Construction of the AeroFarms facility could begin within the next two months.

AeroFarms announced in December 2019 that it would create 92 jobs in the region and invest tens of millions of dollars over three years.

Danville-Pittsylvania County Regional Industrial Facilities Authority voted unanimously Monday to approve a resolution for a 90-day short-term ground lease with RealtyLink Investments LLC so the company can begin site preparation of 13 acre pad and construction of the AeroFarms facility. .

The lease is for a larger 23 acre site that contains the 13 acre site.

South Carolina-based RealtyLink has a purchase and sale agreement on the RIFA land and will lease a 150,000 square foot building to Aerofarms, which plans to build the largest indoor grow facility to date in Cane Creek Center, a park owned by Danville and Pittsylvania County via RIFA.

AeroFarms, based in Newark, New Jersey, specializes in chemical-free vertical agriculture and in December 2019 announced plans to create 92 jobs and invest approximately $ 55 million in the Dan River area.

Vertical cultivation uses LED lighting and an aeroponic mist on leafy greens in piles up to 40 feet tall. It vaporizes the roots of green vegetables with nutrients, water and oxygen, using 95% less water than field farming and 40% less than hydroponics, according to the website. the company.

“Aerofarms is looking to innovate in the next 45 to 60 days,” Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe told the Danville Register & Bee ahead of the RIFA board meeting on Monday.

RealtyLink is the developer of the Aerofarms project, which is slated to begin operations at Cane Creek in the first quarter of 2022, Rowe said.

The project could bring in more than the 92 jobs initially advertised, he said.

“Those numbers for jobs have probably increased,” Rowe said ahead of the RIFA meeting.

RealtyLink and RIFA have an agreement to buy and sell two parcels totaling approximately 43 acres, one of which includes the 23-acre site, with a closing date in late July 2021.

RealtyLink is a Greenville, SC-based development company that constructs speculative buildings for industrial, commercial and residential purposes, and provides finance.