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Gilbane Building Co., based in Providence, Rhode Island, along with Prestige Construction Group of North Chesterfield, Va., has won a contract to build the new home for Richmond’s flying squirrels, a minor league affiliate of MLB’s San Francisco Giants, Gilbane said in a July news release. The stadium will do it it cost $110 millionaccording to local channel WTVR.
Machete Group, a Houston-based consulting firm, will manage the stadium project, according to the release.
The 10,000-seat Richmond Diamond District Ballpark will have an industrial, warehouse-like feel meant to pay homage to Richmond’s railroad lineage, according to Gilbane. The contractor will deliver the project in less than two years, in time for the 2026 baseball season.
The stadium is the cornerstone of the larger 67-acre development known as the Diamond District Project, which it cost $2.4 billion, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. In April 2023, city the leaders agreed to replace “The Diamond”. the previous minor league stadium.
The city will sell land around the stadium to form a mixed-use development. Six parcels of land in the future Diamond District, which currently houses the existing stadium, its parking lot, an athletic field used by local colleges, a recreational softball field and an undeveloped turf area, will become residences, commercial space and parkland, the Times-Dispatch reported.
In addition to the Flying Squirrels, Virginia Commonwealth University, located in downtown Richmond, will use the site.
“Gilbane is a proven stadium builder with roots right here in Richmond, Virginia,” Maggie Reed, business leader for Gilbane’s Richmond office, said in the release. “We’ve been building in Richmond for more than 30 years, so for us, this project is more than just a new stadium. It’s an opportunity to invest in the community we call home.”
There is a huge fan base for flying squirrels. The team consistently ranks among the top teams in minor league baseball and led the Eastern League in total or average attendance nine times, while surpassing the top 30 Double-A teams in total and average attendance each of the last two seasons, for launch.
