The Rivanna Futures Vision

Communities invest in economic development to help existing businesses stay and expand and to attract new businesses, which create jobs and generate commercial activity that grows the tax base – so local government services, including public schools, police and firefighters, parks and recreation programs, can be funded without relying too heavily on residential taxpayers. A recent study by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service for Albemarle County found that for every tax dollar generated by a commercial entity, it costs 32-cents to serve them, creating a surplus of tax revenues. For every tax dollar generated by a residential property, however, it costs an average of $1.31 – creating a deficit. Albemarle County has focused on diversifying the tax base as one way to provide quality public services affordably.

The Rivanna Futures project was a historic investment in Albemarle County’s economic future. In 2023, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors purchased 462 acres of property adjacent to Rivanna Station with a vision to grow an innovation acceleration campus in northern Albemarle that could leverage the vibrancy of the intelligence and national security sector, which drives $1.2 billion of annual economic activity in our region.

The AstraZeneca announcement this past fall is a transformative win for our region’s long-term economic vibrancy. AstraZeneca will establish a pharmaceutical manufacturing campus on 82 acres of land at Rivanna Futures – its largest capital investment ever, building two manufacturing facilities that employ a total of 600 employees, with a starting salary of $125,000. It will also be an anchor in the biotechnology and life sciences sector, a goal contained with Albemarle’s newly adopted Economic Development Strategic Plan.

AstraZeneca’s competitive site selection process was about more than dirt and utilities – it was intentionally focused on finding the right community for the right workforce. They were looking for a community that placed a high value on sustainability and climate action to match their corporate values and commitments to carbon neutrality. They were looking for a community that their future employees enjoy living in – with strong public schools, recreational activities, and shopping and dining options. They were looking for people that will be the trusted employees that produce life-saving medicines for patients across the globe and for workforce partners that ensure those jobs are filled for decades into the future. In that way, they did not select a site at Rivanna Futures – but rather, Albemarle County.

Our community is meeting the moment. CvilleBioHub is leading a private and public sector effort to identify the biotech and life sciences workforce gaps, so that area partners can begin to address them holistically. Piedmont Virginia Community College is bringing online new workforce training opportunities for area high school and community college students, as well as training and upskilling for those already in the workforce. The University of Virginia has signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement with AstraZeneca, formalizing pre-clinical research activity and in the process creating new workforce and entrepreneurial pipelines and pathways. The Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development is leading a planning effort for the “Central Virginia Innovation Corridor”, which will provide a roadmap on how to continue to partner and collaborate to retain and grow our regional target sectors into the future.

While AstraZeneca will not open its doors for a few years yet, 2026 will bring the first visible signs of change at Rivanna Futures as we continue our work to deliver an innovation hub in Albemarle! Albemarle County has received more than $30 million in state grant funds to do design and construction of sitework, utilities, and the extension of Boulders Road back to Route 29 at Austin Drive. Expect to see limited tree clearing, grading, and the digging and laying of utility pipes over the next 12 months.