Groundbreaking Ceremony Held at Watkins Centre

A groundbreaking ceremony for Watkins Centre, Chesterfield County’s new high-end, mixed-use development, was held on Friday, June 29, at 11 a.m. This event marked the beginning of a public-private project to construct the development, which will be located at the interchange of Route 288 and Midlothian Turnpike in western Chesterfield County.

Once complete, this area will be a major employment center for the county and the region because of its strategic location and ease of access. Watkins Centre will incorporate the latest in building design and technology, emphasizing architecture and building aesthetics. The complex will include retail stores, a high-end corporate and suburban office park and light industry. The healthy-lifestyle design also includes multi modal transportation, walking paths and abundant landscaping to make Watkins Centre a place to live, work and shop.

The land where the Watkins Centre will be developed is owned by Watkins Land, LLC, and has been in the family of Senator John Watkins for more than 130 years. The land has been used as a nursery and, going forward, the site will continue to grow new things, with the focus changed from growing plants to growing business.

“I’m so pleased that the property will be used to develop the newest gateway into Chesterfield County and the region,” Watkins said. “This intersection is a key strategic business location, and its proximity to a corridor that incorporates existing business services with residential and entertainment venues presents an enormous opportunity for economic growth. I think that my great-grandfather, who first purchased this property back in the late 1800s, would be very pleased with this new direction.”

Celebrating this event with Chesterfield County officials and the Watkins family were the Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Patrick Gottschalk along with representatives from: Zaremba Metropolitan Midlothian LLC, the developer of the project; The Rebkee Co., developer of The Shoppes of Westchester (at Watkins Centre); Gray Land and Development Company, LLC, developer of The Village of Westchester; Village Bank, whose corporate headquarters will be the first in the corporate-office portion of Watkins Centre; and BB&T and SunTrust, whose branch facilities will locate in The Shoppes at Westchester.