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IDA asks planning partner to pursue EDA disaster grant to ready Lots 6 and 7
Summary
The Washington County Industrial Development Authority voted to ask the Mount Rogers planning partner to pursue an Economic Development Administration FY25 disaster supplemental grant to build pad-ready Lots 6 and 7; the grant is 80/20 and a $2.23 million project would require an estimated county match of about $450,000–$500,000, subject to final bid numbers.
The Washington County Industrial Development Authority voted to ask the Mount Rogers planning partner to proceed with an application for the Economic Development Administration’s FY25 disaster supplemental program to prepare Lots 6 and 7 as pad-ready industrial sites.
Jordan Powers, the presenter identified in the packet (first mentioned by the chair), told the board the EDA program is open nationally and that Washington County is eligible because of economic effects tied to the 2024 hurricane. He said the EDA awards fund projects ranging from about $2 million to $20 million and that the program requires an 80/20 federal-to-local match. “The projects that we’re looking to fund are between 2 and $20,000,000,” he said, adding that, on a roughly $2.23 million option, the county’s share would be “around 450,000.”
Board members debated whether the county should commit opportunity funds to cover a 20% match. Several members said the smaller pad‑ready lots would improve competitiveness for local recruitment and provide flexibility compared with only large sites. One member noted that documenting businesses the authority previously had to turn away strengthens an EDA application; Powers agreed and asked the board to compile examples.
Mount Rogers staff explained they can prepare the application without charging the locality up front and that EDA typically covers the majority of allowable administrative costs; if funded, the authority could recover or incorporate an agreed admin fee into project draws. The board requested a firm match figure and cost estimate before any final commitment.
At the meeting the chair moved that the authority ask Mount Rogers to proceed with grant preparations and requested a report back to the authority with final match numbers. The motion was seconded and approved by the board as recorded in the meeting transcript (the minutes show the roll call/result as recorded in the meeting as “6 1” with abstentions noted in discussion). The board did not finalize the exact dollar commitment at this meeting; staff will return with specific bid- and scope-based numbers before any final vote to obligate county funds.
Next steps: Mount Rogers will prepare application materials and return to the IDA with a final match estimate and schedule for the board to consider a formal funding commitment.
