Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission News
Celebrating 50 Years of Regional Service
Regional Commission Through the Years
2004
Franklin County joins the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission as a joint member.
Regional Commission Partners with Virginia Tech to Collect Bicycle and Pedestrian Traffic Count Data
The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC) is partnering with Virginia Tech for a pilot program to collect on-street bike/ped traffic count data. The first two count locations are near the intersection of Campbell Ave and Jefferson Ave and on 10th St NW near Syracuse Ave. The pilot will collect data for three months, and then Virginia Tech researchers will help RVARC staff analyze data.
Photo: Virginia Tech researcher Tianjun Lu helps install the pneumatic tubes that detect bicycles.
Weldon Cooper Center Releases Updated Population Estimates
Periodically, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service prepares population estimates for each locality in Virginia. Using data from 2000-2018, and data on births, deaths, and age cohorts, they model the population to generate estimates. 

The RVARC region is expected to grow 4% over the next 20 years (this amounts to a .2% annual growth rate through 2040), while the State is expected to grow 14%. Franklin County is expected to have the highest growth and the Alleghany Highlands is projected to lose population.  
RVARC Staff Highlight Roanoke Valley at Virginia Planning Conference
Cristina Finch, Director of Transportation, presented the Roanoke Valley’s experience planning and developing a multimodal system transportation system with the assistance of the Multimodal System Design Guidelines. Finch worked with EPR consultants to educate fellow planners around Virginia about using the Guidelines to improve multimodal transportation in their regions. 

Local participants included Nicole Pendleton, Director of Community Development for Botetourt County and Ian Shaw, Planning Administrator for the City of Roanoke. Bryan Hill, Regional Planner III with the Regional Commission assisted with facilitating the 2.5 hr. workshop.
Public Input Sought on Importance of Proposed Regional Transportation Investments
The Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization (RVTPO) is accepting public comment on amendments to the Transportation Improvement Program and Constrained Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan until Sunday, August 4. Visit rvarc.org to provide your input on both surveys. 

The RVTPO will hold public hearings on the amendments at the Policy Board meeting on Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, Conference Room, 313 Luck Avenue, SW, Roanoke, VA 24016.
Commission Members and Staff Attend VTrans Mid-Term Needs Regional Workshop
On Tuesday, July 30th, members of the Roanoke Vallley-Alleghany Regional Commission along with commission staff attended VTrans Mid-Term Needs Regional Workshop that was hosted by the Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI).

During this workshop, participants were tasked with three goals; convey the trade-offs that the Commonwealth must consider in a statewide needs identification process, gather feedback from local and regional stakeholders on performance measures thresholds that address the associated VTrans Goals, and utilize local and regional knowledge to understand needs priorities.

For more information on VTrans, visit: vtrans.org
Ongoing Projects
The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission is always working with localities on projects that benefit the region. Some of these projects are listed below.

  • Greenway Support
  • Local Food Plan
  • Rural Bikeway Plan
  • Urban Forestry Council
  • Working with local governments, tourism organizations, and the private sector on a promotional campaign for the Roanoke River Blueway
  • Working with the regional local foods partners to examine "Food Hub" needs in the region

For more information on ongoing projects contact  Tim Pohlad-Thomas   or visit  RVARC.org .