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County staff outlines marketing plan for 106 county parcels; Walton site and Southpointe Business Park highlighted
Summary
Economic development staff told the board the county owns 106 parcels, identified priority sites (a 40‑acre Southpointe Business Park parcel, Exit 45, 460 Pump House area and the Walton former elementary school), and proposed an RFP and brokerage approach while the board asked for more study on some sites and school committee timelines.
Economic development staff presented an inventory of county‑owned parcels and asked the Board of Supervisors for direction on marketing and an RFP approach for priority sites.
"We have found that the county actually owns 106 parcels per GIS records," staff said, and identified roughly 28 usable acres at the Southpointe Business Park (a tier‑4 site with utilities and an estimated sales value from CoStar in the region of about $3.7 million for the whole park area). Staff recommended marketing the site for advanced manufacturing, pharma/biotech and supply‑chain uses, and suggested engaging brokerage firms for broader reach.
The board discussed specific parcels. Supervisors asked staff to hold off marketing some properties — including parcels adjacent to a proposed fire‑training facility and certain Well Station Road lots — until decisions about the fire facility and school‑site needs are clearer. On the Walton property, a 16‑acre former elementary school, staff presented a void analysis that showed gaps in grocery, healthcare and childcare services in the trade area and offered a market estimate (staff cited a comparable valuation in the $1.2–$1.3 million range, noting the figure could be skewed by nearby new projects).
Staff described the RFP process under the Virginia Public Procurement Act as a competitive‑negotiation tool to solicit creative proposals and said the county could define acceptable uses (commercial, industrial, recreational or sports‑tourism) in the RFP. Board members stressed coordinating any sale or RFP with ongoing school‑replacement planning for the Beasley/Beasley‑area needs and asked for a cost/infrastructure study if the Walton parcel were to be considered for school reuse.
The board gave consensus to continue marketing key sites, to explore broker engagement for Southpointe, and to return with more detailed plans — including a workshop on the Walton property that aligns with the school‑site timeline and a clearer RFP structure if the board chooses to pursue one.
