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County officials are hopeful that an $83,450 grant will help bring the abandoned Shaw building in Keysville back to life, making way for new industry.

The building has been sitting empty since its last occupant, Sherwood Brand Candies, a New Jersey-based business, was last located there in the early 90s.

The grant from Virginia Brownfields Restoration and Economic Redevelopment Assistance Fund (VBAF) will assist Charlotte County in site remediation to cover efforts that include remediation of a contaminated property to remove hazardous substances and wastes, demolition and removal of existing structures, and other site work necessary to make a site or property usable for new economic development.

Brownfields are properties in which redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence of hazardous materials, pollution or contaminants.

The majority of the grant will be used for asbestos removal, with a portion used for engineering fees.

“Maintaining our status as the best place for business requires having a robust inventory of shovel-ready sites to attract prospective companies,” Governor Ralph Northam said. “The Virginia Brownfields Restoration and Economic Redevelopment Assistance Fund is a vital resource for restoring brownfields sites, returning them to productive use and ultimately generating new jobs and investment. We look forward to seeing the economic, environmental, and public health benefits that this funding will bring to this locality.”

The VBAF provides either grants or loans to local governments to restore and redevelop brownfield sites and address environmental problems or obstacles to their reuse to effectively attract new economic development prospects.

Administered by the Virginia Resources Authority, the VBAF is a partnership between the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Department of Environmental Quality.