Thalhimer scraps Arthur Ashe Blvd. apartment project, sells land to HCA

The 1.2-acre site was previously eyed for 148 apartments. (Mike Platania photo)

A recent land deal within eyeshot of The Diamond has taken nearly 150 apartments off the board for the neighborhood and put the site in the hands of a healthcare giant. 

HCA Virginia last month purchased the 1.2-acre site at 1801 Ellen Road for $5.15 million. 

The Nashville, Tennessee-based health system bought the land from Thalhimer Realty Partners, which paid $2 million for the property in 2022 and had eyed it for a seven-story mixed-use building with 148 apartments and HCA as the main commercial tenant. 

While HCA is still planning to develop the land with a two-story emergency center, TRP has scrapped its plans for the apartment building, according to principal Jason Guillot.

Guillot said the decision to sell the land to HCA was driven primarily by rising construction costs and the development’s timeline.

HCA was eager to begin work on its emergency center, he said, and the overall project wasn’t a main priority for TRP, which has plenty of other development in the pipeline in the area, including the pending Diamond District development across the street. 

A rendering of the building that was previously planned to rise near the intersection of Ellen Road and North Arthur Ashe Boulevard. (BizSense file photo)

The sale closed June 14, city records show. The city most recently assessed the 1.2-acre parcel at $1.6 million.

An HCA spokesperson said the company is still finalizing design and engineering work for the new emergency center and is hoping to have it open in 2026. It’s expected to span 15,000 square feet across two floors with 12 emergency room beds. 

The medical facility would be adjacent to a handful of new-construction restaurants such as Chipotle, Raising Cane’s and Starbucks that have been built as part of TRP’s Scott’s Walk development. More restaurants are planned there, including Toast New American Gastropub and Marco’s Pizza.

The change of plans takes 148 apartments off the drawing board for Arthur Ashe Boulevard, but hundreds more are presently under construction. 

TRP and Crescent Communities are nearing completion on the nearly 300-unit Novel Scott’s Addition complex near the train tracks, and work is underway on both The Ace, a 295-unit, eight-story development at 1117-1201 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. and a six-story, 148-bedroom cohousing project next door at 1101 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. The Greyhound bus station site across from The Diamond also is being eyed for a major residential redevelopment. 

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