Rappahannock Goodwill Industries (RGI) is a thriving, non-profit organization that serves the greater Fredericksburg region in numerous ways. Founded in 1966, RGI aims to provide people with barriers to employment, particularly those with disabilities, an array of quality vocational and educational services so they can live and work independently. For many years RGI has provided its services from an out of date facility located on Princess Anne Street in Downtown Fredericksburg. As the needs of the community have changed, so has RGI changed, but their retail operation, outlet operation and corporate space needs have not been able to keep up.

In 2011, RGI identified that the former Gallahan’s furniture showroom building was for sale in the Lee Hill Center of Spotsylvania County. The building contained in excess of 80,000 SF in a two story configuration. Originally built as a furniture showroom and warehouse facility, RGI saw the opportunity to transform the existing building and approximately 5.5-acre site into a new home for its numerous office, warehouse and storefront operations. Welford Engineering has enjoyed a long time relationship with the leadership of RGI and they chose to engage our firm to assist them with conceptual project planning, due diligence studies, coordination with the County on required approvals and the completion of construction drawings for the conversion.

As the project evolved it became clear that RGI could accommodate much more in this new facility than they had once envisioned. The project then evolved to become a “Community Campus” that can now support other organizations with a similar mission to RGI. Long term the building may accommodate community college classrooms, RACSB programs, technology training facilities and community meeting spaces along with RGI’s corporate offices, retail operations, outlet operations, and materials processing facilities.

Welford Engineering’s role helped RGI have this project classified as a by right use under County zoning, increased parking on the site from 171 spaces to 312 spaces, provide 12 tractor trailer loading dock facilities, changed the travel patterns and entry sequence into the site and improved way finding. We began at the earliest stages of this project and assisted RGI until project completion with the building opening for service in October, 2012.