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The new law took effect on Jan. 1, 2025, one focused just on Lunenburg, Charlotte and Prince Edward counties. Now we have a better idea of how long the Lunenburg enterprise zone will last this time, as well as some support the three counties will get in making this work. 

It’s something you don’t exactly see every day. The three counties mentioned above are connected to each other through an enterprise zone, one that exists on each of their respective borders. For our purposes here, that means the border area between Lunenburg and Prince Edward, as well as the one between Lunenburg and Charlotte. 

The program creates a local and state partnership that encourages job creation and private investment, according to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (VDHCD). In addition to incentives offered locally, it provides access to job creation and real property investment grants in the designated zones. Basically, if you’re willing to bring in a business and relocate to that area, you’ll get some tax credits and other incentives beyond what’s offered in other parts of Lunenburg. 

But an enterprise zone doesn’t last forever. As such, Lunenburg resident and District 50 Del. Tommy Wright filed an extension request in last year’s Assembly session, one that just took effect. And as mentioned, now we know how long this enterprise zone and its incentives will operate in Lunenburg County. The zone is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2029, but under the current deal, once this extension expires, another four-year renewal automatically kicks in. That means it’ll be Dec. 31, 2033 before the enterprise zone goes away. 

Getting some help 

Lunenburg will also get some help from Housing and Community Development to make this work, department officials said. That came in a letter written last month to Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors Chairman Alvester Edmonds. 

“Representatives from the Department of Housing and Community Development will be contacting you or your designee soon to discuss strategies and recommendations to ensure a positive impact on the community during the next five years,” Housing Director Bryan Horn wrote. “I am pleased to be of assistance to you in the county’s continued economic and community development efforts.” 

So how does this work? Local and state officials say the importance of an individual enterprise zone incentive to a business depends on its type and size, the anticipated real property investment, number of associated jobs and the development schedule. In addition to the state benefits, counties have provided real property and machinery and tools tax grants, fast-track permitting and site discounts to provide short-term development incentives as well as local tax incentives.

In Prince Edward, both the Hotel Weyanoke and the Holiday Inn Express were able to use the incentives to expand and do some renovations. In Charlotte, the enterprise zone helped the county land Eastern Engineered Wood Products LLC to the Heartland Regional Industrial Park, local officials said. Those have been the main successes cited so far.