Proposed 24-hour YMCA child-care in Sandston could serve airport employees, others
The former Henrico Volunteer Rescue Squad building near Richmond International Airport in Sandston could become a 24-hour YMCA child-care center as part of a rezoning proposal intended in part to accommodate the children of airport employees who work overnight and irregular shifts.
The Capital Region Airport Commission is seeking to rezone the 1.7-acre site at the southeastern corner of Lewis and Huntsman roads in Sandston to allow the YMCA to operate the facility.
The proposal, which is scheduled to be considered by the Henrico Planning Commission Oct. 15, is expected to accommodate about 140 children, ranging from infants to 12-year-olds, and employ about 14 staff members.
Unlike traditional child-care centers, the proposed facility would operate around the clock, with most children expected to spend between four and 12 hours there on average.
The extended hours are intended to accommodate employees at Richmond International Airport, where airlines, security personnel and other workers frequently have schedules outside conventional daytime hours. There has been an ongoing demand for such a facility, Henrico planners wrote in their review of the proposal.
The center also could serve families outside the airport workforce.
The facility would occupy the existing two-story, 14,432-square-foot building at the intersection that was built in 1972 and housed the Henrico Volunteer Rescue Squad until it ceased operations in 2022. It has been vacant ever since.
Plans call for the first floor to house an infant room, a toddler room and three preschool rooms, as well as a kitchen area, a laundry room, commons areas and administrative offices. The second floor would include four classrooms, a resource room, a gross motor skills room, commons area and other space.
Plans show outdoor play areas on the northern and southern portions of the property, with fencing and screening to separate those areas from parking and vehicle circulation. The primary entrance to the facility would be from Huntsman Road, with parking and child drop-off areas behind the building.
The airport commission is requesting a change from the property's existing residential and conservation zoning classifications to conditional Office District zoning, which would permit the proposed child-care use.
Two 28-passenger buses would provide transportation for school-age children participating in after-school care.
The proposal also includes landscaping along Lewis Road and other improvements intended to accommodate the new use.
County planning staffers are supporting the rezoning, citing the opportunity to reuse an existing vacant building while providing a service that could benefit airport employees and nearby families.
The county's traffic analysis estimates that the facility could generate approximately 531 vehicle trips on a typical weekday. Public Works officials also have requested a five-foot-wide sidewalk along Lewis Road.
The site is within the county's Airport Safety Overlay District, which establishes additional development regulations for properties near the airport.
The planning commission is scheduled to hear the proposal during its 6 p.m. meeting Oct. 15 at the Henrico Government Center, 4301 East Parham Road. Once it has made a recommendation, the Henrico Board of Supervisors will make a final decision during a future meeting.
