Home Staunton Crossing project receives $4.5M grant, plan could deliver 3K jobs in city
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Staunton Crossing project receives $4.5M grant, plan could deliver 3K jobs in city

Crystal Graham

stauntonThe City of Staunton received a $4,555,000 development grant from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership for Staunton Crossing.

The 300-acre property is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 250 and Interstate 81 – just three miles from downtown Staunton. The property includes the Old Western State Hospital and the plan includes the potential of additional parcels along Frontier Drive. In 2021, a number of buildings on the property were torn down to prepare for the future.

According to a business plan developed in 2019 by the Timmons Group, the master plan has the potential to generate $4 million in annual tax revenue and more than 3,000 jobs for the local economy.

The land use could include residential, retail, office, logistics, data center or manufacturing.

The Virginia Department of Transportation spent $8 million to connect 250 to Valley Center Drive through the middle of Staunton Crossing. Construction on the roadway began in September. The road will include a lane for pedestrians or cyclists.

The project was part of a total of $90 million announced by Governor Glenn Youngkin for Virginia Business Ready Sites Program development grants awarded to 21 sites throughout the state. Administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the program helps characterize and develop sites to enhance the Commonwealth’s infrastructure with more competitive project-ready sites, to attract new business and accelerate expansion in Virginia.

The program’s goal is to identify, assess, and improve the readiness of industrial sites with at least 100 contiguous, developable acres or 50 acres in the western part of the Commonwealth.

The program has two components:

  1. Site characterization to assess and designate a site’s current level of development;
  2. Site development to further develop a pool of potential sites across the Commonwealth.

Localities can apply for grants to assist with the costs associated with the initial assessment and the development required to increase a site’s current designation level.

“Speed to market is an increasingly crucial factor in site selection decisions for economic development projects, and we are making strategic infrastructure investments to ensure a robust portfolio of sites,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “These Virginia Business Ready Sites Program grant awards will enhance 21 sites around the Commonwealth, helping to ensure that site demands across a wide spectrum of project parameters can be met and that all regions participate in Virginia’s economic growth.”

Staunton received more than $850,000 in 2022 from the same program to complete assessments and studies related to the property.

The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program was developed by a team of state, regional, and local stakeholders including VEDP, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, railroad representatives, utility representatives, civil engineers, and other government, business, and industry representatives. Grants are considered on a competitive basis and made at the discretion of an investment committee composed of VEDP and Administration leaders.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.