Retrofit Atlas

Industrial sites · Virginia

Sauer Center

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedPartly retrofittedRichmond, VA

Partial 37-acre industrial retrofit (2017) with Whole Foods, offices, housing; nearby traffic/retail context; status and completion unknown. · summary, model-written

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Site profile12 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 4 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 149,093 on 95 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 2,077 units, Richmond (Independent City) census-bps · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: 95 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …mixed-use project anchored by Richmond’s second Whole Foods Market, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, residential multifamily apartments,… record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: …mixed-use project anchored by Richmond’s second Whole Foods Market, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, residential multifamily apartments,… record · all sites with this
New use
GroceryThis site: …mixed-use project anchored by Richmond’s second Whole Foods Market, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, r newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
HotelThis site: office space, residential multifamily apartments, offices, hotels, and ground-floor retail newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
HousingThis site: …s Market, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, residential multifamily apartments, offices, hotels, and ground-floor r newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …mixed-use project anchored by Richmond’s second Whole Foods Market, o newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
OfficeThis site: …ond Whole Foods Market, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, residential multifamily apartments, offices, hotels, newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …l multifamily apartments, offices, hotels, and ground-floor retail newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusPartly retrofittednewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyPartial Redeveloped · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New useshotel, housing, mixed, office, retailWikipedia no source
What is there nowmixed-use project anchored by Richmond’s second Whole Foods Market, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, residential multifamily apartments, offices, hotels, and ground-floor retailnewtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year2017newtypes-extraction reported
RedeveloperSauer Propertiesnewtypes-extraction reported

Site context

Housing permits, Richmond (Independent City) (VA), 20242,077 units in 5+ unit buildings, 83 in 2–4, 380 single-family; 2023: 1,890 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby4 within 10 km, 9 within 25 km: Main Street Station mall (0.6 km); Tobacco Row (1.3 km); Willow Lawn Shopping Center (7.3 km); Cloverleaf Mall (9.3 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)7,608 jobs in 767 establishments; average annual pay $40,979; employment location quotient 0.46; employment -0.1% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 202232,674 jobs; 110 in retail trade, 1,294 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 51760030502)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 36th income percentile as adults; 4.5% incarcerated at the 2010 count (40 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; 10% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 40.2%; median family income $40,208; 228 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsRichmond City Public Schools (PK-12); 9 public schools within 1 mile: Richmond Hospital Ep.; Richmond Juvenile Detention Home; Virginia Treatment Ctr.; Yvonne B. Miller High SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation146 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025124 county-logged events: 59 flash flood, 30 thunderstorm wind, 24 heavy rain, 5 tornado; $142,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 23219, 2026-09median list price $344,975 (-13.5% on the year); 18 active listings; median 39 days on market; 6% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023778 establishments (-4%); 8,329 jobs (-8%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $365,737 (+2% 1 yr, +24% 5 yr); typical rent $1,604/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)149,093 vehicles a day on 95 (Interstate, 6 lanes); 14,946 trucks; 24 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Sauer Center (Richmond, VA) opened in 1911 as a spice company HQ/factory and historic warehouse. Developer Sauer Properties began retrofitting it in 2017 as a partial mixed-use project. The site now includes a Whole Foods Market (opened 2020), Class A office space, residential apartments, hotels, and ground-floor retail. It spans 37 acres.

Why. The project aligns with the 'redevelop, reinhabit' strategy. Key context: 37 acres (larger than most peers), housing included in new uses, and retrofit already underway (status: partial). Nearby developments include Tobacco Row (built, 1.3km) and Main Street Station mall (status unknown, 0.6km).

Where it stands. Partial completion (no full completion date). Permits show $231M–$312M in construction value (2023–2024). Housing market shows rising ZHVI ($365k) and ZORI ($1,604) in Richmond County. Retail establishments declined county-wide (-4.5% from 2012–2023).

For a planner

  • Traffic: Interstate 95 (6 lanes, 149k ADT) nearby
  • 37 acres exceeds most peer projects (e.g., Northway Mall: 30 acres)
  • Main Street Station mall status unknown within 1km

For a developer

  • Whole Foods anchor confirmed (2020)
  • 300k+ sq ft office space delivered
  • Housing market growth noted (2026 ZHVI forecast)

What we do not know yet

  • Partial status: no completion timeline
  • Main Street Station mall status unknown
  • No current occupancy rates or financials beyond permits
  • Retail decline trend not specific to site

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Northgate Mall, Seattle, WA · Malls · similar size (40 acres); same strategy: redevelop
  • Landmark Mall, Alexandria, VA · Malls · similar size (51 acres); same strategy: redevelop; also in VA
  • Crestwood Court, Crestwood, MO · Malls · similar size (47 acres); same strategy: redevelop
  • Northway Mall, Anchorage, AK · Malls · similar size (30 acres); same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • 37 acres
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1911newtypes-extraction
Acres37.0newtypes-extraction reported
CountyRichmond city
Census division5 · South Atlantic
NotesDraft from sauerpropertiesinc.com, model-extracted, unreviewed: The Sauer Center is a multi-phase redevelopment of a predominantly industrial area, including the former C.F. Sauer spice company facilities and Pleasants Hardware Store, into a mixed-use district with retail, office, housing, and hotels in Richmond, VA.

Not yet recorded: GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Timeline

  1. 1911 Opened
  2. 2017 Plans to transform the predominantly industrial area into a new bustling neighborhood broke ground
  3. 2017 Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit
  4. 2020 The Sauer Center Whole Foods Market opened to the public

Sources

  • Development - The Sauer Center
    3 quoted sentences
    The Sauer Center
    Plans to transform the predominantly industrial area into a new bustling neighborhood broke ground in 2017
    The Sauer Center Whole Foods Market opened to the public January 30, 2020.

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