Southern Virginia Increases Virginia’s Inventory of Shovel-Ready Sites

The Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA) is pleased to join localities of Halifax, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville in announcing twenty-one sites that will move from Tier-Two to Tier-Four sites (signifying shovel-ready sites) in the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) and eight sites that will move from Tier-Two to Tier-Five (shovel ready sites with graded pad sites).  SVRA received $1,534,900 from GO Virginia Region 3 and $454,100 from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) to further the preparation of sites in areas identified with specific assets for transportation such as rail and highway access, utilities inclusive of significant supply of natural gas, electricity and water supply along with a demonstrated available labor shed and workforce pipeline.  Southern Virginia leads the Commonwealth in the number of prepared sites, one of the reasons for the success they are achieving in business attraction. The strategy by local elected officials, government and economic development staff to keep an inventory of ready sites that serve diverse industries, leads to sites that are ready to market for prospects who need to ensure that the risks of building on the sites have been assessed and minimized. 

The SVRA service region has worked with the engineering firms of Dewberry and Reynolds and Clark to complete right-of-way; engineering and building for reliable, redundant and abundant sites across the region.  The strategy for site development included meeting diverse needs and has resulted in six VBRSP Tier-4 industrial parks in the region that provide access to eight VBRSP Tier-5 graded sites that are ready for immediate construction.  An additional 21 VBRSP Tier-4 sites have completed the engineering due-diligence and are ready for grading and building within 12-18 months. 

Sites range in size from 3.4 to 67 acres with from 2.5-32 acres of developable pad sites that can readily accommodate buildings from 20,000 sq. ft. to 600,000 square feet in size.  Some of the lots can be joined to accommodate larger pad sites for expansion capacity with up to double lot.

Industrial Park / Site   Current Sites	VBRSP Ranking	Developable Pad on Site	Potential Building Size
Airside Lot 2J (Airside Industrial Park – Danville)	Tier 5	17-acre pad on 50.44-acre site	300,000 sq. ft.
Recent Park Wins – Essel Propak Expansions, Lite House Expansions, Butonni (Nestle), & 2 pending announcements
Cane Creek Centre – Danville/Pittsylvania RIFA	Tier 4
Recent Park Wins – Walraven, Morgan Olson, Aerofarms, Tyson
Cane Creek Lot 1B – Rail	Tier 4	27-acre pad on 49.12-acre site	370,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 6B	Tier 4	21-acre pad on 24.78-acre site	380,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 6C	Tier 4	23-acre pad on 30.71-acre site	310,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 8A	Tier 5	8.5-acre pad on 22.7-acre site	100,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 10 – Rail	Tier 4	32-acre pad on 67-acre site	450,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 11A – Rail	Tier 4	14-acre pad on 20.6-acre site	150,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 11B - Rail	Tier 4	13-acre pad on 16.6-acre site	150,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 12 A	Tier 4	4.5-acre pad on 5.2-acre site	54,000 sq. ft.
Cane Creek Lot 12 B	Tier 4	7-acre pad on 8.6-acre site	72,000 sq. ft.
Coleman Site – Rail – largest rail served site in state	Tier 4
Coleman Site Lot 1	Tier 4	13-acre pad on 30-acre site	125,000 sq. ft.
Coleman Site Lot 2 – Rail	Tier 4	44-acre pad on 50-acre site	700,000 sq. ft.
Coleman Site Lot 3 - Rail	Tier 4	25-acre pad on 78-acre site	500,000 sq. ft.
Cyber Park	Tier 4
Recent Park Wins – Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (3), EIT/Zollner, Kyocera, Overfinch, BGF, FasTech, MEP
Cyber Park Lot 5	Tier 4	13-acre pad on 39.42-acre site	200,000 sq. ft.
Cyber Park Lot 7D	Tier 5	20.5-acre pad on 62.86-acre site	250,000 sq. ft.
Cyber Park Lot 10C	Tier 4	10-acre pad on 27.96-acre site	100,000 sq. ft.
Cyber Park Lot 12 B	Tier 4	8-acre pad on 19.3-acre site	100,000 sq. ft.
Day Site – Halifax County	Tier 4
Day Site Lot	Tier 4	30-acre pad on 34 -acre site	50,000 sq. ft.
Rich Creek Corporate Park – Patrick County	Tier 5
Recent Park Wins – Ten Oaks Expansion
Rich Creek Pad Site	Tier 5	25-acre pad on70 -acre site	100,000 sq. ft.
Rich Creek site with Shell Building	Tier 5	10-acre pad on 14-acre site	20,000 sq. ft.
Ringgold East Industrial Park
Recent Park Wins – Axxor Expansion, Panaceutics
Ringgold East Site – Pittsylvania County - Rail	Tier 5	28.3-acre pad on 51.04-acre site	600,000 sq. ft.
Riverview Industrial Park
Recent Park Wins - JTI Expansion
Riverview Lot 5B – Riverview Industrial Park Danville	Tier 4	6-acre pad on 11-acre site	72,000 sq. ft.
Southern Virginia Technology Park	Tier 4
Recent Park Wins – IperionX
SVTP Lot A	Tier 4	3-acre pad on 3.4-acre site	31,250 sq. ft.
SVTP Lot B	Tier 5	11-acre pad on 14.7-acre site	122,500 sq. ft.
SVTP Lot C	Tier 4	9-acre pad on 17-acre site	97,500 sq. ft.
SVTP Lot D	Tier 4	6.5-acre pad on 29.4-acre site	31,250 sq. ft.
SVTP Lot E	Tier 5	4.5-acre pad on 6.7-acre site	48,000 sq. ft.
SVTP Lot F	Tier 5	9.5-acre pad on 12.6-acre site	106,500 sq. ft.
SVTP Lot G	Tier 4	2.5-acre pad on 7.6-acre site	20,000 sq. ft.

