‘The county with a heart’: Henrico officials express pride, confidence at State of the County address

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Henrico County officials gathered at the Henrico Sports and Events Center on Thursday to give the community an inside look at the "State of the County" -- making it clear that they have a great deal of pride in their county. Leaders throughout the event expressed a lot of optimism coming from the economy, which they said is booming, in part, due to their growing data center industry. However, it's not all just dollars, leaders covered all bases while breaking down what's happening in the county. "The county with the heart," is the reputation Henrico County leaders wore proudly on their sleeves and said they plan to keep alive. Leaders closed this year's address with a nod to their $32 billion economy. "If we were a country, we would be the 99th largest economy in the world," Henrico EDA Director Anthony Romanello put the county's economy in perspective. This success allowed for the creation of a $60 million trust this year. This fund is aimed exclusively at expanding affordable housing accessibility. The county has quite a few projects in the works and one high profile commitment leaders have tackled is the redevelopment of the "Glenwood farms" property. "We promised to end the neglect and abuse of the Glenwood Farms residents living in 294 dilapidated units," one leader explained. "Today we are fulfilling our promise. We are proud to be in partnership with a strong local team of Spy Rock and Crescent [architects and development teams] in reimagining Glenwood." Leaders also boasted the low burden placed on residents. "For over 35 years, Henrico has had the lowest residential tax burden of the ten largest localities in the state," said one of the officials. The county "hit the green" in more ways than one -- according to speakers, sports tourism is the gift that keeps on giving. Dennis Bickmeier, Executive Director of Henrico's Sports and Entertainment Authority, said the sports tourism industry has an estimated $72 million impact. This is largely thanks to the Henrico Sports and Events Center's, which is about to end its inaugural year and is looking to keep hosting some of the Richmond region's premiere athletic events. "We have secured the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball National Championship," Bickmeier said. "Roads and utility work will commence on the arena-anchored, "GreenCity" development very soon and there has never been a better time to be in the women's sports business. Come out and watch some amazing women's basketball in March for the A-10 tourney." This confidence expressed on Thursday also took shape in the public safety sector. "We went from a tragic record number of homicides in two years to an 11% reduction in overall crime and more significantly, a 22% reduction in violent crimes," a Henrico official said. Officials partially credited this reduction in violence to innovative technology and an "aggressive street presence" by the Henrico County Division of Police. Leaders also applauded the "Empower Henrico" task force for strides in treating and preventing substance use disorder. These workers reported a 39% decrease in drug overdoses and 31% decrease in drug related fatalities this year. Henrico County officials said they want residents to do more than survive, they want them to thrive. Romanella ended the event with a heartfelt, emotional look to the future. "All these great folks today and everyone in the room... Henrico is just getting started," Romanello said. With an increase in activity in the county comes an increase in population. In response, the county has set $6 million aside to create new afforable housing units on the Glenwood Farms property, located in the eastern part of the county.