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McAuliffe announces first Virginia Business Ready Sites Program award recipients

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virginia logoGovernor Terry McAuliffe announced the first round of Virginia Business Ready Sites Program grants to 28 projects across the Commonwealth.

The VBRSP, administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), is a discretionary program established to help Virginia localities develop and market their existing industrial or commercial sites to prospective businesses, thus enhancing the Commonwealth’s infrastructure and promoting its competitive business environment.

“I am confident that the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program will be a powerful economic development tool to identify marketable sites for prospective businesses,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Every locality that requested funding and met the required guidelines will receive it, which is a huge testament to the motivation and commitment of Virginia’s communities and our partnership to ensure that the Commonwealth remains competitive in the global arena. These grants will be used to identify and assess large sites so they can be marketed for industrial or commercial purposes, thus increasing Virginia’s inventory. This new program goes hand-in-hand with our efforts to diversify and build a new Virginia economy, and I congratulate the award recipients and the four business ready sites.”

More than 20 Virginia localities were approved for more than $96,000 in funding to assess their industrial or commercial sites and receive a Site Characterization Tier Level. Four Virginia sites have been designated as business ready sites and 28 grants will be awarded during Phase I of the program. Tier 4 designations include: Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre in Henry County, New River Valley Commerce Park in Pulaski County, and Wildwood Commerce Park in Carroll County. The CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Suffolk is the first recognized site with Tier 4 and Tier 5 certifications, meaning all critical infrastructure components are in place.

Through this public-private partnership program, localities can apply for funding to identify marketable properties greater than 100 contiguous acres. Acreage readiness is ranked from Tier 1 to Tier 5, as outlined below.

  • Tier 1: The site is not zoned and minimal or no due diligence has been performed;
  • Tier 2: Owners have agreed to a competitive sale price and the comprehensive plan reflects that the site is intended for industrial or commercial development;
  • Tier 3: Sites are zoned for commercial and industrial use, due diligence has been completed and the estimated costs of development have been quantified;
  • Tier 4: All infrastructure is in place or will be deliverable within one year and all permit issues have been identified or quantified; and,
  • Tier 5: All permits are in place and the site is ready for a disturbance permit.

“The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program provides an important avenue for localities to assess, better develop, and then market their large acreage sites for economic and job creation opportunities,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore. “With awards being made from Tazewell County to the City of Chesapeake, it is exciting to see most all regions of Virginia benefit from this new program.”

Applicants awarded can use the funds for retaining or reimbursement of a site development professional for site characterization. The VBRSP committee is comprised of state, regional, and local stakeholders, including VEDP, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, railroad representatives, utility representatives, civil engineers and other government, business and industry representatives.

Phase II of the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program will provide funds for site development. Applications for the site development grants will be accepted in 2017.

The Phase I award recipients includes the following:

Grantee Locality Site Name Funding Request
Appomattox County Economic Development Authority

 

Appomattox County Appomattox Center for Business & Commerce, Lot 13 $4,450
Town of Ashland

 

Ashland Holland/Axelle Site $5,000
Augusta County

 

Augusta County Blue Mountain Properties $5,000
Bedford County

 

Bedford County New London Business & Technology Center $5,000
Botetourt County Botetourt County Botetourt Center at Greenfield $5,000

 

Chesapeake Economic Development Authority

 

City of Chesapeake Frank Williams Farm $5,000
Dinwiddie County

 

Dinwiddie County Boydton Plank Road – Portion of Virginia Motorsports Park $5,000
Franklin County

 

Franklin County Southway Business Park $5,000
Fredericksburg Regional Alliance

 

Spotsylvania and Caroline Counties Orrock-Simms Assemblage $5,000
Henrico County Economic Development Authority

 

Henrico County White Oak 5/6 $581
Henrico County Economic Development Authority County

 

Henrico County White Oak 7 $534.50
Henrico County Economic Development Authority County

 

Henrico County White Oak 8 $683.50
Henrico County Economic Development Authority

 

Henrico County White Oak 10/11/12 $597.50
Isle of Wight County Economic Development Authority

 

Isle of Wight Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park, Phase III $2,025
New Kent County Economic Development Authority

 

New Kent County Kinney Tract 2 $5,000
New Kent County Economic Development Authority

 

New Kent County New Kent City Center $5,000
Orange County

 

Orange County King Property $2,065.25
Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority

 

Pittsylvania County Berry Hill $1,400
Pittsylvania County

 

Pittsylvania County Southern Virginia Multi-Model Park – Former Burlington Hurt Industrial Site $5,000
Rockingham County

 

Rockingham County Innovation Village @ Rockingham (IV@R) $4,000
Shenandoah County, Town of Mount Jackson

 

Shenandoah County Turkey Knob Road $5,000
Southampton County

 

Southampton County Camp Parkway Commerce Center $4,800
Spotsylvania County

 

Spotsylvania County Gilman Tract East $2,376.50
Spotsylvania County

 

Spotsylvania County Gilman Tract West $3,575
City of Staunton Economic Development Authority

 

Staunton Staunton Crossing $5,000
Town of Bluefield

 

Town of Bluefield Leatherwood Site $1,187.50
Joint Industrial Development Authority of Wythe County

 

Wythe County Progress Park $630
York County Economic Development Authority, James City County Economic Development Authority

 

York County and James City County Pottery Property $2,500

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