Concrete Plant Is Being Replaced By New Outdoors Store

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A Northern Virginia development company will begin the final phase Monday in demolishing a Gainesville concrete plant to make way for a huge new outdoor goods store.

In a ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, demolition crews with Peterson Companies will take down the last tower of the Betco Block Plant, near the intersection of Route 29 and Interstate 66. The event will be attended by Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, and Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, as well as Taylor Chess, president of Peterson’s Retail Division, the developer said in a statement.

Peterson Companies is clearing the way for the construction of a 79,000-square-foot Cabela’s store, set to open in the spring of 2017. An outfitter of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor gear, the store is expected to employ about 190 people and draw shoppers from Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, according to the statement.

The Cabela’s store will be part of Virginia Gateway, a shopping center developed by Peterson Cos. at Route 29 and Linton Hall Road. Part of a chain based in Sidney, Neb., the new store will be the first Cabela’s in the Washington area and the third in Virginia.

In a news release, the outdoor retailer said the new store will be “designed to surround customers in an outdoor-like experience with a large mountain replica, museum-quality wildlife displays and an aquarium.” It will include an indoor archery range, gun library, full-service boat shop, deli and fudge shop.

Also, the staff at Cabela’s will host educational seminars and demonstrations, offering tips and insight on outdoor products and activities.