CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — City council members in Chesapeake have been given the green light to construct what would be the tallest tower in Virginia. It is part of what will soon be a submarine cable manufacturing facility.
South Korean based LS Greenlink searched all across North America for the perfect site. They chose the area near Paradise Creek because of how close it is to deep water and adequate infrastructure.
At the Tuesday council meeting, company representatives and local leaders boasted the roughly $681 million investment for potentially bringing about 330 “high paying” jobs to the city.
The tower at this facility will be around 660 feet tall, according to Christopher Abel with LS Greenlink. It beats the current tallest building in Virginia, which is the Westin at Town Center, measuring 508 feet all.
The height of this tower helps with manufacturing their submarine cables. During production, they hang the cables from the top inside, using gravity to help make them tighter.
“It’s the most efficient way to produce the cables while maintaining the highest level of quality control,” Abel told city council leaders on Tuesday.
Cables will then be put into circular storage facilities by the water, where they eventually get loaded onto vessels for distribution around the world.
“While LS is an industrial conglomerate, it may not be a household name,” managing director Patrick Shim said. “However, our affiliate LG might be a more familiar name for you.”
This facility has the support of top elected officials in the Commonwealth. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration helped announce the project in July. Mayor Rick West considers this to be the largest economic development project in the city. Virginia U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner both touted the $100 million in tax credits that LS Greenlink is getting from the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The project will bring significant positive economic benefit to the city of Chesapeake,” explained Doug Smith, President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance. “Plainly put, Project Genesis is a large project, one of the largest manufacturing investments in the recent history of Hampton Roads. The city will benefit from increased tax revenue, and residents will benefit from several hundred brand new high wage job opportunities.”
At the Tuesday meeting, councilwoman Amanda Newins pointed out a letter from the Navy, listing some concerns they had with the facility. Without elaborating on what those concerns are, city manager Christopher Price said representatives from the Navy were present at the council meeting, and believes their concerns are addressed in the conditional use permit for LS Greenlink.
All nine of the city leaders voted in favor of the project. The company expects to finish the facility sometime in 2028.