Innsbrook Area Study

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The Innsbrook Area Study is a redevelopment strategy for a vital economic component of Henrico County. The Study operates as a blueprint that builds upon the infrastructure of an area that saw prosperity in the 80s and 90s, but has struggled throughout the current economic downturn. Growing vacancy rates and a need to keep pace with more modern development trends have prompted a thorough evaluation of existing land use designations and zoning requirements by the County, with an aim towards promoting a mixed-use development that would ensure a bright future for this once-thriving office park. Relying heavily on technology and a higher level of public participation along with traditional land-use study methods, documents were created in-house by the Department of Planning staff and were ultimately adopted by the County Board of Supervisors after extensive feedback from stakeholders. The mixed-use development strategies position the area for redevelopment over the next fifty years. While urban mixed-use developments have become more popular throughout the nation, none have developed a framework for the redevelopment of a suburban office park into a mixed-use community, which allows Henrico County the opportunity to create a model that other localities can replicate in the future.