Radford receives grant for Commerce Park

The city of Radford received $3.5 million to revitalize the 80-acre West Radford Commerce Park, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

Funding is provided through the Virginia Business Sites Ready Program (VBRSP), which aims to improve the city’s infrastructure and promote a more competitive business environment.

The grant will be used to revitalize the site that was formerly home to the foundry, which produced a variety of iron products, including water and sewer pipes, until it closed in 2013.

The $3.5 million, according to the City of Radford, is intended for “…engineering and design work, grading of the site, fencing of the lagoon, removal of any contaminated soil, and demolition and removal of the 18,580 square foot concrete slab on which the former foundry building was located.”

In August 2023, the city purchased the vacant property and renamed the site West Radford Commerce Park before the city council transferred ownership to the Economic Development Authority (EDA) in June 2024.

“Bringing new jobs and businesses to Radford has long been a goal to build a robust, sustainable economy,” said Mayor David Horton. “Reimagining parts of our community, investing and redeveloping areas like West Radford Commerce Park helps us embrace 21st century opportunities to build the Radford of tomorrow…”

“This is a great announcement for the City of Radford and the West Radford Commerce Park. We are very excited about this grant as we begin the development of the Commerce Park. These funds will help ensure that we have a market-ready site in the near future that is ready for new business and job creation and will contribute to overall economic growth in our region of the Commonwealth,” said EDA Chairman Abram Williams.

“With this grant from the State of Virginia, we are able to take the necessary steps to rehabilitate and redevelop the former Foundry site in West Radford, which has been vacant for over a decade,” said Kim Repass, Economic Development Director for the City of Radford.

“Special thanks to the Radford Economic Development Authority, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and Governor Youngkin’s office for your continued commitment, effort, and vision in creating a reuse plan for this site. The redevelopment of this property will bring new industry, new jobs, and overall economic vitality to our city and region.”

Click here to learn more about the Virginia Business Sites Ready Program scholarship.