Five Virginia Communities Receive Grants to Restore Brownfield Sites

RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that five localities across the Commonwealth of Virginia received $1.5 million in Site Remediation Grants from the Virginia Brownfields Restoration and Economic Redevelopment Assistance Fund (VBAF).

The winners include:

• Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority ($500,000) for site remediation at the Southern Virginia Megasite;
• Town of Vinton ($500,000) for the redevelopment of the former Gish Mill property into a mixed-use development;
• County of Roanoke ($208,862) for remediation of asbestos in a vacant office complex to redevelop into mixed-use space;
• Town of Altavista ($198,518) for abatement of asbestos and other hazardous materials at the former Vista Theatre to rehabilitate the theater and add commercial space; and
• County of Patrick ($92,620) for remediation of asbestos in a former hardware store to renovate the facility into a business development center.

VBAF provides either grants or loans to local governments to restore and redevelop brownfield sites—properties with the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant—by addressing the environmental issues and cleaning up the site to attract new economic development prospects.  

“Redeveloping brownfield sites is crucial to site-readiness and attracting economic development in our Virginia localities, and the Virginia Brownfields Restoration and Economic Redevelopment Assistance Fund is an important tool to help us repurpose these sites,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “We are proud to support rural development in Pittsylvania County, Town of Vinton, Roanoke County, Town of Altavista and Patrick County with these grants.”

Established in 2011, VBAF is a partnership between the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Department of Environmental Quality and is administered by the Virginia Resources Authority.

“Creating project-ready sites in all of the regions across the Commonwealth has given us a competitive edge and another reason why Virginia is winning and growing,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “VBAF highlights the economic opportunity in our communities, and I want to thank each of the localities for their commitment to economic development.”

The Site Remediation Grants will cover rehabilitation of contaminated properties to remove hazardous substances and wastes, demolition and removal of existing structures, and other site work necessary to make sites usable for new economic development.

In addition to the five Site Remediation Grants, three more VBAF applicants each received $50,000 in Assessment and Planning Grants from VEDP and DEQ. Each locality awarded an Assessment and Planning Grant will be able to complete their project with this funding. The localities include:

• County of Bedford
• City of Charlottesville
• West Piedmont Planning District Commission (Town of Bassett)

“Site readiness is increasingly important for businesses looking to invest in Virginia, and we are proud to have programs like VBAF that help position the Commonwealth as a leader in sites,” said VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi.

“Since 2011, VBAF grants have been a powerful catalyst for brownfield redevelopment across Virginia paving the way toward overcoming environmental challenges and unlocking new economic opportunities,” said DEQ Director Mike Rolband. “Through the continued collaboration between DEQ, VEDP and communities throughout the Commonwealth, we ensure that VBAF remains an accessible resource to communities facing fiscal stresses to stimulate growth and revitalization.”

Since its inception, the VBAF program has awarded 260 grants totaling $21 million to Virginia localities. The VBAF program is allocated $2.25 million per year.

For more information on the Virginia Brownfield Restoration and Economic Redevelopment Assistance Fund, visit vedp.org/brownfields.

VEDP is the state economic development authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Created in 1995, VEDP collaborates with local, regional, and state partners to encourage the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy. VEDP works to accomplish these objectives through a variety of activities, including marketing and lead generation; business retention, expansion, and attraction; trade development; business intelligence; competitive benchmarking; site development; performance-based incentives; and talent solutions.