TAZEWELL, VA – MARCH 11, 2026 — An up to $40,000 grant to be used to finance a preliminary engineering report and environmental impact review study for a possible housing development in Tazewell County was closed recently between the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) and the Tazewell County Industrial Development Authority (IDA).
The property being considered is located near the Tazewell County Career & Technical Center in Tazewell, VA.
“In 2023, the IDA acquired more than 120 acres of land near Tazewell County High School from CNX Resources as part of the transaction which saw the IDA and VCEDA assist CNX with the relocation and expansion of the CNX Virginia regional headquarters office to downtown Richlands, VA,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “The IDA feels the tract of land acquired by the IDA is ideally suited for a housing development.”
Belcher noted since that time, the IDA has been in discussions with two possible developers, one of which is a private “for profit” developer that would build town homes and single-family housing. The other developer is a not-for-profit developer.
In 2024, the VCEDA Board added a housing funding policy for loan and/or grant funding on a limited basis to county industrial development authorities to support site development and/or infrastructure needs for new housing development to the VCEDA Consolidated Project Policies.
“The Tazewell County IDA is grateful for the VCEDA Board approving our request for a portion of our allotted funds to be credited to our need for Environmental and PER studies for our land in the Town of Tazewell,” said Tazewell County Economic Development Director Tim Danielson. “As with many communities in the VCEDA region, Tazewell County is in need of residential development and VCEDA’s support of local housing development is very much appreciated by the Tazewell County IDA. We value the continued support the VCEDA Board provides. We could not achieve much of our successes without the support of VCEDA.”
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.
