ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke has received a $7.5 million grant from the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program to prepare land for manufacturing development.
The 82-acre lot known as Tract 8 is near Blue Hills Drive.
The City of Roanoke is matching the grant with $2.5 million.
“We really view this as one of our main opportunities to attract more manufacturing to this industrial park and to the city,” said Roanoke’s Economic Development Specialist, Alicia Cundiff.
The land, located within Roanoke’s Centre for Industry and Technology, is situated between the Blue Hills Golf Course and the city’s 911 Communication Center. It is also near other major manufacturing sites, including an upcoming Amazon distribution center.
“Manufacturing is really one of the sectors that has the best return on investment,” Cundiff said. “We are looking at hopefully down the road, high capital expenditure and high-paying jobs for the city.”
The city said this is one of the last pieces of developable property for manufacturing.
“Our city is 97 percent built out, and Tract 8 is one of our remaining opportunities to continue attracting manufacturing to the city,” said Marc Nelson, Director of the Department of Economic Development. “In today’s environment, speed to market is a crucial factor on where businesses choose to locate. We are honored to receive this award from the state and eager to get to work.”
The development will proceed in two phases. The first phase involves design and permitting work, then clearing, grading, and constructing access roads in the second phase. The site is expected to be fully prepared by summer 2026.