VPM plans a new downtown Richmond headquarters
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A rendering of the new HQ at 13-17 E. Broad St. Image: Courtesy of SMBW
VPM, Central Virginia's NPR and PBS affiliate, is planning to build a new headquarters on Broad Street in downtown Richmond.
Why it matters: The public media company has been headquartered out of 23 Sesame St. in Chesterfield County for nearly 60 years.
What's happening: VPM is working on acquiring a surface parking lot at 13-17 E. Broad St. (between Foushee and First streets) where it will build the new five-story, 53,700-square-foot HQ.
- A second one-story building will be added on the East Grace Street side, and a parking deck will sit between the two buildings.
VPM president Jayme Swain said it's too soon to know exact cost estimates for the project. The lot is assessed at just over $1.6 million and owned by an entity tied to the Shaia family, who also owns Mayo Island, per public records.
- The new office will be paid for through funding from the station’s Virginia Foundation for Public Media and private donations.
They hope to close on the property by the end of the year, Swain tells Axios.
- Ideally, they'll break ground in the spring, and the new headquarters will open in spring 2026.
What they're saying: Swain said VPM has been searching for a new spot for its headquarters for more than two years. The station needed more space to meet its growing and changing technological needs, as well as somewhere that’s accessible to the community.
- A building accessible to public transportation and near City Hall, the state Capitol and the city's Arts District was the ideal location, she said.
VPM's 99 Richmond-based employees, who currently work hybrid remote and in the Chesterfield office, will relocate to the downtown office once it's ready. They're still deciding what it will do with the Chesterfield property.