REVIEWS & OPINIONS Roanoke County looks to ELEVATE its appeal Roanoke County Economic Development held two public meetings last month to receive citizen feedback on the draft ELEVATE 2026 Strategic Plan. ELEVATE is all about “crafting a comprehensive and effective Strategic Plan that will help guide Roanoke County's economic growth for the next five years,” states the county. Putting those long-range strategic plans together cost money and often involves outside consultants. Appalachian Power has ponied up $15,000 for the cause, with Brad Hall, the Vice President of External Affairs stating that, “without a plan, you fail. Communities that plan are communities that succeed. [But] what we don’t want is a plan that sits on the shelf. We’re going to be at the table. We want a good product.” Roanoke County has been holding a series of public meetings over the past few years for its “Imagine” visioning projects in the 419/ Tanglewood corridor (which is starting to bear fruit), Hollins and Oak Grove areas. Mixed used development and finding more of that “cool factor” to help retain and attract residents is one goal. The county has lagged well behind Roanoke City when it comes to coolness – there’s no downtown core, no Virginia Tech-Carilion campus with scores of talented young people, no Grandin Village or Wasena (an up-and-coming outer downtown district) in the county. Jill Loope, Director of Economic Development for Roanoke County, says ELEVATE is intended to “steer the course,” of county investment over the next five years. It’s different than the comprehensive plan, “but they actually do work together. You can’t have land use decisions without understanding the economic development impacts.” Economic Development and the county Planning Department are putting their heads together on this one – with input from residents last month, no doubt with more to follow. The ‘burbs may be fine for many but for some others, especially younger people that grew up in the ring that is Roanoke County surrounding the City of Roanoke, there’s not much “juice,” no buzz. That’s one reason the lure and lore of the big city takes them away. (I know this firsthand). There have been internal initiatives but in her twenty years with Roanoke County, Loope says this is the first time they have “formally adopted a strategic plan for economic development.” As for relevance to those Imagine visioning sessions, “they all work together. All of them have been targeted towards infrastructure [and] transportation improvements. They all have a specific impact on economic development.” See yesroanoke.com for more on how Roanoke County hopes to ELEVATE its profile – and coolness factor – over the next five years.
THERE’S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE By Gene Marrano Executive Summary: “Without a plan, you fail,” says APCO spokesperson; “communities that plan are communities that succeed.”
vbFRONT.com / NOVEMBER 2021 u
37
