Amherst county boosts industrial growth with new shell building

Amherst County recently completed one of the largest industrial shell buildings in its region and is readying other industrial sites.

It’s a foundation for the next generation of economic development, county leaders hope.

Amherst’s new shell building — finished in late December in the Amelon Commerce Center — is the only publicly owned spec building of its size in the four counties, five towns and one city that the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance represents, according to Megan Lucas, its CEO and chief economic development officer.

The building, which could be occupied by up to four tenants, is 45,000 square feet, with a pad that allows for another 20,000 square feet of expansion. It offers 36-foot ceiling heights and translucent panels that allow natural light to stream inside.

“You don’t feel like you’re in this dark, cavernous building, working away,” says Victoria Hanson, executive director of the Amherst County Economic Development Authority.

Built by Blair Construction of Gretna, the new building cost $9 million, according to Hanson, who said funding for the project includes a $5.6 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Authority and a $1.25 million loan.

So far, the authority has had a few inquiries about the building, but Hanson expects interest to pick up after manufacturers figure out how new federal tariffs will affect expansion plans.

Additionally, Amherst County is developing the 554-acre property known as the Dillard Site and a 100-acre plot along State Route 210. Both sites sit close to U.S. 29.

The Dillard Site offers rail access, water and gas and high-capacity electrical service. Its largest lot could accommodate a 1 million-square-foot building, according to Hanson.

The county is working to identify environmental issues and prepare grading plans for both properties, hoping to soon have the Dillard Site at Tier 4, the next-to-highest level in Virginia’s scale of industrial site readiness, and the other property at Tier 3.

Work at the Dillard Site has been funded with $189,000 of authority money and a $322,071 state grant, and on Virginia 210 with $56,133 from the authority and $112,267 from the state, Hanson says.

The authority also markets the Town of Amherst’s L. Barnes Brockman Sr. Business and Industrial Park, which in mid-March had about 200 acres available, according to Town Manager Sara McGuffin.

“There’s an opportunity for people to build and grow their businesses,” she says.