The extension of Magellan Parkway will do more than build a bridge over Interstate 95, enhancing travel for motorists and pedestrians. It also will expand access to about 200 acres of land ripe for investment, including the former headquarters of Best Products.
“This vast property is being transformed, revitalized, supercharged and reimagined as we speak. The critical pieces are locking into place. Momentum is building, and the key players are engaged,” said Henrico County Board of Supervisors Chair Roscoe D. Cooper III, of the Fairfield District.
With construction equipment staged nearby, officials and guests today celebrated the start of the project along a portion of Scott Road that will be improved and realigned as part of Magellan’s extension. The sparsely developed area, near the Scott Road Outdoor Athletic Complex, is poised for change.
To the north, MarkelǀEagle Partners has begun site work for Level Green, a roughly 880-unit community that’s expected to offer new homes beginning in 2027.
“This groundbreaking signifies the first step into what the future of this area within Henrico County will be,” said Ricky Core, president of MarkelǀEagle Partners. “With this road infrastructure, we will open the gateway to a wonderful residential community we will call Level Green.”
To the south, the Henrico Economic Development Authority (EDA) is reviewing proposals for the redevelopment of the Best Products property, which could include a mixed-use development anchored by an arena for concerts and sporting events.
“Our region and residents are absolutely starving for a venue that can host major concerts, sporting events and other entertainment,” Cooper said. “There’s truly no better site in the Mid-Atlantic than the Best Products property.”
The redevelopment has the potential to enhance Henrico’s quality of life and deliver scores of benefits for the community, including $1.4 billion in economic impact, 8,000 jobs plus housing and premier corporate office space, EDA Executive Director Cari Tretina said.
“Today’s event marks a first in a series of tangible and bold commitments that will transform this area we’ve dubbed Best Products Reimagined,” she said. The Magellan extension and nearby Garden City Pedestrian Bridge “are the first physical milestones that pave the way for the [area’s] long-term growth, innovation and opportunity.”
For its part, Magellan’s extension will stretch about three-quarters of a mile between Englewood Farms Drive, west of I-95, to Park Central Drive, east of I-95. The project also will bring improvements to the area’s public water and sewer infrastructure.
The extension, targeted for completion in 2028, will feature four-lane divided and three-lane sections, with raised medians, curbs and gutters, and a 10-foot-wide shared-use path. The project also will provide an intersection at Scott/Level Green Road and a roundabout for connections with the future St. Charles Road.
The bridge’s construction will likely result in only overnight closures of I-95’s travel lanes, said Terrell Hughes, director of the Department of Public Works.
The groundbreaking event also previewed plans for the Garden City Pedestrian Bridge. It will be built south of Magellan and will cross over I-95 at the site of the former Scott Road bridge, about a half mile south of where Magellan will cross I-95.
The Garden City bridge will be designed for bicycles and pedestrians only and will become part of the Garden City Connector Trail. That trail is planned to link to the Fall Line Trail at Athens Avenue and Cleveland Street. The Scott Road bridge was demolished in 2024 after being struck repeatedly by trucks.
