About one-third of Central Virginia Training Center slated for demolition

AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — Dozens of buildings at the former Central Virginia Training Center in Madison Heights are set to be demolished as part of a redevelopment plan years in the making.

31 buildings are slated to come down as the state moves forward with selling the property.

Jerry Davis, who lives next to the site, said, “To keep it in the condition it’s in, and it’s not being used for anything. It’s a waste of resources as it sits.”

Megan Lucas, CEO of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, noted that about a third of the buildings on the 380-acre property are a state priority to remove. “We have shown it to lots of developers, lots of interested businesses, but when a willing purchaser looks at the site, they see that they would begin $16 million in debt before they even can start rebuilding the site,” Lucas said.

The state closed the facility years ago and later declared it surplus property. Officials say nearly 100 aging buildings, many that may have asbestos and hazardous materials, have made the site hard to sell.

Lucas believes the demolition will “absolutely help” the county and region by making the property more attractive to private investors, opening the door for jobs, development and tax revenue.

READ MORE: Central Va. Training Center site in Amherst Co. up for sale, vision to expand urban core

Residents like Kristina Lavender and Kristin Humphrey expressed interest in utilizing the site for mental health facilities, highlighting the community’s need for such resources.

“I think we could utilize it for mental health situations. We have facilities, it’s a lot of buildings, a lot of area to do a lot of different stuff with to benefit the community, versus plowing it down and building new stuff,” Lavender said.

“I agree we definitely could use some mental health facilities as the communities in desperate need of them, along with addiction,” Humphrey said.

Davis added, “I would love to see something done with it. I would love to see something, maybe a development or something to use the property in a way that would be beneficial for the community and the property owners in the area.”

Officials say the demolitions mark phase one of a redevelopment process nearly a decade in the making.