VDOT has completed work on a $10.5 million road that opens up interior access to the 300-acre Staunton Crossing development.
The city marked the milestone on Thursday with a ribbon cutting for the road, to be known as Crossing Way.
Hotels, restaurants, and retail have already been developed on roughly 25 acres within the Staunton Crossing development along Richmond Avenue. According to figures from the city, this small section brings in more than $1.2 million annually in tax revenue.
The completion of Crossing Way connects this development to the rest of Staunton Crossing, opening up the potential of the remaining 275 acres, which is projected to be able to accommodate a combination of offices, medical facilities, manufacturing and limited retail.
“This milestone has been many years in the making. It is progress that a lot of our Staunton community members are excited to see,” Staunton Mayor Stephen W. Claffey said. “The roadway gives access to hundreds of acres of prime real estate for development for new businesses that would create jobs.”
Staunton Crossing is about 300 acres of land on the north side of Richmond Avenue, where the Western State Hospital was located until 2013. The site is bordered by Interstate 81 to the east and Frontier Drive to the west, extending northward up to the new Western State Hospital.
The work behind the scenes at the location is still going. In mid-May, bids were received for the construction of sewer and water lines and a water tower for the site. The city has applied for grants through the Virginia Business Ready Site Program to help pay for these improvements and increase the site’s business-ready rating.
For more about Staunton Crossing, go to www.stauntoncrossing.com