Construction is well underway on the James Building, featuring 300 apartments and ground-floor retail space, at the Springline at District 60 project in Chesterfield County. (Courtesy of Chesterfield County)
The conversion of a former shopping center parking lot in Chesterfield County into a six-story mixed-use building is already well underway.
Connecticut-based developer Collins Enterprises is in the midst of construction on The James, which will add 300 apartments and ground-floor retail to the Springline at District 60 project under construction near the Midlothian Turnpike and Chippenham Parkway interchange.
Art Collins
The $85 million James building is a first building block of the Springline project, a Chesterfield County-led initiative to redevelop the old Spring Rock Green shopping center. The James itself is being built on the former parking lot of the now-demolished shopping center.
Construction on the James is about half complete and the search for tenants for the approximately 2,800 square meters of commercial space on the ground floor is currently underway, developer Art Collins said in an interview last month.
Construction on the James is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2025. Collins said that while initial arrangements are already being made, the official search for tenants will begin in the next few months.
“We expect there to be a lot of activity this fall because people now see that something is here,” Collins said.
Collins said the project aims to be roughly evenly split between restaurants and retailers and expects the first lease signings to begin in January.
“In general, it will be 50 percent grocery, restaurants, maybe fast-casual stores. And 50 percent soft goods and other things. That’s probably the best mix, as we’ve been advised,” he said.
Jamie Lanham, Andy Segall and Trey Blankinship of the Segall Group are handling retail leasing for the building.
The James multi-purpose building is scheduled for completion next year and is a first step in a larger redevelopment of the site of the old Spring Rock Green shopping center. (Courtesy of Chesterfield County)
As for the residential portion of the building, Collins expects the apartments to be leased early next year. About half of the building’s 300 apartments will be studio and one-bedroom units, with most of the remaining apartments being two-bedroom units and a few three-bedroom units.
Prices for studio and one-bedroom apartments start at $1,530 to $1,870 per month. Prices for two-bedroom apartments range from $2,007 to $2,375 per month. Prices for three-bedroom apartments range from $2,540 to $2,740 per month.
The size of the studio and one-bedroom apartments will be between 53 and 79 square meters. The size of the two-bedroom apartments will be between 91 and 123 square meters and the size of the three-bedroom apartments will be between 132 and 134 square meters.
Planned amenities include two courtyards, one on the second floor of the building and overlooking a common outdoor space at Springline intended for festivals, concerts and other events. Structured parking for residents is also part of the project.
In addition to plans for a swimming pool and fitness center, Collins said the team may also explore adding podcast recording studios and music rooms to make the project stand out.
“We have the space for it and are trying to think about some interesting amenities that you really can’t find anywhere else in this region,” he said.
The James multi-purpose building has a parking garage for the future residents of the building. (Jack Jacobs Photo)
Groundbreaking for the James occurred last summer after Chesterfield announced that Collins would take over the project. The building sits on a 2.9-acre site on the Springline property owned by a Collins-affiliated company that purchased the property at 7220 Midlothian Turnpike from the Chesterfield EDA in 2023 for about $953,000, online land records show.
The James Project is a joint venture between Collins, private equity firm Kaufman Jacobs, financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and real estate investment firm Silverstein Properties.
The general contractor for the project is Clancy & Theys Construction Co. LaBella Associates and its subsidiary Odell Associates were commissioned to design the project.
The James will be built next to a five-story, 150,000-square-foot office building that is also nearing completion and is already fully leased to local engineering firm Timmons, which developed this section and will use the building as its new headquarters.
The Chesterfield Economic Development Office and the school district’s administrative office will also move into the building. Tim Davey of Timmons said construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year.
Amenities planned for The James include a swimming pool and a rooftop courtyard. (Jack Jacobs Photo)
When fully built, Springline is expected to include 150,000 square metres of retail space and 300,000 square metres of office space, as well as more than 1,000 apartments, more than 100 townhouses and a police station.
There are also plans for a sports and entertainment complex and two hotels that Shamin Hotels plans to build on the site. The complex will also house a specialty grocery store.
The Chesterfield EDA purchased the 42-acre Springline site in 2021 for $16 million, excluding existing lots, and rezoned it a year later. The EDA has sold portions of the site to developers to build out the project.
