Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission News
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COVID-19 Dashboard
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission  staff has prepared a COVID-19 dashboard to track regional cases and also includes demographics and mapping of vulnerable populations.

Included in the dashboard are unemployment claims, nursing home locations, and zip code COVID-19 data. COVID-19 cases and deaths are updated hourly from Johns Hopkins. To access the dashboard, click HERE .
Image captured 7/30/2020 at 9:00am
Regional Commission Releases Draft of Local Food Plan
A draft of the Roanoke Valley Local Food Plan is now available for public review. You can see a copy of the draft on our website at https://rvarc.org/sustainability/local-foods/roanoke-valley-local-food-plan/ . For more information, please reach out to Amanda McGee at amcgee@rvarc.org .
Chesapeake Bay Program Releases New Watershed Planning Tool
The Chesapeake Bay Program recently released the beta version of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Data Dashboard. The dashboard serves as a new online tool to help guide water quality and Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.

The tool provides a wide variety of different data visualization maps that allow users to analyze information on a state, regional, and local scale. It has water quality data available for all the major tributaries in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and best management practices that have been implemented in each county of the watershed.

By consolidating this information into one, easy to use platform, the Chesapeake Bay Program hopes this increase the public’s accessibility to the information and provide better guidance for environmental planners and managers.
RIDE Solutions Partners with Telework!VA
RIDE Solutions is partnering with Telework!VA to provide professional telework consultation services to organizations in central and southwest Virginia, including our local government partners. If you would like to know more about these free services, contact Jeremy Holmes at jholmes@rvarc.org .
Regional Commission Adopts New Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
The Regional Commission adopted a new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy at its June meeting. The CEDS is a regional strategy which reflects local economic development needs and priorities and is designed to diversify and strengthen the regional economy.

The CEDS Strategy Committee continued to incorporate a series of familiarization tours in FY19-20. These events give members an opportunity to visit localities throughout the region and included a tour of downtown Vinton to see the progress that has been made on the town’s downtown revitalization that was partially funded by a VA DHCD CDBG grant.

Additions to the 2020 CEDS included a rewrite of workforce training section by Virginia Career Works Blue Ridge Region, the new Virginia Mountains region tourism brand, and The Gauntlet comprehensive business development program, updated demographics with new data from JobsEQ, an updated SWOT analysis and Goals & Strategies, new projects highlighting inter-muncipal cooperation (Roanoke Valley Housing Study, Alleghany/ Covington Revenue Sharing Agreement, Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facilities Authority, and Regional Career and Technical Education Study), updated Project Package listing, a GO Virginia section, and an Opportunity Zone summary.

Persons wishing to review the plan may access it on the Regional Commission’s website at http://rvarc.org/CEDS . For more information on the plan, contact Director of Community Development Programs at ewells@rvarc.org .
RVARC Partners with City of Roanoke and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles for Pedestrian Safety Campaign
Did you know that in Virginia, every corner is crosswalk, whether it’s painted or not? Working with RVARC, the City of Roanoke has partnered with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to spread the word about crosswalk safety. As part of this campaign, RVARC and RIDE Solutions have been busy creating videos and sharing information about crosswalk safety. Here’s how you can do your part to prevent injuries:

If you’re driving:
  • Stop for pedestrians in all crosswalks, including ones that are not marked
  • Watch for pedestrians (especially children) on the side of the road, and be prepared to slow down and stop should they step into the road
  • Stop for people crossing the street before turning right or left


As a pedestrian:
  • Always cross at the corner rather than mid-block
  • Be predictable and cross where drivers are likely to expect you 
  • Look both ways for right or left turning vehicles before you cross, and use the push buttons when they are available

Learn more and get involved at planroanoke.org/PedestrianSafety .
The videos above were created by the Commission's Regional Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee and RIDE Solutions for the Pedestrian Safety Campaign Kickoff Event.
The 2020 Census is happening now. You can respond online, by phone, or by mail.
Why is a Complete Census Count Important?
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.

  • Alleghany Highlands Economic Impact of the Arts
  • Alleghany Highlands Gap Analysis
  • Rural Long-Range Transportation Plan
  • City of Covington Downtown Revitalization Planning Grant Assistance
  • City of Roanoke Neighborhood Walk Project
  • City of Roanoke Pedestrian Safety Campaign
  • Regional Housing Study: Franklin and Roanoke Counties, and the Cities of Roanoke and Salem
  • Economic Impact of the Roanoke Higher Education Center
  • Rural Bikeway Plan
  • Local Food Plan
  • Promotion and access improvements for the Roanoke River Blueway

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