City of Staunton

May 30, 2024 – The City of Staunton held a ribbon cutting for the completion of Crossing Way Thursday morning, connecting Richmond Avenue to Valley Center Drive, giving access to the interior of Staunton Crossing.

“This milestone has been many years in the making. It is progress that a lot of our Staunton community members are excited to see,” said City of Staunton Mayor Stephen W. Claffey. “The roadway gives access to hundreds of acres of prime real estate for development for new businesses that would create jobs.”

Staunton Crossing is about 300 acres of land on the north side of Richmond Avenue, where the Western State Hospital was located until 2013. The site is bordered by I-81 to the east and N. Frontier Drive to the west, extending northward up to the new Western State Hospital.

Crossing Way was a VDOT-administered project, funded with about $10.5 million in grants. The project also includes a park and ride. BRITE Bus will add a stop there in the future.

“We are thrilled about this future bus stop location for BRITE Bus, Afton Express, and the Virginia Breeze,” said Devon Thompson, the Transit Program Manager at the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission. “Once the bus shelter is installed and routes are modified, we can’t wait to introduce passengers to this safe, comfortable place to make vital connections inside and outside of the Valley.”

The Staunton Crossing site is large enough to accommodate a combination of offices, medical facilities, manufacturing, and limited retail.

The city and the Economic Development Authority continue to invest in the infrastructure at Staunton Crossing. In mid-May, bids were received for the construction of sewer and water lines and a water tower for the site. The city has applied for grants through the Virginia Business Ready Site Program to help pay for these improvements and increase the site’s business ready rating.   

Hotels, restaurants, and retail have already been developed on roughly 25 acres along Richmond Avenue. This small section brings in more than $1.2 million annually in tax revenue. The completion of Crossing Way connects this development in phase one to the rest of Staunton Crossing, highlighting the great potential of the remaining 275 acres.

Click to learn more about Staunton Crossing.