RICHMOND, Va. (rbs news now) — Governor Glenn Youngkin has awarded $40 million in Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grants to 13 sites across the Commonwealth including projects in Henry County and Pittsylvania County on Friday.

The grants are part of the state’s effort to boost economic development by preparing sites for major business and industrial investment.

Henry County will receive $750,000 to support site development at the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre, while Pittsylvania County will receive $1.5 million for the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill.

“Business-ready sites are instrumental to Virginia’s ability to compete and win economic development projects and create great new jobs for Virginians,” Youngkin said. “The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program is a game changer for our economic development strategy.”

Since 2022, the state has secured more than $125 billion in capital investments from companies expanding or relocating to Virginia, driven in part by the availability of development-ready industrial sites, according to a news release from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP).

Administered by VEDP, the discretionary grant program works with localities, utilities, and state agencies to fund infrastructure improvements and permitting efforts that prepare land for immediate development.

The program targets sites with at least 50 contiguous, developable acres in large localities and 25 acres in smaller ones.

Of the total funding announced, $35.9 million will go directly toward site development, while $4.1 million is earmarked for accelerated site characterization, a new initiative aimed at quickly assessing high-potential sites, the release said.

Grants are awarded competitively by a VEDP-led investment committee composed of state and local stakeholders, including representatives from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and utility and transportation sectors.

The program includes both site characterization—assessing a site’s readiness—and development, with the goal of building a robust pipeline of shovel-ready sites across Virginia.

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