The swimming hole that a couple of generations of east-end families grew up with may come back, in a larger and busier form than it left. Mike Platania reported for Richmond BizSense on September 3, 2026 that preliminary plans have been filed with Henrico County to reopen the former Hadad’s Lake site in Varina as an outdoor recreation and event venue called Oasis Point.
The part of the file worth reading closely is not the amenity list. It is what county staff wrote next to it.
What has been filed
- Location: the former Hadad’s Lake at 7900 Osborne Turnpike, a roughly 36-acre parcel in Varina.
- Applicant: O.P. Holdings LLC, which acquired the site last summer. The Hadad family had owned the land since the 1960s and it sold in a 2024 foreclosure before changing hands again.
- Scope: about six of the 36 acres, supported by more than 200 parking spaces.
- Returning uses: pools, sand volleyball, a fishing pier, a banquet hall and an outdoor patio.
- New uses: pickleball courts, a basketball court and a restaurant. The existing banquet hall of roughly 5,400 square feet would be renovated and a new restaurant space of about 6,900 square feet built beside the pools.
- Approvals sought: a provisional use permit and a rezoning.
Hadad’s Lake operated for decades and closed after its 2023 season. Before that it was Hadad’s Palisades in the 1960s, and over the years it hosted everything from family reunions to music festivals.
The staff comment is the story
Henrico planning staff wrote that they have “concerns about the possible scope of activities,” and noted that the proposal is inconsistent with the county’s comprehensive plan along with a potential noise impact on surrounding residential areas. Staff recommended that the Planning Commission defer rather than vote, with the item set for the Commission’s September 10 meeting.
Three things follow from that for anyone with a house nearby. First, this is genuinely undecided: a staff recommendation to defer, plus a comprehensive plan inconsistency, is a long way from an approval. Second, the concern on the record is noise from the scale of activity, not the swimming. And third, there is a specific date on which the picture may change, which is more than you usually get.
Note the terminology, because it matters if you are reading county files across the metro. Henrico issues provisional use permits. Chesterfield calls the equivalent tool a conditional use permit. Same general idea, different words, and searching the wrong term is how people conclude nothing has been filed. The county’s process and its current plan are documented by the Henrico Planning Department.
What it means if you own or are buying in eastern Henrico
An amenity coming back is generally good for the surrounding market. A daytime recreation club and a late-operating event venue are not, however, the same neighbor, and the difference between them is exactly what the permit conditions would settle. If you are under contract within earshot of Osborne Turnpike, read the application and the proposed conditions rather than the headline.
Noise is also a disclosure and resale subject in its own right, and one we have written about at length in buying near a railroad, highway or flight path in Richmond VA. The broader question of what can appear on the empty land near you is covered in buying a home next to undeveloped land, and how these permits move through Chesterfield and Henrico is in how rezonings and use permits actually work.
For market context, Henrico County recorded 287 closed single-family sales in July 2026 at a median of $475,000, up 11.8% year over year, with 16 days on market and 1.5 months of supply. Those are Central Virginia Regional MLS figures published by the Richmond Association of REALTORS. They cover the whole county, and Varina and the neighboring communities of Sandston and Highland Springs generally trade below that countywide middle, so treat $475,000 as a county reference point rather than an east-end price.
We follow Henrico’s planning agenda for the neighborhoods we work in. If you want to know what has been filed near a specific address before you make an offer, ask us, or start with current listings. More development coverage is collected in Richmond Area News.
Questions about Oasis Point
Has Oasis Point been approved?
No. As of early September 2026 preliminary plans had been filed and the applicant was seeking both a provisional use permit and a rezoning. County planning staff recommended deferral rather than approval, with the matter set for the Planning Commission’s September 10 meeting.
Where exactly is the site?
7900 Osborne Turnpike in Varina, in eastern Henrico County. The parcel is roughly 36 acres, of which about six would be used for the proposed venue.
What did county staff object to?
According to the reporting, staff raised concerns about the possible scope of activities, noted the proposal was inconsistent with the county’s comprehensive plan, and flagged potential noise impact on surrounding residential areas. That is a planning-stage comment, not a final decision.
What is a provisional use permit?
It is Henrico’s mechanism for allowing a use that is not permitted outright in a zoning district, subject to conditions. Chesterfield County calls its equivalent a conditional use permit. If you are searching county records, use the term the specific locality uses.
When did Hadad’s Lake close?
It closed after its 2023 season, following decades in operation. The Hadad family had owned the land since the 1960s, when it was known as Hadad’s Palisades.
Would this help or hurt nearby home values?
It depends entirely on the conditions attached to any approval, which is why the conditions are the part to read. A restored daytime recreation amenity and a high-volume evening event venue affect a residential street very differently, and the permit is where that line gets drawn.
Who reported this first?
Mike Platania of Richmond BizSense, on September 3, 2026. The application details, ownership history and staff comments come from his reporting, linked at the top of this post.
