RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Regional food bank and hunger relief organization, Feed More, is looking to move from its home in Richmond to another locality.
Feed More is planning to move its headquarters on Rhoadmiller Street in Richmond to just a few miles away in Henrico County.
Douglas Pick, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said his team prepares 15,000 meals a week. But over the last three years they encountered some problems.
“The challenges have been big… the last three years,” he said.
Redevelopment ramping up in Richmond’s Diamond District, along with a higher demand for their operations and the need for accessibility for workers and employees, led them to look for a new space.
“All around us this neighborhood is evolving like you wouldn’t believe,” he said. “The VCU Athletic Village will be right down the block. Just across Hermitage will be the new Diamond District. I refer to it as kind of the gateway to the city. All fascinating and good for the city of Richmond. Really tough for a business and an organization that has logistics at its heart.”
Pick said they checked out 18 different locations to find the right place for their needs.
“It mattered that it was near the roads and near the highways,” he said. “That allows us to do our jobs for our agencies and our clients.”
The area on Villa Park Drive in Henrico County offers Feed More more space and newer equipment to work with, Pick said. Renderings of the proposed design show a 124,000 square foot facility.
“Five times the freezer space, so important for what we do. We spend way too much money on outside storage,” Pick added. “We’ll have 25% more warehouse space, and we’ll have a kitchen double its size.”
This year, Richmond had assessed the land value of Feed More’s property on Rhoadmiller Street.
The pair of 100-year-old buildings were reassessed at $1.8 and 5.8 million in 2023. That’s up from the city’s assessments back in 2012 and 2014.
Pick said Feed More will be listing the current property in tandem with the move, and money from the sale will go towards the new building.
“Experts, they would contend that the next year or two is the exact right time to get an optimal price for this building and this land,” Pick said. “The City of Richmond with any luck will get a building here that’s a good tax base for them.”
Henrico County leaders still have to approve Feed More’s design plan. Also, Feed More has to close on the Villa Park Drive property.
If everything is approved, Feed More wants to begin construction on the new facility later this year and hopes to move in late 2024.
