Small business development center project axed in Patrick County

STUART, Va. (WDBJ) – Plans for a small business development and child care center in Patrick County have been canceled. The project had been in the works since 2020 and was set to receive grant funding. On Friday, WDBJ7 spoke with the county’s economic development director about what happened and what’s next.

“Due to the cost of materials going up, due to the cost of energy taking place, when we got back into the project and took a look at it, the economic development authority (EDA) decided that feasibly it would be best to start all over and not proceed with the small business and development center,” said Patrick County Director of Economic Development and Tourism James Houchins.

Since 2020, Patrick County’s Economic Development Authority has planned to turn an old hardware store location in Uptown Stuart into the county’s first small business development center. However, the project has now been axed after its cost more than doubled over the last few years.

“Once we were actually able to put the project out to bid and the bids came back in, the bids actually doubled more than what we had funding for,” said Houchins.

The county was set to receive $1.9 million in grants for the project from state agencies, but because construction never began, that money had not yet been given to it.

“No money has actually exchanged hands. What it is is we had that pool that we could’ve pulled from. There’s a system that they use where we put remittance in and send our invoices and things in then they would’ve paid us back as we spent the money down. We never actually got to that phase,” said Houchins.

While the project has been canceled, the county’s economic development authority still owns the property.

“There are some other people that are interested and we know that we need space in the county as well, too. So we’re taking a look at all of our options to make sure that whatever we do with the building is going to be the best for the EDA as well as for the county,” said Houchins.

The county had also hoped to include a childcare space as part of the project. While the project has been canceled, Houchins said adding more childcare in the area remains a top priority.

“We’re now looking at other ways we can do that, and we’re looking for community partners too. STEP has indicated that they’re wanting to do some other things as well, and there are some other sources out there, too,” he said.

Houchins said he won’t rule out the creation of a small business development center at another location sometime in the future. He said his department is dedicated to bringing economic growth to the area.

“This is a temporary setback for us, but again, we’re very optimistic and we know that there are other things we will be able to get done, to bring childcare, of course, affordable housing, and also help our entrepreneurs as well. We’ve seen a lot of growth in the last couple of months, so we’re poised for something even greater,” he said.

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