EXTENDED FEATURE: Gainesville Concrete Plant Demolished, Cabela’s to Begin Construction Soon

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The final, and largest, structure of the Betco Block Plant in Gainesville was demolished Monday morning after four weeks of preparation.

Beto Block Plant Demolition The final structure of the Betco Block Plant is pulled to the ground.

The concrete plant, adjacent to the Virginia Gateway Shopping Center in Gainesville, was taken down by Demolition Services, Inc. to make way for the 79,000-square-foot Cabela’s outdoor store that is expected to open in spring 2017.

Dozens of people, including some county officials, were present to witness the structure’s last moments.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart. “It was the first time I ever saw anything like that.”

According to Ron Feather, owner of Demolition Services, his crew was onsite for four weeks. During that time, single-story buildings were demolished with the last week reserved to prepare the final structure for demolition.

Since many counties have been getting stricter on using explosives to demolish buildings, Feather’s crew had to torch the support beams before pulling the structure down with excavators.

The Betco plant officially closed late last year and was sold to the Peterson Companies for development.

For about a year now, the Peterson Companies has been working closely with Cabela’s to plan its construction and opening in Gainesville.

“They weren’t certain this was the exact location so we had to work with them,” said Jim Mertz, vice president of retail development with PC. “Cabela’s has such a regional draw, people come from literally miles away.”

Once they purchased the land from Betco, it had to be rezoned.

“The land was zoned industrial and it needed to be retail,” Mertz said. “We went through a rezoning with Prince William County, that took about five months and that was completed in May.”

Now that the entire plant has been demolished, the area will be prepared for the Cabela’s construction, which should begin on Aug. 15.

Pre-Demolition Address Chairman Stewart, Jim Mertz and Supervisor Lawson (left to right) address the crowd before demolition.

The Gainesville Cabela’s location will be the third and final to open in Virginia—following the fall 2015 Bristol location and spring 2016 Short Pump location.

According to Stewart, this all comes at a good time for the county.

“We’re becoming a wealthier, more educated, more cosmopolitan community,” he said. “You’re going to see other high-end retail over the next several years.”

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