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County updates EDA strategic plan, grocery store grant and small-area/Main Street studies; seeks to finalize Hecate Energy easement hearing
Summary
Cumberland County staff presented a wide-ranging economic development update including an EDA strategic plan, a courthouse grocery store project backed by grant funding, small-area/Main Street planning, the Luther P. Jackson Committee’s historic and fundraising work, and a requested public hearing for an easement to Hecate Energy.
Cumberland County staff provided a comprehensive update on economic development efforts, including a strategic plan developed with grant funding, a courthouse grocery store project tied to performance agreements and multiple grants, small-area/Main Street planning initiatives, the Luther P. Jackson Committee’s work toward historic designation and programming, and a planned county website refresh.
Staff described the EDA strategic plan (the "PLOW Initiative") as a playbook to support agriculture, small business development and agritourism. The presentation said the plan began in January with grant funding from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and the Virginia Tobacco Commission, totaling approximately $50,000, and that county staff collaborated with Summit Design and Engineering for research and stakeholder engagement.
On the courthouse grocery store project, staff said the county and the EDA had secured a $100,000 Catalyst grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission and an "agent" grant of roughly $49,500; the EDA and county are finalizing performance agreements that tie incentive payments to performance measures such as full-time employees and capital investment. Staff said the authority would make an initial incentive payment within 30 days of the agreement and that further payments require documentation of performance targets. The county will administer the grants and performance agreements through the EDA and intends to align contract language across funders.
The Luther P. Jackson Committee has met three times, staff said, and the committee is pursuing historical designation and a marker (deadline for submission to the Department of Historic Resources was noted in the meeting), drafting bylaws to pursue 501(c)(3) status, and seeking to create display/collection materials for the school. The committee reported two grant awards: a $15,000 Dominion Foundation grant and a $50,000 T‑Mobile grant.
Staff also described a small-area plan and a separate Building Opportunities on Main Street study. The small-area plan focuses on a larger courthouse village node for land-use guidance while the Main Street program targets a smaller commercial core to support façade improvements, property inventories and grant eligibility (CDBG and other competitive programs). The county reported a website refresh with a projected rollout in January 2026 to combine tourism and economic development content into a single portal.
Near the end of the economic development presentation, staff asked the board to set a public hearing in November for a conveyance of county property and an easement to Hecate Energy; county staff noted state law requires a public hearing for conveyance of county property. The transcript records the request but does not include a recorded vote on setting the hearing in the provided excerpt.
The update closed with staff inviting further feedback and noting the EDA will consider the strategic plan for recommendation to the board. Staff emphasized that many initiatives are grant-funded and that use of grant proceeds would be managed through performance agreements reviewed by the EDA and the board.
