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Council reviews VBRSP site-characterization steps and tiering; staff to pursue competitiveness next year
Summary
Staff described VBRSP site-characterization as a prerequisite to raising site tiers (toward shovel-ready) and said the county will prepare engineered cost estimates and permitting to be competitive for federal and state grants next year.
Staff reviewed the research park priorities and explained how VBRSP site-characterization works as a prerequisite to higher readiness tiers. "We do have a portion of the research park that is eligible to be considered tier 5, which is basically shovel ready. But our official designation is I believe it's tier 2," Lee told the council, noting that site-characterization grants typically require hiring engineers to perform geotechnical and cultural-resource analyses.
Council members emphasized the need to bundle tactical action items with strategic priorities and to prepare concise capability statements for prospective funders. Staff said the county opted not to apply for the DOD Defense Communities Infrastructure Program this year because required engineered plans and reliable cost estimates were not yet ready, but that the county is working toward being competitive in the next round.
Members discussed using the comprehensive plan update and other regional partnerships (PDC, Virginia Space, Rocket Lab) to strengthen future grant applications. No formal action was taken because the meeting was informal.
