio will feature open play, introductory classes on Mahjong, tournaments, private parties and retail.
• Sippin’ Pop, which has a store in downtown Fredericksburg, has opened its second location at 7991 Kings Highway in King George County.
• Spotsylvania County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday increased the transient occupancy tax (lodging/hotel tax) from 9 percent to 11 percent. The county’s 2027 budget projects revenue from the increased tax, which is expected to generate an additional roughly $2 million annually for the county. Of the 11 percent tax rate, 3 percentage points goes to tourism-related activities. Stafford County also has an 11 percent transient occupancy tax. Fredericksburg’s is 8 percent, and Caroline County’s and King George’s is 5 percent.
• Construction is expected to be completed by June 22 on the 2,500-square-foot Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurant buildout at 1999 Carl D. Silver Parkway in Fredericksburg’s Central Park shopping center. The restaurant is expected to open sometime in July.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

• Fredericksburg City Council this week interviewed local business-community members Ernisha Hall, Curry Roberts and David Fraser for openings on the City’s EDA. Mitzi Brown and Tom Wack are leaving the board. Three additional applicant interviews are expected in June, and Council will then appoint the two new members.
• Rahmein Mostafavi, a stand-up comedian who performs often in Fredericksburg, is the guest on this week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast. Mostafavi discusses the inspiration for his material, the arc of his career, what it’s like to perform, and more.
• FlyKup, a downtown Fredericksburg store selling “Scottish fancy pieces,” is the subject of this week’s Biz Beat Clips video.
• Virginia Sen. Tara Durant on Wednesday presented former longtime Rappahannock Area YMCA CEO Barney Reiley with the Virginia Senate resolution adopted this spring to honor Reiley’s long career. The resolution was presented during a YMCA monthly board meeting. Reiley was recently on the Biz Beat Banter podcast.
• Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fredericksburg will host “Steps Forward: A Stroke Rehabilitation Event” on Saturday (May 30) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the facility at 300 Park Hill Drive in Fredericksburg. The free community event is designed for stroke survivors, caregivers, families and community members to come together for a day of education, support and fun.

REAL ESTATE REVIEW

• 

  This Lake Anna home sold last week for $2.14 million, topping the list of home sales in the region last week.

  There were 107 home sales in the Fredericksburg region last week, including two for more than $1 million (one of which was for more than $2 million), according to this week’s report from the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors (FAAR). Check back weekly for the past-week sales.

• A site plan was submitted this week in Fredericksburg for a commercial development consisting of three buildings totaling 15,200 square feet along Fall Hill Avenue near Briscoe Lane and the current end of Gordon W. Shelton Boulevard (3430 Fall Hill Ave.). One of the buildings at the Shops at Fall Hill project is marked for retail (8,000 square feet), while the other two are planned as fast-food restaurants (4,000 square feet and 3,200 square feet). The buildings are part of an overall 34.7-acre development that is also expected to include 240 townhouses, 365 apartments, the region’s first Trader Joe’s and a new road (Gordon W. Shelton Boulevard Extended) that would connect Cowan Boulevard and Fall Hill Avenue via two signalized intersections (the road would also include a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail).
• The Stafford Board of Supervisors last week approved, 4-3, a mixed-use development called the Market at Austin Ridge in the central part of the county near the recently OK’d Buc-ee’s travel center. The project is planned for more than 25 acres at the corner of Courthouse Road and the future Austin Ridge Drive extended. It would have a variety of retail and commercial uses, including an Aldi grocery store, a Sheetz gas station, a Texas Roadhouse restaurant and a Flagship Carwash. It would also contain a mini-storage facility and maybe a hotel. The supervisors narrowly approved the development despite concerns about whether a need for more storage facilities or gas stations in the area exists. Another Sheetz is already nearby, on the other side of Interstate 95, for example. However, a Sheetz executive previously told the Stafford Planning Commission that the company believes both operations can successfully co-exist. (Thanks to FFP reporter Jonathan Hunley for this info.)
• Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer reports the following recent lease transactions in the Fredericksburg area:
  • Radley Imports Inc., 24,000 square feet of industrial space at McK Business Park, 3010 Mine Road, in Spotsylvania (renewal)
  • AMI Industries, USA Branch L.L.C., 10,845 square feet of industrial space at Merritt at Quantico Corporate Center, Building Two, 650 Corporate Drive, in Stafford (sublease)
  • Flowers Baking Company of Lynchburg LLC, 7,000 square feet of industrial space at Longwood Industrial, 230 Industrial Drive, in Spotsylvania (renewal)
  • Ivan S. Deloria, 6,000 square feet of industrial space at Falmouth Industrial Park, 265 Cambridge Street, in Spotsylvania
  • PNC Bank, 3,500 square feet of office space at Central Park Corporate Center, 1320-1440 Central Park Blvd., in Fredericksburg
  • Dog Krazy, 2,400 square feet of retail space at The Shops at Ladysmith, 17495 US Route 1, in Caroline
  • Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, 1,928 square feet of office space at 317 William Street in Fredericksburg
  • Sofia Smile LLC, 1,500 square feet of retail space at Kilarney Center, 5042 Plank Road, in Spotsylvania

Biz Beat Roundup runs every Wednesday and includes a roundup of business news from around the Fredericksburg region. Send submissions to: [email protected]