The dreams and reality of Meadowville Park
By Faith McClintic DEVELOPMENT MANAGER MEADOWVILLE TECHNOLOGY PARK CHESTERFIELD DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Editor's note: This is the fourth and final article in a series from the county's Department of Economic Development.

Meadowville Technology Park is an emerging development located in Chesterfield's southeastern quadrant at the juncture of Interstate 295 and Route 10. The Meadowville site includes 1,300 acres, some of which border the James River and approximately 2.5 miles of Interstate 295 near the Varina-Enon Bridge. The property's river frontage contains steep overlooks that provide spectacular views of the river, bridge and surrounding property.

The evolution of Meadowville began over 10 years ago with a vision of county officials looking to initiate a long-term development opportunity that would create jobs and generate non-residential tax revenues for Chesterfield well into the future. The park, originally proposed for semiconductor manufacturers and other high-tech companies, has been positioned for immediate development, with the county's life-to-date investment of $35 million providing "ready-to-go" sites to interested companies. This includes construction of utilities and road infrastructure, completion of environmental studies, development of master plans, and purchase of the remaining optioned properties back in 2005. The property, technically under the ownership of the Economic Development Authority of Chesterfield County, is now considered one of Virginia's most marketable, attractive and viable sites, particularly for water-intensive users or technology companies. And, after a revision to the park's master plan in June 2006, Meadowville is now being promoted as a mixed-use development ready to accommodate office, research and development, technology-based, and industrial users.

After years of diligent and concerted marketing efforts, Meadowville is also gaining national and international recognition among targeted-industry sectors such as life sciences, microelectronics, information technology, as well as site location consultants. This was demonstrated with the exciting news of Meadowville's first anchor tenant in November 2005 when Northrop Grumman Information Technology announced its plans to locate in the park. Less than a year after construction began on the 193,000+ square foot state-of-the-art facility, Meadowville is now the new home of Northrop Grumman's Commonwealth Enterprise Solutions Center (CESC). The CESC will manage the computer systems and data center functions for nearly 90 of Virginia's executive branch agencies. In addition to the significant tax revenue this project will generate for Chesterfield County, Northrop Grumman's notable worldwide reputation and confidence in the Meadowville location are sure to lend an added degree of credibility to the park, helping to generate additional interest from other companies.

Aside from offering one of Chesterfield's most pristine and convenient locations, Meadowville can also provide an accessible, qualified workforce to businesses locating in the park. For life science companies, there is an added benefit thanks to the formal alliance between Chesterfield County and the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park. With its designation as a satellite location to the biotech park's downtown campus, life science companies locating in Meadowville can enjoy access to research programs and collaborative opportunities available at Virginia Commonwealth University, just as they would if located in the biotech park's downtown location. More importantly, startup companies that outgrow their space in the biotech park's incubator facility, or businesses whose operations cannot be accommodated in the urban environment, can still establish and maintain their affiliations with VCU and the biotech park from a Meadowville address. This alliance with the biotech park has also increased the county's opportunities to promote Meadowville, providing for partnerships and economies of scale in marketing the area to biotech, pharmaceutical and other life science companies.

As with any successful venture, patience, persistence and careful planning are essential. And, while it has taken nearly a decade to make the Meadowville vision a reality, the county's long-term commitment and substantial investment in the park are starting to pay off. More importantly, the continuation of aggressive marketing efforts, strategic positioning and additional infrastructure planning are likely to produce significant economic development opportunities and greater returns on the county's investment for decades to come.