The Danville-Pittsylvania area has more industrial sites ready for development than any other locality in Virginia, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. At its regular meeting Tuesday, Danville’s city council will consider a budget amendment intended to make another industrial site shovel-ready.
The amendment would transfer $3 million from the city’s gas fund to its economic development fund for a grading project at the Coleman Site, a 158-acre industrial site near the Goodyear plant.
The city and Pittsylvania County have put much time, money and effort into developing industrial sites and attracting industry over the past several decades.
It’s a long process, but the region recently saw its work pay off when Microporous, a battery separator manufacturer, announced that it would locate in Pittsylvania’s Berry Hill megasite and bring $1.3 billion in investment and over 2,000 jobs to the region.
The Coleman Site, much smaller than the Berry Hill megasite, was acquired by the city’s Industrial Development Authority in 2011.
It has access to major highways and utility infrastructure, but the site has been passed over by potential projects “due to lack of site readiness, particularly the absence of a graded pad,” said the staff report included in the council meeting agenda packet.
“To address this and enhance the site’s competitiveness, staff pursued multiple funding sources to complete due diligence and support critical site improvements,” the report says.
The grading project, if approved, will prepare about 80 acres of land for industrial development, including construction of an access road and grading for a future rail extension.
The work will elevate this site to a Tier 5 certification — the highest level in the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program — meaning it will be fully ready for industrial use and significantly more marketable.
In total, the project will cost about $17.4 million. About $11.3 million in grant funding has already been secured, including $9 million from the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program and about $2.3 million from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.
“Both programs require a local match and staff is requesting approval to utilize $3 million from the gas fund towards this match,” the report says. “Preparing the site will position the community to attract large-scale industrial prospects with high capital investment, utility usage, and job creation potential.”
Staff recommends that the council approve this budget amendment.
Council meets at 7 p.m. in the fourth-floor council chambers at 427 Patton Street.
The meeting will be followed by a city council work session. There are no other meetings in Danville this week.
In Pittsylvania County, the planning commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