In addition, with 1902 developable acres in the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill (SVMS), the 3,528-acre park can accommodate buildings in excess of ten million square feet with enormous volumes of redundant electricity, water, sewer, natural gas, rail, fiber and 4-lane access to the future Interstate I-785 with direct access to the 85-40 corridor and proximity to the Port of Virginia and a manufacturing skilled labor shed and workforce pipeline.  The site is already a Tier 4 Park with a Tier 5 pad site of nearly 200 acres. In addition, there is another large pad under completion that will be added to the Tier 5 certifications for VBRSP in the near future for which grading was provided through the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program at VEDP.  Concept drawings from 2.6 MSF to 10 MSF can be seen on the website at www.SOVAMegasite.com .  As noted from the previous table, this park can accommodate sizes that are not possible at other site locations.

This is not a region that is fishing for the whale of a megasite project while relinquishing small and medium sized industrial wins.  In fact, this is a united region that recognizes that different towns, cities and communities have varied assets and resources.  They are content to match the strengths across the region and to attract companies who benefit from shared access to resources of a strong labor shed and workforce pipeline that is supported regionally.  Community development also sees support for town and city epicenters to support the region.

Mega projects often look at not only site potential at the SVMS but to an expanded 45 to 60-mile radius of sites across the region.  This has enabled the region to focus on small and medium sized companies as well as the large industry partners who present the strongest opportunities for long term success.  Collectively these small to medium sized projects have resulted in mega jobs and investments to the region that has never sacrificed the steady job flow and importance of individual diversification while also looking for large regional wins.

But megasite pursuit has also provided an educated regional and local economic development team with in-depth knowledge of key needs and assets sought by companies making major investments at all levels.  Working with international site consultants on the responses and needs of companies both on sites and community development has led to a more inclusive regional approach to ensuring future successes for small, medium and large projects, supplier parks, and community development across the region that can sustain a diverse and skilled manufacturing base that raises the gross domestic product of the region.

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