ROANOKE, VA (June, 23, 2013) –The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission will host a Livable Roanoke Valley Summit on June 25, 2014.  The media are invited to the half-day Summit where the final Livable Roanoke Valley Plan will be presented to the community.  The Summit will feature a keynote address by Bill Shelton, the Director of the VA Dept. of Housing & Community Development and community leaders that have agreed to champion initiatives in the areas economic development, workforce, health, and natural assets.  The Summit will be held on:

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 – 7:30AM to 1:30PM

Salem Civic Center

1001 Roanoke Boulevard

Salem, VA 24153

The Partnership for a Livable Roanoke Valley (Livable Roanoke Valley) is an initiative of The Regional Commission, seven local governments, and more than 60 organizations in the Roanoke Valley. The initiative seeks to promote economic opportunity and a greater quality of life for all Roanoke Valley residents through the development of the Valley’s first regional plan for livability.

Livable Roanoke Valley has taken a straight-forward approach to understanding and addressing key issues affecting the region.  We engaged partners, organizations, and over 1,200 citizens to gain a strong understanding of our region’s values, vision, and priorities.  Based on these, we developed 11 strategic initiatives to achieve goals in the areas of economic development, workforce development, health, and natural assets.  These initiatives include efforts such as “investing in regional infrastructure”, “preparing students for high-demand fields”, “improving access to healthcare services”, and preserving scenic and rural land”. We have also concentrated on ways to improve opportunity and access for low-income and underserved communities within our region.

For more information on the Summit and the plan, click here