The 6.7-acre site is southwest of the intersection of Gaskins Road and Patterson Avenue. (Image courtesy of Commonwealth Commercial)
A plot of undeveloped land in western Henrico that for decades has been approved for a residential high-rise is in the hands of a new owner who’s planning just that.
Developer Louis Salomonsky is in the early stages of planning a residential tower at the southwest corner of Gaskins Road and Patterson Avenue, after an entity tied to his Historic Housing development firm bought the roughly 7-acre site at 711 Old Gaskins Road for $1.3 million last month.
The largely wooded site was approved in 2000 for Gaskins Centre Towers, a 10-story development that was planned to consist of 80 condos across two towers above a two-level parking deck. That project was proposed by Gumenick Properties, which developed the nearby Grayson Hill townhomes and was the seller in the deal with Salomonsky’s firm.
Gaskins Centre Towers never went forward, and the land was listed for sale.
Louis Salomonsky
“It’s right near my house,” Salomonsky said. “I drove by it, saw a ‘for sale’ sign, picked up the phone and had it under contract 24 hours later.”
Since closing on the land Aug. 9, Salomonsky said he’s been talking with neighbors about rezoning the property to allow for roughly 100 units, which he said would start as apartments and convert to condominiums. He said the height of the development and other details have not been determined.
“It’s being designed to be luxury apartments for eventual conversion to condos,” he said. “I don’t know where I’m going to end up landing. We’re just trying to come to some pleasant compromise.”
The purchase was made through an entity called Old Gaskins LLC, which lists the address of Historic Housing, the local development firm that Salomonsky has led for years with business partner David White.
While known for its residential conversions of old commercial and industrial buildings in the city, the company has shown an interest of late in the suburbs. Last year, Salomonsky secured approval from Henrico for a seven-home infill on a nearly 3-acre site along Church Road west of Guyana Drive.
The firm, meanwhile, is nearing the finish line on The Icon, a 12-story tower and residential conversion of the former Quality Inn & Suites on West Broad Street in Scott’s Addition. It’s also starting work on a 12-story apartment tower at the former Weiman’s Bakery property in Shockoe Bottom.
It isn’t clear why Gumenick didn’t go forward with its project on the Gaskins site. A call to Gumenick executive Shane Finnegan was not returned Wednesday afternoon.
Ryan Fanelli and Sam Worley with Commonwealth Commercial Partners represented Gumenick in the sale.
The county had assessed the land at $896,300. The site does not include the two-story office building at the corner of Gaskins and Patterson.
The Gaskins site is the latest Gumenick holding to be sold off in recent months. The company, whose other developments include Libbie Mill-Midtown and Monument Square, last month sold a 6-acre site at 9301 Patterson Ave., about a half mile east, for $1.9 million to Build Senior Living, which is developing an assisted living and memory care facility there.
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