Nebraska Defense Research Corp. signed an agreement to become the anchor tenant for the facility, which is focused on national-defense technology and research. Nebraska is expected to provide $50 million for the project.

A 45-acre campus near Highways 75 and 34

The broader development, described as the Prairie Hill Farm collaboration campus, is planned across about 45 acres northeast of Highways 75 and 34 in Bellevue. The site is intended to house researchers, startups, private companies and defense contractors.

The projected $300 million figure represents potential investment when the campus is fully built. It is not money already spent, and the project is not yet a completed campus.

Bellevue officials have linked the development to the city’s military and technology economy near Offutt Air Force Base. That location is central to the project’s stated purpose: creating a place where defense research, private industry and new technology companies can operate close to the base and the region’s existing military infrastructure.

Why the project matters

The campus could add defense-research activity, startups, contractors and high-skilled employment to Bellevue. The eventual number of jobs, tenants and buildings has not been finalized, so the local economic effect will depend on how much of the planned campus is ultimately developed.

Omaha Public Power District has separately identified the Bellevue area as a focus of major transmission planning in anticipation of significant growth. The utility selected a final route after public feedback and review of development and environmental considerations.

The anchor-tenant agreement is the latest concrete step for the REACH project. Public announcements have not established a construction start date or completion deadline.

The Virginia-based engineering and consulting firm’s planned headquarters was announced July 20 by Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s office. The project remains a planned expansion: the announcement sets an expected operating date but does not provide a construction start date or say that work is underway.

Planned building and site

The headquarters is planned as an approximately 27,000-square-foot, three-story building. It is intended to serve as an innovation hub for the company’s future defense-technology development.

Prince William County approved the sale of 1.25 acres of county-owned land next to NOVA LIVE in June 2026. That land action preceded the state announcement of the headquarters investment and employment plans.

The announced $18.1 million figure is the company’s planned capital investment in the project. The release does not break out the investment by construction, equipment, land, or other costs, and it does not state a separate price for the county-owned parcel.

Jobs are planned, not yet filled

The project is expected to create 80 new jobs in Virginia. Those positions are planned jobs associated with the expansion, rather than jobs already filled at the new headquarters.

The announcement does not specify the titles, pay, hiring schedule, or start dates for the planned positions. It also does not estimate indirect employment, new defense contracts, revenue, or a broader regional economic impact.

That distinction matters for assessing the development’s near-term effect. The project has an announced investment amount, a planned building size and a target operational date, but it has not been described in the release as completed or operational.

Workforce support identified, amount not disclosed

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership will support job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, known as VJIP. The program provides recruitment and training assistance to qualifying companies that are creating new jobs or expanding operations.

The state announcement identifies VJIP as part of the project’s workforce support but does not disclose the value of assistance for Hepburn and Sons. As a result, the available information does not establish a dollar amount of public support or characterize the assistance as a cash grant.

The project combines a company investment commitment with county land action and state workforce assistance. The county approved a sale of public land, while VEDP’s identified role is recruitment and training support. The packet does not provide terms of the land sale, a VJIP agreement amount, or other subsidy details.

What happens next

The next stated milestone is the headquarters becoming fully operational by summer 2028. No construction timetable was included in the announcement, and the release does not identify a date for hiring to begin.

For Prince William County and the state, the announced development is tied to a specific $18.1 million investment and 80 planned positions. Those figures remain expectations attached to a future facility, with the project’s progress toward construction, staffing and operation to be determined over the period leading to the summer 2028 target.