Governor awards $2.1 million to develop business-ready sites

CHARLESTON, W.Va . (WVVA) - Governor Patrick Morrisey has awarded $2.1 million in Ready Sites grants to support engineering and architectural work that will help prepare business-ready sites across 23 West Virginia counties.

The funding pays for items such as environmental and geotechnical studies so communities can present shovel-ready locations to companies considering large-scale investment.

The grants are administered by the Division of Economic Development and are intended to reduce development timelines so communities statewide can compete for new projects. Each listed award in this round carries an allocation of $75,000.

Local awards

Among the awardees are several in our region: the Bluefield Economic Development Authority, the McDowell County Economic Development Authority and the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (Maxwelton site and Fountain Springs site), each receiving $75,000 to advance site readiness in their communities.

These investments aim to make local sites more attractive to prospective employers and to shorten the time from interest to construction.

Statewide awards

Grants were awarded to the following recipients, each for $75,000:

• Charleston Area Alliance
• Putnam County Development Authority
• Mason County Development Authority
• Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (Maxwelton site)
• Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (Fountain Springs site)
• McDowell County Economic Development Authority
• Preston County Economic Development Authority (Grace Chapel site)
• Preston County Economic Development Authority (Valley IP site)
• Preston County Economic Development Authority (TAZ Sawmill site)
• Preston County Economic Development Authority (North Pointe IP site)
• Preston County Economic Development Authority (Pres-Mon site)
• Morgan County Economic Development Authority
• Jefferson County Development Authority (Jefferson Orchard site)
• Jefferson County Development Authority (Lot 36 Burr BP site)
• Upshur County Development Authority (Brushy Fork site)
• Upshur County Development Authority (Martin Weatherford site)
• Barbour County Economic Development Authority
• Marion County Regional Development Corporation
• Berkeley County Development Authority
• Bluefield Economic Development Authority
• Mineral County Economic Development Authority
• Pleasants County Development Authority
• New River Gorge Regional Development Authority
• Wood County Development Authority & Parkersburg-Wood County Area Development Corp. (00 29th Street site)
• Wood County Development Authority & Parkersburg-Wood County Area Development Corp. (Fort Boreman site)
• Wood County Development Authority & Parkersburg-Wood County Area Development Corp. (Stone Ridge site)
• Harrison County Development Authority (Harrison Regional site)
• Harrison County Development Authority (Spelter site)

What this means locally

For our communities, the grants represent targeted investments that can help attract employers who prioritize speed to build. By funding the technical work needed to clear a site for development, local leaders can better market parcels to manufacturers, distribution centers and other large employers that bring jobs and tax base to the region.

Next steps

Local economic development authorities will use the grant funds to complete studies and designs that make their sites development-ready. Officials and community leaders can expect faster permitting and fewer unknowns when prospective companies inspect sites prepared with modern engineering and environmental documentation.