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The 6 major changes in the approved, $30 million Regency Mall plans

Posted at 2:48 PM, Jan 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-25 16:07:34-05

HENRICO, Va. –  The Henrico County Planning Commission unanimously signed off on the Regency Square mall revised development master plan Wednesday and transformation of the decades-old mall will begin in April, starting with road construction.

The redesign will create 44,000-square feet of additional retail space; including four outparcel development sites, and a 12,000-square-foot building along the property. The existing flyover entrance located on Quioccasin Road will be removed and a new signature entrance, with pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, established.

As part of the new entrance, the parking deck outside the north Macy’s building will be demolished, which developers said will further increase the mall’s visibility and create an opportunity for outside entertainment and dining — though the 820,000 square foot mall will itself remain covered.

The new master plan can also accommodate future entertainment users by allowing the developer to raise the roof of either or both of the former Macys’ buildings. The south Macy’s building will be increased from 45 feet to 70 feet.

Regency Square Mall plans taken from the revised development master plan.

Regency Square Mall plans taken from the revised development master plan.

Case Lawrence, the CEO of Jumpology,  previously expressed intention to relocate to Regency, to expand from their current 17,450-square-foot facility at 10087 Brook Road.  Lawrence said Jumpology needs 40,000 square feet and to be near major roads to make it convenient to visit.

Though published reports speculate that a movie theater and trampoline park are the reason why the roof will be raised,  Mark Slusher, senior vice president of Thalhimer Realty Partners, declined to comment.

“We don’t have anything pinned down yet, but we know they are going to need more height in the building,” Slusher said. “Since we are doing a complete master plan redevelopment we want to accommodate those users.”

The names of new merchants will be released in the next month, Slusher said.

In addition to the proposed new buildings at Regency, façade improvements are shown conceptually in planning documents for the main mall building. This may include new storefront entryways, brick veneer, wood print and corrugated metal siding, and repainting of some existing brick elements to tie in with the proposed new features.

The vacant Bank of America building is anticipated to be renovated to accommodate a new user with drive-through facilities, and that may include the removal of the teller drive-through canopy.

Regency Square Mall plans taken from the revised development master plan.

Regency Square Mall plans taken from the revised development master plan.

Regency previously said that a national cafe brand will occupy the building, but declined to confirm if it was a Starbucks.

Proposed outparcel buildings are conceptually shown to be constructed of a combination of brick veneer, wood print metal siding, corrugated metal siding, and cast stone.

The redesign excludes the existing Sears, JC Penney’s and Firestone buildings, which are under separate ownership.

Regency is owned by a joint venture of Chesterfield-based Rebkee Company and the Henrico-based Thalhimer Realty Partners, Inc., who plan to invest more than $35 million to bring Regency back as one of Richmond’s premiere retail venues.

They purchased the struggling mall for $13 million in 2015.

“The new entertainment and dining options we have planned will drive traffic and revenue back to this section of Henrico County. We can’t wait to make it happen.” said Steve Bonniville, Regency Square’s General Manager.

Regency will continue to operate during the construction process and plans indicate a spring 2017 start to road construction.