Staff recommends approval from the Board of Supervisors to authorize the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA) to act as the authorized agent and submit a regional grant application under the FY 2017 Virginia Business Ready Sites Program - Site Development Grant Program for the Orrock Simms property. If the grant is approved, FRA will act as the fiscal agent.  Estimated expenditures will be as follows:

The Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) was established to identify and assess the readiness of potential industrial or commercial sites in the Commonwealth for marketing for economic development purposes, thereby enhancing the Commonwealth’s infrastructure and promoting the Commonwealth’s competitive business environment.  The initial step under the VBRSP is to obtain site characterizations for eligible properties that have the potential to become an industrial or commercial site.  After evaluation, sites are then assessed a tier ranking as follows:

• Tier 1: The site is not zoned and minimal or no due diligence has been performed;

• Tier 2: Owners have agreed to a competitive sale price and the comprehensive plan reflects that the site is intended for industrial or commercial development;

• Tier 3: Sites are zoned for commercial and industrial use, due diligence has been completed and the estimated costs of development have been quantified;

• Tier 4: All infrastructure is in place or will be deliverable within one year and all permit issues have been identified or quantified; and,

• Tier 5: All permits are in place and the site is ready for a disturbance permit.

Through the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA), Spotsylvania and Caroline Counties were previously awarded a regional grant to assess the Orrock-Simms Assemblage property under the site characterization program. The Orrock-Simms property is a 1,100 acre tract that crosses the border between the Counties of Caroline and Spotsylvania at the intersection of I-95 and State Route 606.  The site characterization for this property was evaluated as a tier one.

The current Virginia Business Ready Sites Program grant opportunity is for Site Development, designed to bring sites to higher levels of development and readiness for marketing. These grants are available to assist with the costs associated with the development required to increase a site’s currently designated tier to the next level. There is a dollar-for-dollar local match requirement.  In-kind contributions can be used; however, they are limited to no more than 25% of the total match, with services representing no more than 5% of the in kind contribution.

The Economic Development Departments from Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties would like to partner once again with the FRA to submit a regional grant application for the Orrock-Simms Assemblage property.  FRA would act as the lead applicant for the grant application and fiscal agent if the grant is approved.  The grant application would request $30,000 with a required local match of $15,000 each from Caroline and Spotsylvania County.  Spotsylvania County’s Economic Development has the local match funding available in their existing FY 2017 budget.  If the grant is approved, the total project costs of $60,000 would be used to hire a consultant to conduct wetland and stream determination, delineation and report, GPS mapping of the wetlands and streams, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality field verification.

The grant application deadline is May 19, 2017 and awards are expected to be announced no later than June 16, 2017.

There is no immediate financial impact at this time as this is a request to participate in a regional grant application with the FRA, as lead applicant and fiscal agent, and Caroline County.  However, if the application is approved, Spotsylvania County will need to provide $15,000 in local match which is currently available in Economic Development’s FY 2017 budget.