WRT is pleased to have advised the New River Valley, VA Region in the preparation of a successful, $1 million Category 1 grant application. New River Valley is a four-county, mostly rural region with 165,000 residents. The application proposed an approach of creating “Rural Sustainability Hubs” as a way to accommodate future growth, maintain the region’s unique identity, and create a new model for planning in a rural region. The national experience and expertise of WRT and PlaceMatters, who WRT is currently partnering with on the Albany 2030 Comprehensive Plan, were highlighted in the application. PlaceMatters is a nonprofit consulting organization that applies innovative public engagement techniques and decision support tools to planning processes. Both WRT and PlaceMatters will assist the New River Valley Sustainable Communities Consortium (NRVSCC) in developing a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development.
