BASF has been looking for a buyer for more than 25 years for its 627-acre site in James City County and gotten some nibbles, but so far no sale.
A spokesperson for the West German company told Williamsburg Watch that there has been interest from multiple parties, but the company would not disclose who they were.
Activists in the nearby Grove community have urged the county to make the property’s shoreline property along the James River a public beach, but that does not seem likely to happen.
BASF reportedly wants to prohibit public access to the shoreline to prevent development, given the contaminated landfills it left nearby.
The BASF tract is one of only two sites that county officials say are suitable for heavy industry, and the county wants to keep it that way. Dominion Virginia Power has nearby power lines that can handle industrial grade power demands.
Among potential candidates would be a data center, heavy users of power that county regulations require to be isolated from residenti…