The 15-year journey of building CarMax Park for the Richmond Flying Squirrels
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- On Tuesday, CarMax Park will be officially open for business after a long road riddled with as many potholes as Richmond’s roads after a winter ice storm.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels’ home opener on Tuesday, April 7 will kick off a week of celebrations. It comes more than a decade after the team initially thought they’d be welcoming fans into a new stadium.
“When we came to Richmond back in 2009, it was because we were supposed to have a new ballpark within three to five years,” said general manager Anthony Oppermann.
Sixteen years later, Oppermann and two of the other original Squirrels — Todd “Parney” Parnell and Ben Rothrock — reflected on what helped them power through all the hurdles. One of the biggest obstacles of all was the team’s former home: The Diamond.
Ben Rothrock talks with Deanna Allbrittin about the challenges of building CarMax Park. (Photo: 8News)
Anthony Oppermann reflecting on the challenges he faced while building the Flying Squirrels. (Photo: 8News)
Ben Rothrock talks with 8News about creating the Flying Squirrels. (Photo: 8News)
“I can't say on TV what I said the first time I walked into The Diamond, but it rhymes with ‘fit’,” Parnell, senior advisor to the Squirrels, said. “I walked in there and I'm just like, 'What in the world did I do to myself? Like, how are we going to get this place ready? This place is an absolute hole.'”
"Parney," known to Squirrels fans as “the man with the crazy pants,” was previously the Squirrels’ CEO and COO. In the fall of 2009, he said he was the first staff member ever to get to Richmond, along with Chuck Domino, another of the team’s former chief executives.
MORE: Giant baseball cards, murals and more -- Public art coming to Richmond’s CarMax Park
“There had never been an organization in the world -- think about that for a second, in the world -- named the Flying Squirrels, until we brought it here to Richmond,” Parnell said.
Domino was more optimistic about The Diamond, Parney said. In their “baseball is back” press conference on September 23, 2009, the inaugural staff declared that Richmond deserved the best minor league baseball had to offer. That included finding a way to make The Diamond home.
“We had a monumental task,” Parnell said. “Most teams take 18 months to ramp up the organization, when they moved to a town. We did it in five and a half months.”
Todd “Parney” Parnell discusses building the Flying Squirrels franchise. (Photo: 8News)
He and the others recounted the challenges of having to build from the ground up with no employees, no seating charts and not a single seat or chair in the building.
“We had a card table and we had a red checkered plastic cover, like you used for your family picnics,” Parnell said. “And every day, I would bring in a bottle of red wine, I'd sit in the middle of the table [and say], 'All right, let's work all day.”
MORE: Richmond Flying Squirrels unveil family-friendly amenities at CarMax Park
Just as they did for their home opener at The Diamond, the Flying Squirrels’ first crack of the bat in CarMax Park will be in front of a sold-out crowd.
However, the atmosphere and the way a sell-out crowd feels and looks will be drastically different at CarMax Park, which is designed in the 360-degree style that is familiar to many baseball fans who have visited newer major and minor-league stadiums.
That’s in part because, in 2024, Major League Baseball (MLB) gave Richmond until 2026 to build a new stadium that met facility upgrade requirements.
For a decade and a half, the city had looked at options for a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom, or even Manchester, but nothing materialized.
But around the time of the MLB ultimatum, then-mayor Levar Stoney’s administration was searching for ways to improve the surrounding Diamond District. The idea of paying for the stadium at the area’s focal point was pitched.
Richmond City Council approved the plan, but it carried risks for Richmond taxpayers because city-issued revenue bonds would be used. It also relied on the idea that the stadium would generate enough revenue to pay back the investors.
Drone footage of CarMax Park in April 2025. (Photo: 8News)
Drone footage of CarMax Park in August 2025. (Photo: 8News)
Drone footage of CarMax Park in March 2026. (Photo: 8News)
In July 2024, Richmond sold $130 million in bonds in order to fund the construction of CarMax Park.
Since then, there has been a problem with the Squirrels' ownership group, Navigators Baseball. They claimed that the city owes them up to $6.5 million, which leaders refuse to pay.
Additionally, the Navigators agreed to allow Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Baseball to play at CarMax Park. However, in January, it was announced that the team would not play at the new ballpark.
PREVIOUS: CarMax Park’s future uncertain as Flying Squirrels, Richmond leaders clash
This comes after the Navigators built a $2.5 million fit-out for VCU Baseball -- something they said they did only because they were told that the city would pay for it. However, this is among the $6.5 million the Navigators say Richmond still owes them.
As Richmond’s population increases and the surrounding area changes, Opperman shared that there is some benefit to the ballpark opening during this time.
“Because of everything that's happening in Scotts Addition and the opportunity to have the connectivity to Scott’s Addition,” Opperman said to 8News. “I mean, when I first came to town, people said, whatever you do, don't walk over the Boulevard Bridge like you're just asking for trouble. And to see families, walking to games now, I mean, that was unheard of, you know, 16 years ago.”
CarMax Park as of March 2026. (Photo: 8News)
CarMax Park as of March 2026. (Photo: 8News)
CarMax Park as of March 2026. (Photo: 8News)
Another change is the food in the ballpark. At The Diamond, there was limited space and opportunities for people to get in line and get food quickly.
“We were just constantly trying to find ways to make it work," Rothrock said. "And now that we're here at CarMax Park, I mean, the venue’s just filled with possibilities."
Parney added that front office staff and ownership groups never lost their way, even when people told them they would never be able to accomplish what they wanted.
“It's surreal, in a sense -- getting to this point and actually seeing this for the first time is going to be an amazing experience,” Rothrock said. “We keep on telling people, 'You see it from the outside. You think it's great. Once you walk in, it's even better.'"
To see all of 8News’ reporting on Richmond’s Diamond District redevelopment, which is anchored by CarMax Park, click here.
