Board meeting features positive economic news for the Eastern Shore

A pair of major developments could bring a significant economic boost to Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The Accomack County Board of Supervisors approved a key measure Wednesday that supporters say will strengthen the region’s growing aerospace sector and reduce energy costs for major employers.

Supervisors voted unanimously to rezone the Darby Farm property on Arbuckle Neck, just across from the Rocket Lab complex near the Wallops Island bridge. County officials say the move will help attract new aerospace vendors to support the expanding Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility.

Assistant County Administrator and Zoning Administrator Lea Pambid and his team led the rezoning effort, which was endorsed by the county’s Planning Commission and by County Administrator Mike Mason and the Board of Supervisors.

At Wednesday’s public hearing, former Supervisor Grayson Chesser praised the project, saying, quote: “The rezoning of this parcel will benefit the entire Eastern Shore. If I were sitting on the Board, I would vote yes.”

Officials emphasized that nearby landowners were kept informed throughout the process, which saw no opposition. Attorney John Custis told residents that development won’t happen overnight and that the land will continue to be farmed under existing contracts until construction needs arise.

Long term, the site is expected to help create new aerospace jobs for local residents and generate added tourism—particularly on Chincoteague, where space-related travel is already on the rise.

The good news didn’t end there. County Administrator Mike Mason announced that the county has secured a $6.5 million grant to help bring a natural gas pipeline from the Maryland line south to Perdue Farms and NASA’s Wallops facility. Mason says natural gas could cut energy costs at Perdue and Tysons by nearly half—supporting more than 4,000 local jobs that together produce nearly a billion dollars in economic impact.

Local success, officials noted, comes after years of cooperation among county leaders and state and federal lawmakers, including Delegate Rob Bloxom, former Senator Lynwood Lewis, Senator Bill DeSteph, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, former Congresswoman Elaine Luria, former Governor Ralph Northam and Governor Glenn Youngkin.