Staunton Crossing industrial site gets ready for business

A $9 million state grant is helping Staunton reach the finish line on Staunton Crossing, its long-awaited industrial site.

The state Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grant awarded Aug. 8 will help pay for a 1 million-gallon water tower and water supply lines, which will help complete water and sewer access to the 300-acre site.

“It was the last big thing that we needed,” says Amanda DiMeo, Staunton’s economic development director.

Staunton Crossing is located at the junction of Interstates 81 and 64 with a mile of interstate frontage. The city and its economic development authority expect it will attract companies that will provide high-paying jobs, boost tax revenue and help “put Staunton on the map,” DiMeo says.

Target industries include light manufacturing; logistics and transportation; food, beverage and agriculture; professional services; data centers and IT; and industries using rail transportation.

“We’re hearing from the state that people are asking for Staunton Crossing, so our name is getting out there,” DiMeo says. “I think it’s because of the proximity to the different markets along the East Coast, and then what we have to offer here. It’s a prime spot.”

At Staunton Crossing, all infrastructure is in place or will be deliverable within 12 months, and all permitting issues have been identified. Some sections are ready for occupancy, and one company is in negotiations. Completing water and sewer access elsewhere will take time, so the site is being marketed as ready for development in 12 to 18 months, DiMeo says.

Staunton’s involvement with the property dates to 2009, when the EDA spent $15 million in a land-swap deal with Western State Hospital. The city sold the first 25 acres to Staunton Crossing Partners in 2016. That parcel now has two hotels, four restaurants and a 7-Eleven, and generated $4.35 million in tax revenue from 2000 to 2023, according to a county report.

“They just purchased a 4.9-acre triangular piece that will attach to what they already have, and they’re still working on more development there,” says DiMeo.

Staunton Crossing is “a very attractive product” for the Staunton-Waynesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, says Shenandoah Valley Partnership Executive Director Jay Langston. “There is no doubt in my mind that we will be able to attract the kind of targets that we are after. The return on investment will be very good.”