For over 45 years, the regional commission has assisted local communities and the greater region by providing technical support for projects from start through implementation. Providing expertise and creative problem-solving, the regional commission addresses issues faced by New River Valley communities through its community development program. The regional commission has also been instrumental in securing state and federal funds to help build a region that residents are proud to call home.
The Regional Commission has several trained meeting facilitators on the team that truly enjoy working with groups to help them reach their goals. Each year the Regional Commission coordinates retreats for elected officials, leadership teams in local government, and non-profits focused on community development. Facilitation services typically include goal setting for groups, focused conversations on specific issues, collective visioning, and discovering how to make group dynamics work best for each team. The Regional Commission is a trusted partner in this work and takes great pride in each opportunity to facilitate important group discussions.
The Regional Commission has supported countless projects and programs throughout the region, often using grant funds to accomplish regional objectives. The work to identify grant opportunities typically starts with plans the Regional Commission completes on regional and local levels. Staff members have significant experience writing winning grant proposals, and providing grant administration for a wide range of activities. The grant management program at the Regional Commission covers the full gamut from applying for and receiving funds to managing projects for local governments and non-profits in the region all the way through project implementation.
Land use planning significantly impacts the character of a community. It guides physical growth to meet the community’s economic and social needs while also protecting natural and historical resources. It influences where we live, work, recreate and conduct business, and how we commute to and from these places.
The Regional Commission offers services to create and update different types of plans such as comprehensive plans, downtown plans, and strategic plans. Services include high quality graphics and illustrations in these plans which makes it easier to read and understand, analysis of many types of community data, and production of meaningful charts and infographics to make sense of the current trends in the community. The Regional Commission assists its partners with the rewriting of zoning ordinances and subdivision ordinances which can be enhanced with intuitive diagrams to illustrate zoning and subdivision requirements, development standards, and other definitions and regulations. The Regional Commission assists with local planning such as community engagement (which includes an online platform), hosting workshops, collection and management of data, and grant writing.
