Gumenick Properties rebrands mixed-use project in Henrico

Gumenick Properties has renamed its 80-acre mixed used neighborhood on Staples Mill Road. It said in a press release that it chose the name Libbie Mill because the “name draws on local history and symbolically unites Libbie Avenue and Staples Mill Road, which will be tied together by this neighborhood,” Wayne A. Chasen, president of Gumenick Properties, said in a statement.

Early in the project’s planning, the company adopted the working title of Staples Mill Centre. However, with recent announcements by Southern Season to build a gourmet food store and Henrico County to open a new library in the area, Gumenick wanted a permanent name for the start of branding efforts to give the neighborhood an identity.

According to Gumenick, “Libbie Mill” recognizes the neighborhood’s link to Libbie Avenue, which was named decades ago by Richmond businessman Mark Thompson for his wife.
“Mill” is a nod to the Staples Plantation, which had a water-powered mill to grind corn. The farm was located a short distance to the north of Libbie Mill in an area near the present intersection of Staples Mill and Dickens roads.

Gumenick has retained CBRE|Richmond to lease the retail and office portions of Libbie Mill, located between Libbie Avenue and Staples Mill Road just off Interstate 64. Barry Hofheimer and Robby Brownfield will lead the retail leasing, and Scott Durham and Malcolm Randolph will head up office leasing.

Construction is expected to begin in autumn 2014, with a timeline of 10 years for the total build out.

The overall project will include more than 1,000 apartments, nearly 1,000 homes, 150,000 square feet of retail and 50,000 square feet of office space. Phase 1 will include retail, office and apartments in addition to the construction of a 50,000 square-foot Henrico County library.

Earlier this year, Southern Season of Chapel Hill, N.C., announced plans to become Libbie Mill’s first commercial tenant. It plans to operate a 53,000-square foot gourmet food store. Architectural and engineering work is under way on the store. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall with a grand opening set for mid-2014.

The new three-story library will replace the current Dumbarton Library. It will be located next to a two-acre lake, creating a gathering place surrounded by residences and shops. The library is expected to be under construction in mid-2014 with an opening slated for summer 2016.

Gumenick Properties donated the land for the library.

Based in Henrico, Gumenick is a real estate development and management company with operations throughout the Southeast. It engages in two primary lines of business — apartment community operations and homebuilding.