Henrico presents schematic design for new Fairfield-area elementary school

Henrico County Public Schools on the record presented the schematic design for a new Fairfield-area elementary school, a two-story building of about 92,870 square feet planned to hold roughly 750 students. Susan Moore, director of facilities, and Josh Bauer, principal, planner and senior project manager with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, outlined the site, program, timeline and environmental steps before the school board.

"The project site is located adjacent to Woodman Road to the south and Fall Line Trail to the west. It's approximately 23.3 acres," Bauer said, adding that "approximately 50% of the parcel is designated as wetlands" and that the developable area is about 9 acres. Presenters told the board they expect a relatively small wetland impact—about 0.27 acres—and that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and county permitting rules will guide mitigation and offsets.

The schematic organizes the school around an interior "Main Street," with pre-K rooms, three exceptional-education classrooms and five grade wings to yield 37 classrooms total. Bauer described features that include a stage with two proscenium openings (one serving the stage and one opening into the cafeteria), a secured vestibule with flanking administration, and classroom toilets on the first floor for younger grades. Parking shown in the schematic is for 143 cars and 10 buses; the design separates car and bus drop-off lines.

Moore told the board the project is one of the 2022 bond referendum items. The design team plans to complete design development and construction documents by February 2027, bid the project in spring 2027, begin construction in summer 2027 and finish construction in spring 2029 for a fall 2029 move-in. Moore said the total project cost from the bond reference was about $46 million; she said a detailed land-value breakdown and parcel-cost split (wetland vs. non-wetland acreage) would be provided in a follow-up report.

Board members asked about safety and circulation for the adjacent Fall Line Trail; Moore said the site plan includes fencing and gated access points that would be locked during school hours and opened outside school hours. On sustainability, Bauer said the division is pursuing LEED Silver and will design the roof to accept solar, with solar to be installed under a power-purchase agreement with Dominion Energy. Multiple board members urged consideration of solar canopies over parking and EV charging stations to future-proof the campus.

Members also focused on program and community impacts. Moore noted boundary-drawing work will begin in the 2027–28 school year and that the school board would need to approve any attendance-zone adjustments by fall 2028. Board members discussed local enrollment trends and development—the presenters cited River Mill and other nearby projects as drivers of local capacity need—and Moore said the division planner will prepare boundary scenarios.

Environmental follow-up steps include ongoing soils testing, expected by the end of the summer, to assess moisture, groundwater and erosion concerns before final design decisions. Moore said staff aimed to minimize wetland disturbance and would follow county setbacks and Army Corps requirements. On landscaping and design, several board members recommended native plantings, a wetland observation deck, rain gardens and built-in window seating as biophilic features to enhance instructional use of the adjacent natural environment; presenters said such items will be evaluated during design development and will depend on budget.

The board did not take formal action on the schematic at the meeting; Moore said the naming process and boundary work would return to the board later and that staff would provide requested follow-up on land-value details, soils testing results and boundary scenarios.