Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 8/24/15


An $8.2 million community development package announced recently by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe includes a $1 million grant to continue the relocation of homes near a Smithfield Foods hog plant in the company’s hometown of Smithfield, Va.
The effort to raze homes and relocate residents in Smithfield’s Pinewood Heights neighborhood behind the company’s packing plant northwest of the city’s historic district has been in the works for years, according to project filings.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community development gave the city a $2.8 million block grant to implement the project. The project’s first phase, involving the acquisition and relocation of 32 homes, was completed in 2012. Phase two was expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The latest $1-million grant will fund the project’s third phase, which is to begin in early 2015, according to plans by the community development firm managing the project. 

In an overview of the project, the firm said, “The Pinewood Heights Neighborhood in the Town of Smithfield had experienced significant deterioration due in large part to the decline of industry in the area. Its proximity to nearby meat packing plants has contributed to serious environmental problems because of noise, odors, and dust.”

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