Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond purchases former shopping center for $1.025M

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond purchased the former Eastlawn Shopping Center in Richmond’s East End for $1.025 million and will convert it into a center for the clubs’ programming, the organization announced Monday.

The youth nonprofit purchased the facility from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority in 2019 using funds from the organization’s $25 million New Statistics fundraising campaign. The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority purchased the Eastlawn Shopping Center in 2017 for $1 million, according to city records.

The sales price was not disclosed.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond serves more than 1,200 youth in historically marginalized communities in the Richmond metro area. The clubs provide programming after school, on weekends and during the summer, including academic assistance, social-emotional learning and physical activity.

The 16,000-square-foot facility at 1812 Creighton Road is expected to open in spring 2021 and an adjacent space will provide a space for career training, counseling, mental health services and college prep.

“This space represents the tangible culmination of our vision for how we can best serve the needs of our community’s underserved teen population,” Todd McFarlane, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, said in a statement. “The facility will help guide teens into adulthood, putting them on a trajectory toward healthier, more connected and thriving futures.”