County and Economic Leaders hope independent buyer purchases Central Virginia Training Center property

AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — Economic leaders in Amherst County and Lynchburg are hoping an independent developer or group of developers come in and purchase the Central Virginia Training Center property.

According to trainingcentermasterplan.com, the 350-acre property sits between Amherst County and Lynchburg. Megan Lucas, CEO, and Chief Economic Officer of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance said the work to get this property ready for sale has been years in the making.

“The Central Virginia Training Center land has been in the works for the last eight years,” Lucas said. “We, along with Amherst County and the Economic Development Authority of Amherst County want to see that area be used and developed to create something spectacular.”

According to the letter sent to the Virginia Department of General Services from Amherst County Administrator Jeremy Bryant, he writes the following:

“Furthermore, Amherst County would like to point out that with its regional partnerships, a master plan was completed for this property that has been included in the Amherst County Comprehensive Plan. Currently, the CVTC property is zoned P-1 Public Land. Any future sale of the property to a private property owner would require a rezoning of the property, which would necessitate complying with the Amherst Comprehensive Plan. As part of the future development, we believe it is best if the property is sold to a single qualified developer that can implement the Master Plan, instead of it being parceled off.”

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In essence, both Lucas and Bryant hope the future developer will come in and help bring to life the Madison Heights Redevelopment Plan.

Lucas said the goal is to have a developer or realtor purchase that land so it could grow the urban core in both Amherst County and Lynchburg.

“Amherst County, Madison Heights, and particularly the training center – they are the other side of the river; so they’re part of the urban core,” Lucas said. “We telescoped a vision for a twin community and that twin community is the city of Lynchburg and Madison Heights.”

The economic leader also highlighted that there is vast interest in that property.

“We’ve had many a large interest in the property and we hope to continue showcasing it,” Lucas said. “We plan to have many more realtor and developer showcases in the future to continue to highlight the area.”