The City of Possibility: Henrico pastor shares plans of multi-hundred-million-dollar community
VENN
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- After 20 years of planning, the "City of Possibility" could be coming to Henrico County -- but there are still several hurdles the church at the head of the plans has to get through.
The senior pastor of the Saint Paul's Baptist Church, Dr. Lance Watson, wants the city to be a vibrant atmosphere with state-of-the-art facilities. Come October, he'll have served in the church for 40 years.
The City of Possibility is an elaborate plan, and not a cheap one.
City of Possibility rendering. (Courtesy of Henrico County)
“We began to dream of creating a community that was built around the church, flowing from the church, not anchored to the church," Watson said.
Spread across 300 acres in eastern Henrico, renderings show a retreat center, mixed office and retail space, a senior living community, a sports complex, an event hall and an amphitheater.
City of Possibility amphitheater. (Courtesy of Henrico County)
A collaborative partnership between Saint Paul’s Baptist Church and Clark Nexsen, the renderings describe the city as "a self-sustaining, spiritual center that minsters to the growth of the community by offering gathering places, housing, business and employment opportunities, with mobility for all. The mixed uses of land support the diversity of the community, the church and its partners, with natural spaces that create a vibrant atmosphere for this well-constructed environment."
It will be built on the surrounding area of the church, located at 700 East Belt Boulevard.
But there's one focal point.
“The City of Possibility will speak to one huge issue in our area and across the nation and that’s the issue of housing," he said. “It’s our dream to bring almost...a thousand residential units in various forms to eastern Henrico.”
This includes apartments, townhomes, cottages, single-family homes, detached row homes, multi-family dwellings with one and two bedroom, starter homes and memory care facilities.
Detached rowhome renderings. (Courtesy of Henrico County)
Watson told 8News the estimate to build the city is from five to seven years ago, pre-COVID.
“It was priced out then at about $400 million of total development, so it may be twice that," he said.
Watson said because the church does not have several hundred million dollars in the bank, they’re hoping they don’t have to do it alone and are in the process of vetting partners and developers to handle some of the lift.
“When you have big dreams, you’re gonna have big costs," he said.
Watson said they've held informational community meetings, not only for members of the congregation, but for any Henrico residents to attend and ask questions.
“It’s been mostly favorable, overwhelmingly favorable," he said. "Now we don’t expect, and we anticipate, that not everyone will see it that way, but that’s okay because everyone’s entitled to their opinion.”
Of the concerns brought up, traffic and the potential impact on the Chesapeake Bay were the most common.
”We’re gonna do everything in our power to maintain as much natural green space as possible," he said.
The site is located within the Ashe Elementary School District, Fairfield Middle School District and the Highland Springs High School District.
The plans are slated to be presented to the Henrico County Planning Commission on September 11.
Watson said if it passes the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, he predicts it’ll take another decade to be completely built.
“Anything that’s worth having is worth waiting for," he said.
