Chesapeake officials preparing to rezone 1,400 acres of farmland for ‘mega’ industrial park
Along the city’s southernmost edge near the North Caroline state line sits 4,000 acres of tilled land that once grew soybeans, wheat and corn.
But over the past few years, city officials have viewed a portion of that rural area as a unique economic development opportunity for larger commercial and industrial projects. Solar farms and mixed-use developments also have been considered. Now, a new project has come into focus for that property — a so-called industrial mega-site that will be called the Coastal Virginia Commerce Park.
The land is owned by Virginia Beach’s Frank T. Williams, who began assembling a slew of properties near the state line in the 1970s.
The city has applied for an $85 million state grant that will help get the site “shovel-ready” for future projects. But the site must be rezoned before it can receive funding. In a meeting this week, city leaders said Chesapeake is moving quickly on the rezoning request because the competitive grant funding is expected to be given out by the end of the calendar year.
The Planning Commission will vote on the rezoning at its Nov. 9 meeting before council members vote the following week. The request is to rezone the 1,420-acre piece of farmland from agricultural to industrial.
If rezoned, uses for the land could include research and development facilities, e-commerce and distribution centers, environmentally appropriate manufacturing, medical campuses, corporate headquarters and higher learning centers. Some other forms of business are allowed as secondary uses, including hotels, banks, warehouses and on-site storage facilities.
But residential developments, salvage yards, cargo container and repair facilities and landfills would not be welcome.
Economic Development Director Steven Wright said Chesapeake’s industrial park would compete for businesses with other such parks in Danville, Chesterfield and Sandston. But Wright is confident Chesapeake has the edge because the land is already cleared and flat and because of its prime location as a gateway into the commonwealth near a major port.
Wright cited Lego’s $1 billion investment into a new manufacturing plant in Chesterfield’s Meadowville Technology Park as an example of what Chesapeake could attract to its mega-site.
“We’re talking billions in investment, and jobs in the thousands,” he said.
A city spokesperson told The Virginian-Pilot that the Economic Development Authority has discussed purchasing the property, but no agreements have been made. If purchased, the EDA would be the owner and operator.
No development plans have yet been proposed.
A variety of amenities and improvements are planned for the site such as a forest buffer, trees and plants along medians and rights-of-way, open and communal spaces and trail connections, including a potential connection to the Dismal Swamp trail. City staff are working with agencies like the Navy to minimize any electromagnetic interference, which could include smaller voltage lights, for example.
The property will still need internet service and utilities such as natural gas.
But while city officials have called it a “transformative” opportunity, some residents are calling on the city to “stop urbanizing” its rural land and instead support and protect “irreplaceable fragile ecosystems, wildlife habitats and our chosen way of life,” according to an online petition.
The Frank T. Williams farmland is nestled between the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Northwest River Natural Area Preserve.
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
