Best Products HQ demolition starts in Henrico

Demolition started Tuesday on the former Best Products headquarters in Henrico County, with county officials taking turns operating an excavator to make way for an arena-anchored mixed-use development.

The site along Interstate 95 in western Henrico is expected to be cleared within three to four months, county spokesman Will Jones said. Richmond-based demolition company S.B. Cox is contracted to do the work. The site’s two Art Deco eagle statues are still expected to be preserved either onsite as part of the new development or through relocation.

The nearly 50-year-old building was deemed structurally unsafe for renovation. Henrico purchased the property in 2011 and has considered various uses for it over the years, most recently as part of the failed $2.3 billion GreenCity project.

The county previously held a demolition kickoff event in late April for what’s currently known as Best Products Reimagined, and since that time, S.B. Cox has been completing site remediation work, which has included removal of asbestos and disconnections from electricity and other utilities.

Tuesday’s demolition came six years after GreenCity was announced, a project that was intended to include the nation’s greenest concert arena with 17,000 capacity, as well as two hotels, 2.2 million square feet of office space, 280,000 square feet of retail space and 2,100 residential units. But the plans unraveled when, in March 2025, its developers failed to make $5 million in overdue payments to the county. In May of that year, the county issued a new request for interest to developers, including an arena, while in court with the former developers.

In September 2025, the Henrico EDA repurchased the 93-acre property, which was assessed at $6.2 million.

Earlier this month, design firm Able City unveiled a draft master plan, guided with community input from a meeting in March, which prospective developers will use for their proposals.

According to the county, the plan focuses on two areas: Best Products Reimagined, the 320-acre site anchored by the former Best Products headquarters property, and the nearby Brook Road corridor, a 275-acre area encompassing businesses from approximately Magellan Parkway to Hilliard Road.

The plan envisions the Best Products site as a mixed-use district anchored by a proposed 17,000-seat arena and entertainment venue, along with corporate office and employment space, hotels and hospitality uses, retail and restaurants along pedestrian-oriented streets. The project is also expected to include a mix of housing types, public open spaces and structured parking.

Henrico Economic Development Authority staff is continuing to engage with potential partners for the site’s redevelopment, but EDA Managing Director Andrew Larsen did not have a specific timeline for when a developer will be chosen.

“We are in active conversations and continue to make good progress with … potential development partners,” he said. “It’ll be a team effort.”