State studies moving auto fleet from Scott’s Addition site, which would free it up for development
A Virginia agency is recommending that the state’s fleet management division, long headquartered on West Leigh Street near Scott’s Addition, remain in the Richmond area.
Roughly 20% of the 3,200 state vehicles overseen by the Virginia Department of General Services are being serviced in the Richmond area, according to a report released by the agency this week that called the 2400 W. Leigh St. facility “a vital hub.”
“Remaining in the heart of the Richmond area ensures continued accessibility, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness,” DGS concluded.
However, the agency found the fleet management division has “outgrown” its current site, which it first began using in 1982 and which is capable of serving 1,000 vehicles and 20 buses.
“As vehicles have grown in size, especially with the integration of electric vehicles, the current bay dimensions can no longer accommodate the fleet’s evolving needs,” wrote DGS. “On average in the last five years, compact sedans have all but vanished, replaced by larger crossover vehicles. From 2013 to 2023, vehicles’ lengths increased by a remarkable 12%, adding nearly two feet [to] each vehicle.”
At the same time, the agency noted increasing development and rising property values in Scott’s Addition and the Diamond District have led to interest from developers in the West Leigh Street site.
Just west of the state’s fleet management property, Greystar is building a five-story, 388-unit apartment building. According to Richmond BizSense, the developer bought that parcel, then a 6 acre wooded lot, in 2024 for $18.4 million.
For Richmond, the sale of the state’s West Leigh Street facility could unlock a new stream of tax revenue if the property is transferred from the state, which does not directly pay real estate taxes, to a non-governmental owner.
The DGS study, which was ordered by the General Assembly earlier this year as part of the state budget, also suggests consolidating the state’s fleet management division with Virginia State Police’s fleet and radio communications divisions at one site. The police services are currently housed at the state headquarters at 7700 Midlothian Turnpike, just beyond the city’s border with Chesterfield.
“The existing infrastructure is outdated, undersized, and no longer capable of supporting the evolving operational needs of either agency — particularly in light of the growing use of electric vehicles, increased service demands, and the need for modernized communications infrastructure,” the agency wrote.
DGS estimated a combined facility would need just over 100,000 square feet on 12 acres to accommodate 1,445 vehicles. While rebuilding a separate facility for each agency would cost a projected $87 million, combining them would cost about $72 million, the agency found.
Ideally, DGS said that property would be sited “in close proximity to the northeast and southeast quadrants surrounding the Richmond central business district.”
Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org
